Tip of the day

Some people live by the phrase "last climb, best climb," but the only thing I've gotten after my one-last-climb was a new flapper. Make sure you listen to your hand when it's complaining about how mushy and raw he or she feels. Your odds of getting a flapper will drastically increase on overhanging routes, dynamic moves, and brand-new-super-textured holds.


Here is my post-climb routine that’s helped me stay injury-free. I ordered the headers according to when I attend to each aspect of my body.

Nutrition Part 1

The first thing I do is hydrate myself after (and during) my training. I then consume a healthy high-veggie, high-protein lunch/snack after getting home. Depending on how my day’s going or when I get back, I substitute the meal with a protein shake using Naked Whey Protein Powder or eat a protein bar (I’m really into the Bulletproof Lemon Cookie Collagen Protein Bars these days).

Hands

After I fill my tummy with nutritious foods, I move on to icing my fingers for about 20 minutes (I found the Penguin Fingers Compression Cold Pack to be the best for this purpose). I have one for each finger, and alternate between having them on and off if it gets too cold.

After the icing session, I make sure I file or cut any loose skin. I then apply some climbing lotion.

Nutrition Part 2

For dinner, I try to focus on eating mainly veggies, with some protein and a healthy portion of carbs. Since I follow a low-carb diet, I usually consume a bowl of lower-carb/cooled rice (the name “cooled-rice” is misleading because it sounds like I eat cold rice, but the cooling occurs right after cooking the rice). I try not to drink alcohol or consume too many carbs for the remainder of the day.

Body

Lastly, if I have the chance, I take a bath with two cups of Epsom bath salt. I use the Epsoak Epsom Salt, which was featured by Tim Ferriss.

If you shop at a Japanese market, I recommend getting any of the Bathclin, Bath Roman, or Tabino Yado bath salts. You can also get these on Amazon.

Sleep

Out of all the points above, I think sleep is the most important. This is when all the magic happens in our body, so I try to sleep earlier than usual on a training day, usually around 10pm.

What routine do you follow? Do you have any other tips to expedite the recovery process?

Thanks for reading!

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