Rest Day Activities

As much as we’d like to, very few people can climb hard for even five days in a row without suddenly being unable to send V3 (or V1 if you’re me). If you’re climbing outside on a week-plus-long trip or just psyched on a project near home, your skin is likely destroyed after a few days and shortly after that half the muscles in your arms refuse to work for the first two hours you are out of bed each morning. And sometimes you just need a mental break from your project. Here are some rest day ideas to let your body repair while on an extended outdoor trip or to distract yourself from trying to climb in the gym seven days a week.

Drive to your next climbing destination. Instead of obsessively squeezing finger strengtheners or attempting dumbbell bicep curls in the car between climbing destinations, give your body a rest.  You want to maximize your climbing time when you’re in a new destination for only a week, so don’t tire yourself out on the car ride there. Instead, use the time to listen to podcasts (check out the Enormocast or Training Beta) or read Rock and Ice articles to get you psyched for new projects while giving your body a rest.

Go for a hike. Too antsy to sit still and run through the crux moves of your project over and over in your mind? Get in some cardio to help with carrying heavy ropes/racks/mondo crash pads while letting your shredded fingertips heal. You don’t have to hike for 20 miles, unless attempting Sufferfest III with Wright and Honnold, but a few miles to a pretty waterfall or the top of a local mountain will make you feel accomplished without flailing on crimps with mummy-taped fingers and screaming tendons.  

Try some yoga. How many of us stretch regularly? Breath through our cruxes? Feel completely focused on each climb we try? Stretch out your aching muscles while calming and focusing your mind for your project. You also get a fun mat that can be used for napping on afterward.

Bake and eat your favorite foods. Normally you’re rushing to the crag, throwing a sandwich and some trail mix or, more boring, three cardboard-esque nutrition bars into your bag for a day of hard climbing. Take this opportunity to cook your favorite foods and enjoy them warm from the oven instead of out of a Tupperware container from your backpack.

Look for more rocks. There’s no sense in wasting time on your climbing days getting lost trying to find a cliff or boulder when you could be climbing it. Look for projects on your rest day so you can hike to them easily on your next climbing day. Better yet, look for new routes and start cleaning.

Explore tourist destinations near the crag. If you’re on a road trip, take a rest day or two to explore the local tourist attractions. Make sure to sample coffee and ice cream from every local shop to know where to come back on your next trip.

Find cute puppies. Pet them. It’s good for your mental health and will make the puppies’ day. Don’t neglect seasoned crag dogs though; they enjoy love too.

Sleep all day. Sometimes you need a full rest day. Sleep in. Eat breakfast in bed. Go back to sleep. Enjoy doing nothing. Wake up early and send the next day.