Recovery - The Missing Piece

Recovery - How to Maximize Your Training

You bought the gym pass, climbed consistently, added focused training, addressed your weaknesses, and committed to a structured plan. That level of consistency deserves recognition; well done. But here's a hard truth...

"You don’t get stronger in the gym."

You get stronger in the hours and days that follow. Training is the stimulus, not the reward; it breaks the body down, stressing muscles, tendons, and the nervous system, and leaving you temporarily weaker than when you began. Recovery is where the real work happens. During rest, sleep, and proper nutrition, the body repairs that damage and adapts, rebuilding itself slightly stronger so it can better handle the same challenge next time. This adaptive response to training is known as supercompensation. The key is figuring out how much rest your body needs to reach it.

"Strength, in the end, is not built by how hard you train, but by how well you recover from it."

Not All Recovery Is Equal

In this article, we are going to explore the missing piece, recovery, and why it is so important. We would argue that you will gain more from fewer, well-planned climbing sessions combined with proper recovery than from more sessions with poor recovery. We will break down what you can and should do to improve your recovery. The best part is that these strategies do not just help your climbing; they make your everyday life feel better too.

Recovery Basics

If you are going to start upping your recovery process, start with the big three below

Avoid Alcohol: Alcohol causes inflammation and slows athletic recovery; it disrupts the body’s normal repair processes. Alcohol interferes with muscle protein synthesis, hormone production, and sleep quality, all of which are critical for repairing muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. The result is slower recovery, more soreness, reduced strength gains, and impaired performance.

Consistent sleep: Most athletes need 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep per night, with some benefiting from 9 to 10 hours to fully support recovery, muscle repair, hormone regulation, and cognitive performance. Remember, quality, uninterrupted, deep sleep cycles are when the body does most of its repair and adaptation.

Nutrition: The cornerstone of athletic recovery, providing the building blocks your body needs to repair, refuel, and perform. Protein is essential for muscle repair, aim for 0.25 to 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per meal. Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores depleted during high-intensity sessions, stay properly hydrated with water and include anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, leafy greens, and fatty fish to help reduce exercise-induced inflammation and promote faster recovery. Avoid highly processed foods.

“Sleep is half my training.” — Jarrod Shoemaker, professional triathlete and world champion. 

Advanced Recovery 

Stress: Did that fight with your family, friends, or partner leave you feeling tense? Do you find yourself awake late at night or early in the morning, overthinking situations? This is something many people experience, and we can’t overstate how much low-level stress erodes recovery. It literally steals your energy. A calm mind has value in every part of life. Learn to let go, stop worrying about what you cannot control, and accept the past, it’s gone. Meditate, walk in the forest, or do whatever you need to quiet your mind so your body can truly relax. Sleep without stress is invaluable.

Screen Time: Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle and the blue light from screens tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime, suppressing melatonin and making it harder to fall asleep. Scrolling through social media keeps your mind active, making it difficult to relax. Put your phone away at least 60 minutes before bed.

Time Zones: We all love exploring exotic climbing destinations, but be aware that “jet lag” is just your sleep cycle readjusting. So if you’re travelling from, say, North America to Europe with a 9-hour difference, your body may take roughly 9 days to fully adapt

Supplements: Magnesium glycinate is effective for relaxation and supports the nervous system, helps muscles recover and relax, and can improve sleep quality. Combine this with a cup of Chamomile tea, which is well known for its mild calming and relaxing effects. Omega-3s are often recommended for anti-inflammatory support and joint health.

Food Timing: Eating a heavy meal right before bed can disrupt digestion and affects sleep. Avoid big meals later in the evening. If you are hungry, try a small, balanced snack like yogurt with fruit.

Noise & Light Pollution: Your roommate coming home at 2 a.m. and banging around isn’t helping you recover, and neither is that streetlight shining in your window. Invest in blackout curtains or an eye mask, and add earplugs if needed. A cool, dark, quiet room with a comfortable mattress will help you spend more time in deep, restorative sleep.

Activities

Light Non-climbing Exercise: On rest days, activities that gently raise your heart rate and increase blood flow are ideal. Exercises such as walking, swimming, or yoga should be easy and stress-free; don’t add to your body’s workload. The goal is movement, flexibility, mobility, and stimulating circulation to support recovery. Roll out your yoga mat, turn on the ambient music and improve your mobility.

Hot and Cold Therapy: Alternating between cold and hot water, or applying ice and heat to sore muscles, can help stimulate blood flow, reduce inflammation, and ease muscle tension. This method can help your body feel refreshed while speeding recovery. This can be done in a full body cold plunge and sauna or at home on a small scale targeting areas like your fingers with Cold Gel Packs and hot water.

Mental & Emotional Recovery: Often overlooked in training articles, connecting with others, journaling, and practicing mindfulness are excellent rest day activities that truly support recovery. Filling your social bucket, entering a flow state while journaling, or simply sitting quietly and focusing on your breath are all ways to relax, calm your mind, and improve your mental and emotional state, counteracting the negative effects of stress.

Massage & Acupuncture: If your health benefits allow, book a professional massage to target sore spots and improve circulation to your muscles. Alternatively, you can address specific areas at home using foam rollers or arm massagers for a fraction of the cost.

Recovery Tools

Percussive Therapy / Vibration Tools: Using devices like Theragun from Therabody or vibration plates stimulates blood flow, loosens tight muscles, and can accelerate recovery.

Muscle Scraper: Use a small, smooth-edged tool, such as the Arete Muscle Scraper, to relieve tight muscles and improve recovery. By scraping along muscles and fascia, it breaks up adhesions, boosts blood flow, reduces soreness, and enhances mobility.

Cupping: If you have a specific area you want to target, cupping can increase blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to support tissue repair. The suction cups help release tight fascia and reduce knots, leaving muscles feeling looser, more flexible, and responsive.

Recover Better

At the end of the day, recovery isn’t just nice, it’s the secret ingredient that turns hard work in the gym or on the crag into real progress. Whether it’s getting quality sleep, fueling your body properly, moving gently on rest days, or sneaking in a little massage, meditation, or even a cup of chamomile tea, all these pieces add up. Think of recovery as passionately as your training, a literal personal upgrade system: the better you take care of your body and mind, the stronger, fresher, and more ready you’ll be for the next session at the gym or the next day at your project. So embrace rest, experiment with what works for you, and remember, the most productive thing you can do is often absolutely nothing.

“Sleep is the foundation of a good performance. You cannot train and have a good performance if you do not have the basic recovery you get from sleep.” — Dr. Jonathan Charest, director of athlete services, Centre of Sleep and Human Performance.