Friday's 5 Fitness Tips: Hello, Old Friend! How to Get Back Into Climbing After A Long Hiatus
Sometimes, life gets in the way and you’re not able to do the things you love…for a long time. Like climbing.
I’m not going to lie, I’ve been on a climbing hiatus for awhile thanks to an injured pulley in my left ring finger that just wouldn’t heal. But I’ve thought about what it takes to get back into climbing.
It’s a tough road to get back on, but here are five tips that could help you pick up the sport again if you’ve been out of commission for an extended amount of time:
1. Contact old climbing friends to see if they’re interested in meeting you for a climbing session. Having a workout buddy, or in the case of climbing, a belay/bouldering buddy, will help you get motivated to get back into the gym or to the crag. Knowing that someone else is depending on you to show up is quite the motivator in and of itself. Plus, rekindling that friendship will bring back the old climbing trip stories from the past and remind you why you started climbing in the first place.
2. Work on your endurance before you work on power. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to start sending the hardest grade you were sending before you had to step away from the sport, or you’ll lose interest and might feel unmotivated to try again. Instead, think about your comeback as a long road to recovery: movement first, and then power. So for a couple of weeks, hop on easier climbs and condition your body to get used to the movement on the wall again, thereby building your endurance for more powerful climbs down the line.
3. Treat your body well. I’m not going to lie, during my extended periods of not climbing, I tend to fall off the “staying healthy” wagon. Getting back into climbing is the perfect time to start eating reintroduce a healthy diet. This doesn’t have to mean a drastic change in your diet. It could be as simple as choosing fresh fruit over that tempting cup of Ben & Jerry’s, or adding more vegetables to your meals. Whatever you choose to eat, just make sure that you’re consuming enough calories to fuel your climbing session. Getting enough protein is also essential as it aids in muscle repair.
4. Inspect old gear, buy new gear. What woman doesn’t like to shop? And shopping for climbing gear makes it that much more exciting! Depending on how long your hiatus from climbing has been, you should inspect your gear to make sure that each piece is still safe to use for your days at the crag. Are the belay loops on your harness becoming frayed? Are your cams/nuts/quickdraws/ropes looking a little beat up or unsafe? Well, it may be time to replace these items. Safety comes first, and you don’t want your first time back on the rock to be your last.
5. Throw your expectations out the window. Don’t put too much stress on yourself to do well. Enjoy your time on the wall. Take in every moment. Say “goodbye” to your worries and “hello” to your old friend, climbing.
The post Friday's 5 Fitness Tips: Hello, Old Friend! How to Get Back Into Climbing After A Long Hiatus appeared first on Live Stonewear.