The Most Effective Tips to Avoid Climbing Injuries

If you are someone who enjoys climbing then you must be aware of the various injuries that you may have to sustain from time to time. Climbing is one activity that is bound to give you a rough experience and may lead to injuries at different body parts like elbows, knees, head and others.

For starters, it is important to use the right climbing gear and wear protective gear but there are many other ways also which can help you avoid climbing injuries.  Injuries can dampen your climbing experience and you must try to avoid them as much as possible. The following are the most effective tips to avoid climbing injuries:

tips to avoid climbing injuries

Take Enough Rest Days

Most climbing injuries are caused due to overuse of body parts and thus it is important to take enough rest days.  In your training routine, there must be enough rest days so as to give proper break to your body parts.  Repeatedly climbing on can must a lot of stress on your tendons and your joints.  It is important to respect the limitations of your body and give it a much deserved break.

Avoid Over Gripping

One of the mistakes which beginner climbers make is to over grip. Over gripping is putting more force than it is required to hang on to the rocks. Over gripping can make you very tired which makes you more prone to injuries.  The lesser amount of energy you use, the better off will be your joints and tendons.

Use Skin Balm on your Fingers

Bad blisters can be a cause of discomfort while climbing and one of the best ways to avoid them is using balm on your fingers. This is especially important if your climb regularly and need to repair damaged skin every now and then.

Cross Training

If climbing is the only way of physical fitness and activity for you then you are putting yourself at a risk of injury.  You must thus consider cross training by doing weights, biking, running and other forms of physical workout sessions in addition to your climbing routine. This will help you to develop those muscles which you may have neglected while climbing and this will also give you a decent amount of balance.

Warm Up Before Climbing

Another way to avoid injuries while climbing is to make sure you warm up well. This is true not just for climbing but any other sport or physical fitness regime as well. Warming up definitely helps to reduce the risk of injuring yourself and will make the experience more fruitful and comfortable. It also helps you to stretch out your shoulders and fingers well. So make sure you take out atleast few minutes for warming up before you take the climb.

So now that you know about the various ways to avoid climbing injuries, make sure you follow each one of them and take protective gear like knee pads, elbow pads, helmet and others with you to avoid getting yourself bruised or hurt.