Massage for Climbers

I haven’t climbed much myself for a fair bit but the new bouldering wall @rockandrapid looks amazing and I’ve had some climber patients over the last few weeks. Climbing is also getting a lot of press coverage due to its addition to the olympics and there were some great interviews on radio 2 yesterday about the sport! Massage can reduce the muscle soreness felt post exercise, allowing you to increase your training intensity and make better progress with your climbing goals. From my own experience this was generally felt in the forearms, shoulders, upper back and neck. 

If you are struggling with a niggle; maybe an overuse injury or muscle strain following a session at the wall then massage may help to ease the discomfort in those early stages.

Some research has demonstrated that massage can influence athletic performance too so if you want to make that dyno, finally top that project or stick the hold that was just out of reach then booking a session could be really beneficial! It can also improve how you feel after exercise, enhancing your recovery and benefitting your training program. Massage ‘calms down’ the nervous system and reduces the excitability of muscles, lessening stiffness and muscle cramps. I also highly recommend a good yoga session to complement your climbing! @chelsealouisewills is teaching at the climbing wall so no excuses!

Below is a photo I took once I had seconded one of my favourite places to climb up on Dartmoor! Love that top out!