Whether you’re bouldering, scaling epic cliffs or specific training at the gym, climbing can take a serious toll on your body. Between finger strains, forearm pump, and sore shoulders, it’s essential to prioritise recovery as much as you do technique and strength training. One of the best ways to aid recovery is through self-massage, a method that helps reduce muscle tension, improve flexibility, and prevent injury. Let’s dive into why recovery is so important and how climbers can incorporate self-massage into their routine.
Why Recovery Matters in Climbing
Climbing demands a lot from your body. It challenges not just your muscles but your tendons, ligaments, and joints. The repetitive gripping, pulling, and reaching often lead to tight muscles, micro-tears in soft tissues, and even overuse injuries like tendinitis. Without proper recovery, you risk losing strength, mobility, and longevity in the sport. Here’s why recovery should be non-negotiable:
- Muscle Repair and Growth: Muscles don’t grow during training; they grow during recovery. By allowing time to repair, you’re actually building strength.
- Injury Prevention: Rest and recovery help you identify small strains or weaknesses before they turn into bigger issues.
- Mental Reset: Recovery isn’t just physical. Rest days give your brain a break, helping you stay motivated and focused.
Massage (and self-massage) for Climbers: Why It’s Effective
Massage can help with targeted relief, reducing down muscle tension and boosting circulation. Here are some benefits:
- Reduces Muscle Tension: Climbing creates tension, especially in the forearms, shoulders, and back. Massage helps release those areas and restore mobility.
- Improves Blood Flow: Massaging tight muscles improves circulation, delivering fresh oxygen and nutrients to aid recovery.
- Increases Flexibility: Loosening tight muscles can improve your range of motion, crucial for making those big reaches on the wall.
- Speeds Up Recovery: Massage can aid the body to flush out metabolic waste that accumulates after intense climbing sessions, speeding up your body’s recovery process.
Key Areas to Target for Climbers
As a climber, you’ll want to focus on specific muscles that are heavily engaged during your climbs. Here’s where to pay special attention:
- Forearms: Your grip strength is vital, but overuse can lead to the dreaded “forearm pump” or even tendinitis. Using a massage ball or your hands, knead the forearm muscles gently, working out tightness and soreness.
- Shoulders and Upper Back: Climbing strains your shoulders and trapezius muscles. Use a ‘peanut’ or a massage ball against a wall to release tension in your upper back, specifically between the shoulder blades. Applying gentle pressure into the massage ball, find an area of tension, hold it until it eases and then gently move on. Top tip : put the ball in a long sock over your shoulder, holding the end of the sock means you spend more time working the muscles, and less time picking the ball up off the floor
- Hands and Fingers: Climbers’ fingers take a beating, so don’t neglect them! Gently massage your fingers and palms with your thumbs, paying attention to any areas that feel particularly tight or sore. Top tip: Working from the middle of the palm, apply pressure and move outwards with long strokes using the opposite thumb. Move through the numbers of a clock face, starting from the middle each time to cover the whole palm.
- Neck and Traps: After long climbs, your neck can become stiff due to looking up or reaching high holds. Self-massage these areas by applying gentle pressure with your fingertips, rolling in small circular motions up the sides of the neck. Top tip: find a particularly tight or sore spot, apply direct pressure either with a pinching motion, or pressing in, and move your head and neck in the opposite direction. E.g. If your right trap is feeling tight, give it a good sustained pinch with your left hand and tilt your left ear to your left shoulder. Hold this position until the tension eases then release.
- Calves and Ankles: Your legs might not feel as sore as your upper body, but they do a lot of stabilising work. Rolling out your calves and even your feet can release stored tension and improve flexibility for tricky footholds. Top tip : using a frozen bottle of water as a small foam roller for the calves and feet can give some great ice therapy alongside the fascial relief
Self-Massage Routine for Climbers
Here’s a quick self-massage routine you can do after climbing to promote recovery:
- Forearm Roll (2 minutes): Use a massage ball, golf ball or your opposite hand to apply gentle pressure on your forearms. Roll from the wrist to the elbow, pausing on tender spots. Apply sustained pressure while circling your hand on tender spots
- Shoulder and Back Release (3 minutes): Use a foam roller or ball to roll out your upper back. Place the roller under your shoulders and gently rock side to side, focusing on tight areas. Alternatively use a peanut or lacrosse ball up against a wall for more targeted relief
- Finger and Hand Stretch (2 minutes): Gently pull each finger back, hold for a few seconds, then massage your palm. Repeat on each hand.
- Calf Roll (2 minutes): Place a foam roller under your calf and gently roll up and down from the ankle to the knee. Switch legs after 1 minute.
- Neck and Trap Massage (2 minutes): Use your fingers to gently massage the sides and back of your neck, applying circular motions to release tension.
Still having some issues? Why You Should Consider a Sports Massage
While self-massage is a great way to manage muscle tension and aid in recovery, there are times when a more specialised approach is needed. That’s where a professional sports massage comes in. Sports massages target deeper layers of muscle tissue and can address specific areas of concern, helping climbers recover faster and prevent future injuries.
Here’s why a sports massage can be beneficial for climbers:
Personalised Treatment
A skilled sports massage therapist can tailor the session to your specific needs, whether you’re dealing with a chronic injury, muscle tightness, or just want to improve overall muscle function. They can provide professional insight into areas of weakness or tension that you might not even be aware of, helping you become a more resilient climber.
Deeper Muscle Relief
Sports massages are designed to reach deeper muscle fibres that are hard to access with self-massage. The therapist uses various techniques such as deep tissue manipulation, trigger point therapy, and myofascial release to relieve tight spots, knots, and adhesions. This is especially helpful for climbers who frequently experience tension in areas like the shoulders, forearms, and back.
Injury Prevention
A professional massage therapist can identify and treat potential issues before they become full-blown injuries. For climbers, this is especially important when dealing with overuse injuries like tendinitis or muscle imbalances caused by repetitive movements. Regular sports massages can keep your muscles and tendons in optimal condition, reducing the risk of injury.
Conclusion
Self-massage is an essential recovery tool for climbers, helping you maintain peak performance by promoting better muscle recovery, improved flexibility, and reducing the risk of injury. When combined with professional sports massages, you accelerate healing, enhance performance, and create a comprehensive recovery strategy. Remember, the goal of recovery isn’t just to rest – it’s to come back stronger and climb longer.