As a new climber, it’s tempting to hit the gym every day and max yourself out. Allowing your body to rest and recouperate, though, is essential in being able to climb your best. For newer climbers, Steph Davis recommends the following:

“Remember that you need rest days for muscle and tissue to rebuild, and your fingers are not used to being weighted so much. Three days a week should be the max, and with 4-7 you are flirting with tendon issues. Try not to tape your fingers if it’s not necessary. If you have energy to burn and you just can’t stop yourself, consider focusing on core strength. There are countless variations of crunches, leg raises and planks you can do. I think improving your core is one of the single best things you can do for climbing. In between your gym sessions, you could do some cross training of your choice: running, biking, swimming, yoga or weight lifting. This will keep your circulation going, improve your lungs, and in the case of yoga, give you even more muscle gains on your “rest” days.”

When you’re stoked on climbing and getting better, it can be easy to push your body to the point of injury, so make sure you remember to take those days off to let your body rebuild and recouperate!

Looking to further improve your climbing? Check out our Private Lessons or ProRock Coaching programs

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2012 at 11:55 am and is filed under Training.