So you sprained your ankle, broke your leg, tweaked your knee or did something else to cause pain to your lower appendage(s). No problem. Sure, you’re bummed that you have to take a few weeks off during prime bouldering season and your 4X4-training schedule is shut down, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop training entirely; you just have to mix things up.
1. TRAIN YOUR CORE. This is your chance to obtain—or enhance—your six-pack. Every full-body climbing movement requires the engagement of your core muscles, so strengthening your core is a great way to maintain fitness for when you return to the cliff/wall. Start doing planks, sit-ups, push-ups, Russian twists, etc. during the time you’d normally be climbing, or try doing an eight or ten-minute abs route every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning when you wake up. Just be careful to choose exercises that won’t aggravate your leg injury.
2. HANGBOARD. Just because you can’t climb doesn’t mean you can’t continue building finger strength. Try hangboarding twice a week to maintain arm strength and feel like you’re gripping something similar to what you’d normally be climbing on. Never hangboarded before? Try a beginner Metolious workout. Be careful not to increase your hangboard time too quickly, as this can lead to finger injuries that could take longer to heal than your current injury.
3. DO SOME PULL-UPS: As with hangboarding, you don’t want to go from never doing pull-ups to cranking out 100 every day for a week—that’s a recipe for biceps tendonitis. However, incorporating some additional pull-ups into your routine can help maintain power while you’re injured. Want to train endurance at the same time? Try doing five pull-ups every minute for 20 minutes—or try fewer pull-ups if you cannot lift your arms after six minutes—for a power-endurance workout. To mimic real climbing, do pull-ups on your hangboard using a variety of holds and offset grips (ex. one hand on top jug other hand on lower crimp then switch).
4. SWIM SOME LAPS. For cardio training and additional arm, shoulder, back and core strength (and excellent, low-impact cross-training), try swimming. If kicking your legs hurts, then just use your arms. To help fight boredom, try switching up your strokes and/or adding in some pull-ups on the end of the low diving board between laps. You can also test out a pair of waterproof headphones and a waterproof iPod/phone case to keep yourself motivated and entertained.
5a. HIT THE WEIGHT GYM. You don’t need to use your legs to do dumbbell flies, lat pull downs or military presses. Use this as an opportunity to build overall arm strength and prevent injury by training your antagonist, "push," muscles that don’t get used as much in climbing.
5b. AT HOME ARM STRENGTH. No weight room access: no problem. You can maintain arm strength and train your antagonist muscles in your living room. Do push-ups, dips and light dumbbell training to prevent upper body injuries.
6. GRAB A KAYAK, hop in a canoe or experiment with an arm bike. Use your injury as a chance to try out or further enjoy arm-centered sports that you normally don't have time for with climbing. If it's sunny and warm, take a kayak or canoe out for a paddle around the lake or try some sea kayaking. No water near you? You might be able to find a kayaking class at a local pool or could see if your local gym has an arm bike. You can also try a rowing machine, pushing off with your uninjured leg only.
7. BOOGIE. Get off your bum and jump around to your favorite song for a few minutes. You might look funny hopping around on one leg to Taylor Swift’s newest single, but you’ll get in a few minutes of cardio and a quick energy and mood boost that’ll keep you from becoming a complete sullen couch potato while you heal.
NEED A LITTLE EXTRA MOTIVATION? Here’s what Courtney Sanders did to stay sane (and strong) while waiting for her ankle to heal:
(My apologies for the overly wide formatting—I cannot fix it with the blog's current theme.)
Note: CoffeeTape has moved! Check out the new mobile-friendly site at coffeetapeclimb.com for new posts every Monday and ease of climbing withdrawal symptoms whenever you visit.
All rubber, all colors of the rainbow and complete with back
strap: the croc is a 21st century climbing staple. Approach shoes
are great miles of class-four scrambling, but for a half-mile stroll to
the crag—a ten-foot walk if you’re at Rifle Canyon or Horse Pens 40—the croc is
a much more breathable, affordable option.
So versatile; so stylish; so wipeable.
The basic benefits of the croc include its easy washability
(simply spray with hose or rinse off in your bathtub), “slip-on” nature and
holes for placing pins in to show off your interests. The holes in the sides
and top of each shoe also provide ventilation for sweaty, smelly feet and exit
holes for quick draining after mud-puddle and stream crossing mishaps. Additionally,
crocs come in a multitude of colors from lime green to lilac to rainbow, so you
can color-coordinate your climbing outfits with all of your rubber footwear.
Crocs are perfect for cragging and bouldering. You can
easily slip into and out of them between burns, no additional
laces, Velcro, snaps or buttons to slow you down. Don't feel like taking your
shoes off between two close boulder problems? Simply stuff your climbing shoes
into your crocs for the eight-foot ramble between rocks. Don't want to get dirt
on your shoes between the perfect shoe-changing rock and the start of your
route? Me neither. Stuff climbing shoes into crocs as above and walk to beginning of
climb.
If the approach is flip-flop manageable, go for the backless,
clog croc look. Have to navigate a few hills and rocks larger than chipped
gravel? Slide down the back strap for extra support. The same goes for belays;
if the landing is even and your climber confident, then go for the clog; if the
landing is uneven and you anticipate more than three falls, accept some back
strap assistance. Go barefoot in your crocs all summer, and pair with wool or
other brightly colored tall socks for warmth and style in the fall. Wear until
the first snowfall and break them out again as soon as your approach is 87% clear
of snow in the spring.
Don’t cheap out—crocs, depending on the style, cost about $35, so saving that extra $15 on a Walmart knockoff isn’t worth the loss of
comfort.
Downsides? They aren't ideal for ice climbing approach shoes—snow can make its way into the holes, and sturdier footwear is recommended for longer (2+ mile) and/or more technical approaches. Crocs fit wide, so some sideways movement while walking is common, though, for me, has never led to blisters.
Don't feel like you have to limit your croc wearing to
approaches and belaying. They are a comfy option for grocery shopping, fast
food excursions and are easily wiped off if you spill beverages on them at the
bar. They are great for gardening and tromping around anywhere else that you
might get muddy or otherwise filthy. Still unsure where it’s socially
acceptable to wear crocs? Anywhere where you could wear Chacos or Birkenstocks
and socks is perfect for crocs—with or without socks.
So the next time you’re looking for an approach/belay shoe
(or find your old pair of yellow crocs in your closet), consider giving an
old rubber favorite a try.
