Climbing is dangerous. Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, one awkward fall can lead to months off the wall. Injuries can range from pulleys, sprains, bones, muscles, etc. Because of this, being mindful of how to prevent them best could save you time and money. With this list, we’ll ensure you send your projects rather than being forced to sit on the sidelines recovering.
Before your session
One of the easiest ways to prevent injury is to warm up. Ensure you warm up all parts of your body, as climbing is a full-body activity. Before you even touch the wall, doing some jumping jacks or mountain climbers is a simple way to increase your heart rate and, in turn, boost blood flow to your whole body. If accessible, five minutes on a bike, row machine, treadmill, or ski machine could also help with properly warming up your muscles. Even a jump rope or step ladder is an excellent way to get blood flow through the body in a fun way. Bands also help warm your arms up when under tension. When using bands, it’s essential to control the pull and retract to maintain good form. Otherwise, you could end up causing more harm than good to the body, especially if the band is stronger than anticipated. As for fingers, there are a plethora of toys and gadgets athletes use to warm up their fingers for pulling hard on holds that are only a few millimeters. Hangboards and campus boards are also an excellent way to warm up your fingers, though it is advised to do some finger flicks, jabs, or any other form of finger movement to get some blood flow before hanging.
Furthermore, for those less experienced in climbing, be mindful of the grips you can hang on to and cautious about overtraining. Our fingers are fragile and not built to support our body weight without a foundation or the strength to do so. Dynamic stretches also offer an excellent way to become more limber before going on the wall, helping prevent you from pulling or straining a muscle during a drop knee or split. Lastly, when warming up, if you’re aiming to project, warm up the specific body parts you’ll use during the session. If the climb is very steep, do some wrist circles and curls to help loosen up and prepare your body for it. If the climb is more dynamic, add some box jumps. Or, going back, use the jump rope to help prepare your body for dynamic movement.
Aside from increasing blood flow, shaving down calluses can help prevent blisters before hopping on the wall, especially during dynamic movements.
When you’re warm (tedious but necessary), start with the easier climbs when on the wall. Don’t immediately jump on the wall. Allow your body that extra time to not only further warm up, but also to accommodate being on the wall. Holding on to an assortment of holds not only helps prevent injuries in your hand but also helps your body get a feel of different body positions.
During your session
During your climbing, it’s important to evaluate how you feel throughout your session. Being mindful of how your body feels could help prevent overexhaustion. Furthermore, if you feel too fatigued, trying a tough move could strain or pull a muscle. If bouldering, it could also lead to a funky fall. It could also help if you have some snacks for those long sessions to fuel your body.
After your session
Yes. You should definitely be stretching. Although many of us forget to, it is just as important to stretch after working out as it is to warm up. Think of this as preparation for your next session. Stretching helps the lactic acid that has been building up. It also helps with your range of motion, making you more limber on the wall. Unlike warming up, it’s best to do static stretches. Movements where you pause under tension not only help you become more flexible, but also help your body better recover from the intensity of climbing. Holding a position for 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes can not only rapidly increase your mobility but also help lubricate and relax your joints. This also prevents stiffness the next day. Stretching the fingers, wrists, shoulders, quads, and core are the major body parts you should aim to stretch to cool down from climbing properly.
Outside of stretching, fueling your body with nutrients and staying hydrated are key to staying healthy as an active climber. Skin is a big part of our climbing. Moisturizers and hand balms are also key to helping sensitive skin recover. Similar to when warming up, this is also a great time to check in on those calluses to see if you want to file down some rough or uneven bits.
Overall, nothing on this list will prevent an injury entirely. But being mindful of how you approach your climbing could help avoid injury.