ways to cut recovery time/extreme soreness ?

hi! i’m wondering if anyone has any tips on preventing extreme soreness or cutting recovery time, even just a tiny bit. if i climb really hard for a full day, i sometimes have to take 3-4 days off from climbing and i hate it. is there anything i can do aside from not push myself as hard? opinions on daily creatine? i have POTS and this may have a hand in my recovery time as well but idk. I just want to be able to climb as much as i can, as safely as i can. let me know what works for you. thanks!

Daily protein powder/shake and a multivitamin would be my first recommendation.

Secondly, are your forearms sore, as in you got a good muscular workout, or are your fingers sore?

In my experience, the first one happened a lot in my first year of climbing, but has seldom happened in the last decade.

If your fingers are sore, maybe go a little easier on the sessions. Consider the angle of the wall and how that corresponds to how upper body intensive the climbing is. In other words, when you get tired, move to the vert or slab walls so you can continue learning techniques without fatiguing yourself so much.

In treating DOMS and muscle knots in general, I had nothing short of miraculous results from L-citrulline, BUT I would be very very careful and ultimately do not recommend. Online info claims it's safe with only minor gastro side effects from taking too much. The short story is I believe it triggered glaucoma. I can give anybody the longer story if interested. Might work on a prescriptive/as needed level but not as daily maintenance.

You dont give a ton of context but I’m going to assume you’re describing muscle soreness which you are getting because you haven’t asked your body to do this before. Once your tissues adapt you won’t get that kind of soreness anymore unless you significantly up the intensity/volume of your climbing.

I know climbing is awesome and we all want to do it all the time but I’d advise listening to your body, giving it the rest it needs to build up the capacity you want.

Also it is a very common trap for beginners to build up a lot of new muscular capacity but then injure their connective tissues, because those take longer to adapt. So try keep the overstoking somewhat in check otherwise you may be in for a period of no climbing at all.

That said the best things you can do to recover better are sleep quality/quantity, hydration and nutrition. Eat carbs before during and after your climbing, and make sure you are getting enough protein. Doing some “active recovery stuff like an easy jog, yoga, a nice walk or bike ride or something can help too. Something where you get your heart rate up a bit but can still chat easily while you do it.

Magnesium has been great for me in this regard

Dustin B wrote:

Magnesium has been great for me in this regard

Topical or oral? I do both but get the best results for soreness from magnesium oil.

I also recommend cold therapy/soaks. I like the ocean and has the added benefit of the salts/magnesium absorption. 

I just started taking tablets for cycling recovery but they have worked just as well for my climbing recovery 

Maxwell Hvolbek wrote:

Would def recommend creatine as a fellow potsie, in addition to great sleep habits, electrolytes/nutrition, and overall stress management. Give your body time to adapt to the training load and do what ever you can to maximize recovery. It’s fun to go all out in training sessions, but doing so may mean less climbing overall. Save some gas in the tank for tomorrow.

Edit - IMO I think pots likely plays a role in recovery as it often leads to sympathetic overdrive, and recovery happens in a parasympathetic state. Learning your body and how it handles stress loads is key. I’ve found that sleep/HR tracking devices very helpful for tracking exertion and recovery. 

thank you so much for this!! i also think that POTS plays a role in recovery. i appreciate your input and advice a whole lot, especially from a fellow posies