I used to climb recklessly. I felt like the quickest way to progress was to climb without fear or restraint, and really push myself. That worked for a bit, but it resulted in twinges and recurring aches. As I spoke to other climbers I realised how common certain injuries are — torn finger tendons, dislocated shoulders, and sprained or even broken ankles — and decided to research how to avoid these. Here’s a summary of tips I picked up from other climbers and from the Bouldering Essentials book which I mentioned in my post on intermediate climbing.

Warm Up, Cool Down

It’s tempting to start on a challenging route ‘while still fresh’, but this can increase the chance of injury as the muscles and joints are not warmed up, and movements won’t be as smooth and accurate as later on in a session. Warming up is important to avoid getting hurt, but also helps you perform at peak levels. Easy routes or traverses with big holds are ideal for this. Take a short break after your warm up and at points during your workout to avoid feeling too pumped. Some dynamic stretching (such as lunges) can be beneficial. Static stretching is best left until after a workout — while good for increasing flexibility, it can be detrimental to muscle power if done before.

Take Care

General caution and awareness of other climbers is important in order to avoid acute injuries. Broken ankles and dislocated shoulders tend to happen when climbing too wildly or taking uncontrolled falls. Take care on routes with highly dynamic moves, especially any involving swinging. Always make sure you have a safe place to land. Remember: there’s always another day to attempt a difficult route; one serious injury sets you back much more than climbing sensibly and within your limits.

Stay balanced

Literally and figuratively. Some coaches liken muscles to elastic bands — working out one side more than the other causes unequal tension which can strain your joints. This means that it’s important to work out antagonistic (opposing) muscles. Since climbing primarily uses pulling motions, exercises like push-ups, dips, and shoulder presses make for good counterparts to a normal climbing workout. More literally, balance is an important aspect of climbing — practising yoga will help you improve your balance and flexibility, making you less likely to get injured or fall. I’ve attended the climbing strength-focused yoga classes at The Arch with Tiffany Soi, and found them to be helpful as well as great fun!

Flexibility — another benefit of yoga.

Stop before you pop

Go easy on your tendons. Campussing and finger boards are a good way to build up finger strength (Steph Davis recommends both) but they’re not usually necessary and certainly not advised in the first year or two of climbing. Regular climbing practice will help fingers get stronger with other muscles and will put enough strain on tendons and ligaments. Since tendons can take years to adapt and finger tendon injuries are common, it’s best to go easy on the fingers while climbing too. Avoid repeated crimping, and focus on building strength in other muscles or improving technique by attempting more technical climbs with bigger holds.

Build Strength

Muscles need time to recover and grow. Try to avoid doing similar workouts on consecutive days. If you really want to do some exercise consider swimming, running, or cycling, and take some days off completely. A friend recommended thinking of these not as ‘rest days’, but as ‘strength building days’ — a great way to avoid feeling guilty about not exercising!