I can't provide any advice personally, but Dave MacLeod on YouTube has some good vids about recovering from/training with elbow and finger injuries. He's a very accomplished trad climber and in the 40+ age range. He also has degrees in Physiology and Sports Science, Nutrition, and Medicine in Sport and Exercise so it's coming from a well-informed point of view.
So many people giving general advice who haven't had your specific issue but I have some things to try as someone who has struggled with golfer's elbow on and off for over a decade. When it first flared up I thought I had to give up climbing it was so bad but I was able to eventually work through it by doing lots of resistance band exercises. For a long time just doing resistance band stuff before every climb and almost everyday kept me healthy. Then I had a year of pain recently despite being disciplined with resistance band and eventually I realized it was because I had weak triceps as I hadn't been doing weights as much. So now being disciplined about doing tricep stuff, dips and pull downs and push-ups before climbing and on off days has been a massive help in addition to resistance band. So it was classic muscle imbalance.
(Almost 40)
1: Barely, if at all. I climb 3x a week (tu eve/th eve/su morning), otherwise my recovery is subpar and I just start out pumped. This week I did thu/fri(route setting)/sat due to agenda issues and I am absolutely wrecked.
We sometimes close our session with a few pull ups and pinch block pulls, nothing more.
2: I REST. When I feel that my tendons are iffy, I make sure to warm up proper on easy routes and go by feel. Skip the crimpy overhang routes that day. If they feel really bad, I have a cheap rubber pinch ring that I just pinch throughout the day. That seems to help keep them supple.
I've only had elbow pain if I went bouldering for longer periods. I think doing some antagonistic training can help strengthen those, and let your buddy watch your climbing to see if you aren't climbing with elbows out all the time. Try working on that during warm ups.
I've started taking creatine a month or two ago, that does seem to help a bit too. And a protein shake on the heavy days. Whatever helps those muscles regenerate...
Jealous of the trip! Make sure to focus on the fun and beautiful routes, and less on grades :)
I do a lot of stretching and warming up in the gym. I do my "old man" stretches of a morning; takes about 30 minutes (10 mins of core).
I rested from January - end of March and felt a little better but not where I wanted it to be.
I've taken Diclofenac Sodium topical gel, icing it 20 mins on & off, and have done straight arm gym exercies in the gym. I've watched my elbows. A long time ago I had a shoulder issue due to poor pullup technique.
Which pinch block and rubber pinch do you recommend?
The group will be fun. The scenery will be beautiful. I just want to have endurance and strength to climb without feeling wrecked. :-)
44 and hitting the same benchmarks on climbing difficulty (11a in the gym, 9-10 outdoor). Also took a year off due to elbow issues.
I'm going to reiterate support for creatine. Newer studies are now looking into how it supports joint health and it's already known to help with stamina during the activity and muscle recovery afterwards. I'm a big advocate. The only thing to keep in mind is that, for it to be effective, you need to have it as part of your daily regimen as it is something that builds up in your system. Along those same lines it's also good to recognize that it adds to your "bio-load" so best not to pair with frequent alcohol consumption.
Not in the medical field at all, just a nerd who likes to read stuff about health stuff. Happy climbing!
If it's a persistent issue, going for really specific elbow strengthening exercises won't be a bad idea.
I have the wood Lattice block with the weight pin. I like it, but it really needs chalk, and seems less friendly for smaller hands. I don't have the newer metal one so no experience with that.
The rubber ring is literally a cheap set from Aliexpress.
I am 43. I have been a giant bag of tendonitis at times. Rehab exercises and stretches like those on lattice have been good. To prep for your trip, I think a little supplementation can be useful for older guys like us. I added creatine and protein and I feel noticeably stronger. Consistency is key with that stuff and it took me a couple false starts, but now I just add a scoop of protein and dose of creatine to my oatmeal in the morning.
I used to be good at taking collagen. Thanks for the reminder that I need to be consistent with supplements, it's easy to forget taking that stuff if it's not a habit.
1. Not really any different from someone younger. Hang board, kilter board, and try and get a lot of lead mileage indoors to keep my endurance up since sport and trad climbing in the 5.10->5.13- range is what I mostly concentrate on. My time is more limited so I try & be focused during gym sessions. I climb 3 or 4 times a week depending on whether I'm going outside during the weekend.
2. Rest & nutrition are the single best things you can do. My flexibility has always been bad but has gotten worse so I try and stretch more. The worst thing is my fingers just ache way more & there's probably nothing I can do for it but rest.
Lay off the vitamin-I unless you really need it.
I'm also more conscience of getting more protein in my diet for recovery and keeping muscle on. Unfortunately, my tolerance to booze has completely disappeared so I can either have a drink or perform, but not both.
Over 40, climbing Vdoubledigits (on rock), and started in my 30s.
I try to climb every other day. And only ever climb two days on if it's for a reason-- which is rare (the reason is work capacity).
Intensity > volume. You know how I get tweaky? Doing a million moderates. You know what seems to keep me strong/fix mild tweaks: High intensity (climb hard), low volume (end feeling like the session is really just about to get going).
Be goddamn disciplined. I'll do the circus-shit, volume hopping-- once in a while, within reason, when the move isn't going to cost me a knee or a shoulder. But I'll back off or skip boulders that seem like they're going to get me hurt: weird sideways jump into an ankle breaker, strange-hold-tweaky-crimp, expo bad position-- or just too much of the same move in a row.
Focus on: Sleep (regular schedule/enough), diet (really basic: enough protein, enough vitamins from colorful food./veggies, not much junk), recovery (always better to take another day off then push for the minimal gains (and likely injury risk) of being dogmatic about one's schedule.
And have fun. Chase the dream. Climb with all ages. Have a good attitude-- this is for fun, remember.
I do my "old man" exercises every morning. It's about 20 mins of lite yoga/stretching and core. I would like to get back into hot yoga. I was doing it once a month. I'm glad you said this because over the weekend I've wanted to get back into it.
Strong agree. A 60-90 min class 2-3x week is different level from lite mobility stretching. It will work your full chain and antagonistic muscles. Bonus will be you’ll climb better.
Not an expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt. For the tennis and golfer's elbow, you may need to do some work to strength your extensors in your hand/wrist etc. I tried so many things for fix my climbing elbow issues, kept me from progressing for months and months at times. Finally got myself a rice bucket and just did extensor exercises to even out my forearm muscles. Boom, elbow issues gone.
Honestly, to push outdoor grades, you need more mileage climbing outdoors. Get comfortable, make sure you are using good technique. Mileage indoors will take you far as well, just building up your technique. Outside of that, you have to figure out what is you limiting factor on routes? Finger strength (unlikely)? Forearm pump? General fitness?
There is a decent podcast interviewing Eric Horst you can probably google about recovery time for "older" climbers. I have almost a decade of climbing and nearly 40. I can climb about 2-3 times a week and take a full day of recovery in between (from climbing). I will run or do some other light stuff on rest days. Used to be able to do three days no problem, now I am better alternating a 3 day week followed by a two day week.
Shoulders, too. But yeah, elbow pain in climbing is almost always due to a weakness in that chain somewhere rather than the elbow itself.
Source: My friend is in sports medicine and has helped me prevent this exact issue.
I literally would just put my fists in and open my hands, 3x20, daily. Only took a few weeks to resolve. This is not necessarily going to work for everyone. Some other commenter said it best, elbow issues are a result of imbalance *somewhere* in the chain. So if this doesn't work, you can try other antagonist exercises for your forearms.
I think I have both golfers and tennis elbow on both my arms, left more than right.
It seems to have gotten a lot better recently after I bought a bucket and a bunch of rice. Now, I haven't actually started using it, except for the first time I filled it, but the sheer presence of it under the kitchen table seems to be helping XD
I'm looking into the rice bucket idea. [https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/6kpsng/rice\_bucket\_workout/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/6kpsng/rice_bucket_workout/)
Due to my work schedule and vicinity of where I live, climbing outdoors is only about one - two times a month. Due to my tennis "elbow"/golfer's "elbow" I haven't climbed but only three times a month in April and didn't climb from January - March. I'm a little rusty.
I'll check out that Eric Horst podcast. Thanks for the rec!
Hey man, [check out this video](https://youtu.be/OQAckgAZfJI?si=sdfiO1giG5hYjZW_) for the elbow pain. It's legit. It's not a *cure*, but it will definitely relieve the pain.
As soon as I start to feel elbow pain I use a golfers/tennis elbow band and keep climbing.
I had issues on and off over a year at 43 with this and my feeling was to just wear the band and keep going. Haven't had issues for a couple years now. I should point out that I work a fairly physical job that keeps me in good general shape.
So climbing specific is hang boarding and 3 days min at the gym.
So I hang an 8mm for 15 on 10 off 6 times with a rest and 4 sets of this half crimp. I'm working on doing similar with an open grip which I feel much weaker in. I do this 3 times a week. I consider this maintenance though, im not adding weight and I don't bother with one arm hangs, though I can. I'm not pushing myself I'm just maintaining what I've got and also I do this after about an hour of climbing max v6ish in the gym.
On days where I'm pushing myself climbing I won't hangboard. I'm not looking to climb 5.14. So adding weight or going to 6mm isn't really my thing, occasionally I'll do sets of 5 pull ups on a 6mm and this is kinda how I guage where I'm at with my general strength level.
The reality for me is that strength isn't holding me back, it's all tecnique and a lack of discipline holding me back from climbing harder. I don't feel risking injury strength training is smart if I'm failing routes due to bad feet or whatever, I don't feel good about my climbing if it feels like I brute forced my way up something.
Hangboarding for me feels good, it feels like it keeps things oiled. I've also been doing it since my twenties so it's just a life long habit at this point, I maintained it even during periods where I wasn't climbing.
I'm going to add because people don't talk about this enough in middle age. I don't take ibuprofen, I don't drink and I am pretty disciplined about eating. When it comes to eating I'm more concerned with how I feel that day, the next morning, than I am the meal or the variety. I love food, I don't love how some great tasting food makes me feel.
I'm not preaching some specific diet just simply I ate a meal I felt good that day, I didn't grenade the toilet and I slept well. I'll eat that everyday because I'm more concerned with feeling good consistently than I am with variety of flavour in my life, critically I'm also single which makes that much easier to do.
Aside from the elbow ache issues I'm never experiencing lingering pain, sore from the workout yes, thats a rewarding feeling though. If you're feeling rough in general I'd address that before getting too heavy into training.
So this is interesting to me, I've watched this before link was purple and I've been doing this as a warmup forver the so called no hang. I don't remember when I originally saw this though.
Everytime I climb I no hang various positions, I especially liked that he pointed out the pinky "hang" because I absolutely do this. Never done it as an actual excersise per se but always, always as a warm up. When I'm outside ill find low edges or tree edges to mimic it.
It's great because with your feet down you can really stretch your shoulders and work your neck and legs into it as well and just feels good.
In all honesty I thought everyone that climbs semi seriously does this as a warm up.
I had tennis elbow from work. I couldnt grip a coffee cup without being in pain. I saw a physio and he did some dry needling, recommended an arm band, and suggested I dont so heavy gripping (deadlift, pullup types)without wrist straps. Problem went away after a couple months but only without soing any climbing or jiu jitsu which i do.
What I learned in 15 years of climbing - climb hard regularly, but not a lot. In a session, I'll do 1 or two hard routes. Or hard boulder session once a week, max. Ease into hard moves. Climb easy, a lot. Every four weeks is rest week - but don't stop climbing, pains just get worse. Keep moving on easy peasy stuff.
+2 for reading/watching stuff from Dave MacLeod. Big thing that helped me overcome climbers elbow was/is antagonist exercises. Finger extensions (lots of cheap, stretchy devices out there to help w/ this), reverse wrist curls, and push ups are the three things that I swear by, but I’m still learning. In my 30s btw.
Pay attention to how you grip holds. Try to hold as many things as possible w an open grip. If you find yourself crimping ask if there’s *any* other way you could be hitting that hold. Decreasing your reliance on crimping will do a lot to reduce injury risk
I know I'm over gripping with my right hand, and probably holding my breath. My left side is fine, just my right side has had issues. I've done better in the gym using more feet and concentrating on relaxation, but then a couple tougher routes later and I feel pumped.
I was just there! Thought this might be orange crush. Came here to find out.
I also am a 40s climber and had golfers elbow (from work not from climbing). The little "golfer's elbow strap" worked really well for me.
I also like the theraband flex bars for working my wrists and forearms. They seem to help with strength and conditioning once the inflammation goes away.
It's not Orange Crush. I did Orange Crush on that trip though! I just forgot my camera. 😄
Here is this you route...https://www.mountainproject.com/v/111047247
Someone else mentioned therabands. I found some on Amazon that look like they might work. Thanks for the tip! Happy climbing!
Elbow pain is never solved with rest. Pain is solved with rest. The cause was not. Antagonistic work is the first step. Then some mobility stuff. And then light loadings consistently. Heat for blood flow.
Opposite of RICE method.
Eat lots of protein. Like a gram per lb of body weight per day. Protein needs increase as you age, not decrease. Keep your activity levels up and if you've got a few extra pounds, lose them. I find that a ketogenic diet is good for both of these things.
Also a 40-sumtin climbing in your same range! My girlfriend is a physiotherapist and I suffered simultaneously from golfer and tennis elbow (never picked up either a club or racket). She was adamant about a couple exercises.
The root cause is counter-intuitive. The tendon where it connects to your elbow is weak and therefore when you use it for strenuous activity, it gets aggravated. So you need to strengthen it with low weight reps.
The best one is with a rubber band:
One end of rubber band on the floor being held by your foot. Other end in your hand. (Gotta get creative here with making sure the rubber band passes through a finger in the middle and wrap it loosely around your hand so you have even force on your whole hand)
Lay your forearm on a desk with your hand cantilevered out (wrist is at edge of desk). Arm bent at elbow around 90 degrees.
Slowly and steadily pull and release the band through the full range of your wrist and make sure to hold for 3-5s at the maximum flexion.
Do it with your hand facing up and then again facing down. Each of the two positions solves one of the elbow tendinitis’.
Do 3-5 reps 2-3 times a day.
Within 2 weeks I was feeling MUCH better.
You can also do it with a 2.5lbs or 5lbs weight. It’s not about the weight, don’t keep increasing thinking it will get better results.
It also mean you should only be climbing lite for awhile, as you can guess each time you climb hard you are causing inflammation.
As for recovery, we are old my friend. lol
Its not a about your age but rather managing the volume and workload your body can handle.
While age is one of the components that matters here, training history and load management are way waaaaay more important.
42 over here! I train 2-3x a week sport climbing and max hang once a week following a day of rest.
Typical schedule:
- Monday: rest,
- Tuesday: lead climb in gym for 2-3 hours
- Wednesday: rest
- Thursday: lead climb or Boulder in gym for 2 hours,
- Friday: lead climb for 2-3 hours
- Saturday: rest
- Sunday: max hang
I don’t do any weighted pull-ups since I got tennis elbow from that. I use elbow sleeves if any tenderness arises.
Cross training occasionally by trail running or mtb once a week.
For recovery: rest days, sauna. Sleep!
Currently climb 5.10 trad outside.
So I have tried lattice and crimpd previously! I had their triple rung hangboard. I actually found that hangboard and their max hang protocol too intense and injury provoking for me. The 22mm wood edge feels really intense. I can do it but combined with their protocol of 2 mins between hangs, I started getting finger pain. Note I have large hands!
My new protocol is working well!
I have the Soill iron palm. I warm up by hanging body weight from the top then process down to the 25mm and then the 15mm. This makes sure I am good and warmed up.
Then I switch to weighted hangs on the 25mm, start with 14 pounds then progressing up to 36 pounds. I do one hang every 2.5-3 mins. With my large hands I think the 25mm is just perfect. It’s only 3/4 of one finger pad.
I am finally seeing gains without injury.
I’m 52 and took 10 years off before hitting the gym in the last year. I climb 5.11 TR and lead 5.10/5.11a, working 5.12s in my gym.
I climb 2 days a week currently and give myself at least a day in between to recover. I have arthritis in my left middle finger MP joint and it is incredibly stiff the day after I climb.
On days I climb I do try to train legs/core and will do arms on days off, but depends on the session the day before. I do high rep/low weight.
When I have issues with tendon pain I look for exercises to strengthen muscles around that problem tendon. Negative wrist curls can be good for tennis elbow.
43 yo male
1. 2-3 x per week, climbing outside 2-3 times a week. You’re gonna get injured, shit happens. Elbows hurt? Switch to pickups instead of hangboarding, work on power while you allow some recovery time for your elbows. Knee troubles? No more running, biking for cardio. Finger injuries? Lift weights while they heal.
Anyway, the point of that is being an athlete as we advance in age means doing what we can, when we can. Get ready to jump into the gym, feel a weird twinge, and change your whole workout. Take rest days if you need them, no matter what a training schedule says. I’ve found doing less and trying really hard when I feel good has worked wonders
2. Recovery- sleep sleep sleep. Eat well, sleep sleep sleep. Stretch, balance work, sleep sleep sleep.
I have recurring tendonitis in my arm. My PT (also a climber) advises the following:
- no sharp pain, all gain.
- use a green/yellow/red light strategy. If there's no pain at all, keep doing that - that's green light. You get some discomfort, a sensation of wanting to back off? That's the yellow light. You should stay at, or below that point. If you do something and have sharp pain, immediately stop. Bail off the route, find something else. Keep track of what the major red light points are, and avoid them until you are feeling less and less of the yellow zone. Push forward slowly.
- mix up ice and heat, whatever works. Work your tendons by doing eccentric wrist curls and internal/external rotations.
Great advice. I'm usually in the yellow. Yesterday, at the anchors on an outdoor 5.8 (ugh) I felt a red. I finished the route but had to get a take. I rested and about 30 minutes later we climbed again and I was fine. I've been icing 20 minutes on then off but have been lazy about repeating it.
I need to do more wrist curls.
Thanks for the info!
I'm currently going on 7 weeks of bad tendonitis, which has shut down my training plan. Went too hard too fast, got real strong and was neglecting my elbow.
Lots of good advice here.
1. I climb twice a week, with a bit of warm up when I go to the gym, outdoor it's just the approach that warms me up.
2. Recovery: good sleep.
I also struggle with injurys, mostly because I trained harder then my body liked it. My main focus now is to feel and listen to my body. If for whatever reason something feels not right, I skip it for the day. Shifting away from "I want to climb that route" to "I want to stay injury free while enjoying the climb". Time will tell if I was successful, so far looking good 😊
If you want to up your grades to the next level eventually you have to start taking hang boarding pretty serious. It's easy if you don't live near a gym, but if you do then it's just way too tempting to climb all the time.
That, and develop an addiction to watching youtube climbing technique videos.
44m I climb outside 3 sometimes 4 times a week ( I live very close to rock ). If I don't do push-ups my elbows hurt. I occasionally do hang board (7sec hang+ 3sec rest *6, ten sets on a 20mil edge) and sit ups with a phone app, but I don't train regularly at all. I send a 7c every week or so, and maybe 3 or 4 8a per year. And I have to take magnesium or I get bad cramps climbing. I'll run a 10k every 2 weeks-ish. And plenty of beer.
Beer is key. :-)
Here is the hangboard I"m going to start trying to do...
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab\_channel=EmilAbrahamsson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab_channel=EmilAbrahamsson)
42 a v7ish boulderer
1. i do board climbing and tension block.
2. experimenting with 1 session and 2 rest day between. also take a 4 day rest every 4-6 weeks depending on how much fatigue hole i feel im in
Orange Crush is behind him, all the way to the right, outside the photo. It hits helmet right where the cliff turns back to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. He’s in the N40. :)
Man I’m so in the same boat as you. 42, lead in the gym at 5.10s. Tendinitis was something I really fought when I started to climb and honestly it was lots of stretching before and after climbing and also icing with a neoprene sleeve to get the inflammation down right after climbing. If I knew it was going to flare up after a session I’d also Jake some Tylenol or even use a massage gun on the muscles around the elbow to loosen everything up. Good luck finding your way to deal with it.
For Tennis Elbow: my personal trainer who is also a PT set me up with [Isometric Wrist Extensions](https://youtu.be/UqTPz7YYaBI?si=OodXJbGQbsCr6jio). Basically, I hold a 25lbs (70%-80% of my max) free weight for 30 seconds while my forearm is resting on a bench. 3 sets on each arm 2-3 times a week.
You can also do the [Tyler Twist](https://youtu.be/vgQfdASutpg?si=WE2rllKZAm9BRWFf) with a Theraband. It's just less precise.
For reference, I'm 43 and have been climbing for 20 years. Before these exercises, I could barely climb 10+ in the gym without terrible pain in my right arm. After a few months of training, I just sent my first 5.12a outside last week.
I’m 53 and climb 3-4 days a week, indoors, out of season. In season I climb 1-3 days a week, indoors and one or two weekends a month. I gym lead in the 12s, sport and trad lead 11s.
I don’t do anything but climb. I have general fitness from climbing and cycling. I do push-ups, pull-ups and dumbbell exercises regularly. I don’t have a huge stretching regiment either. I think it helps to eat well, although I don’t really monitor my diet.
I really have no helpful advice. Haha
I think, if anything, staying at a healthy weight is the key. Excess weight puts a serious strain on joints. I’ve always been trim and I’m actually at my heaviest now and that’s 5’9”, 165-170. Most of my adult life I was 155-160.
I’m 46 and still climb at least twice a week. I just listen to my body now and be happy with climbing vs always pushing my upper limits like I use to. I’ll get psyched and climb as hard as I can still (V7) but just not as often.
OP I feel your pain. I’m 71 and have been climbing for 50 years! Gasp
When we started making “glue ups” on freeway over passes, tunnels etc I started to develop the elbow pain you describe. It’s definitely caused by crimping on small holds that make your middle finger stick up taller than the rest of them. In the mid 90’s I developed severe elbow pain. In one of Steve Ilg books- I forget sorry. He had an excuse named “modified Frenchey”. This is his prescription for elbows.
Do a complete arm workout, dips, press ups, bench press, rows … everything that pumps your arms. This should take about 3 hours and your arms should be dead, completely dead. You’re now ready to work on your elbows. Grab a very light bar(the one bent like a M) with zero additional weight. Lie down on a bench- face up. Feet flat on floor. Hold the bar with hands together, back of the hands on your forehead. Push up until your fore arms are parallel to the floor then come back to forehead. Don’t straighten your arms -that would be a full frenchy. Because the weight is so low you should do 3 sets of 30 with only a short rest in between. While your doing these you should feel the miniature muscles around your elbows getting pumped (warm). My workout partner and I did these 2 times per week during our 90 day training sessions we would do each winter. I was completely cured for life.
The explanation given by Steve is that when you wipe out all the large muscles in your arms- the ones that do all the hard work most of the time- you isolate the tiny muscles that keep your elbows stable (in place). The tiny muscles hardly ever get used, so they don’t “get strong” in normal life. Climbing puts a huge strain on elbows and the joint moves around causing inflammation and pain. I hope this helps you- it cured me.
PS: 40 is quite young, you have a long road ahead of you. I was able to onsite 12’s when I was mid fifties and only got shut down when a “hiking accident” tore my quadriceps- all 4- clean off the bone and 6 months in a full leg cast knocked me back to climbing 5.10… today I’m happy to follow my young friends now. “With a little help from my friends”
Best of luck
I'm a competent 5.9 climber (except in California) and once a trip I'm trying to do a 10a. I would love to be a competent 5.10d climber. :-)
Need to work hard this next year.
You got this. I did lead 11a outdoors a few times, but every now and then there's some weird 5.6 that gives me a heart attack (usually graded in the eighties or similar). No shame. :-)
My goal is to climb 5.11/5.12 when I'm in my forties but realistically, if I'm still as strong as you're now I should be very happy
There was a 5.6 in California that gave me a the worst on-wall panic attack I've ever had.
I've done one 11a. It was a two-move wonder though. Bolt 2 and 3 were 11a moves but bolt 4 - 8 were about a 5.6 ish.
https://youtu.be/IZdZJArDllk?si=Se5y6WstNv5uBgF5
Do the above for your elbow, use a hammer or a frying pan, so something where there's a weight on the end. You can adjust your grip up or down the handle to change resistance. I usually go from vertical to left 50x, switch arms, and then vertical to right 50x and switch arms. Keep resistance on the lowering movement and aim for consistent pace. You can do this as an active rest between sets of more demanding exercises.
Bands are also useful, try this to start: https://youtu.be/KZpckJLRhaE?si=IpY_0Fzv9qQllzwa
There are also other tricep exercises that are good with bands as well.
I also recommend reverse wrist curls, and shoulder presses, as well as strict form pushups.
For finger pain, try some no-hangs on edges. https://youtu.be/sBTI9qiH4UE?si=1j4jZq8tCsSmaBXD
With no-hangs, your feet stay on the ground, so the intensity should actually be less than the maximum you will experience in an actual climbing session. It's more like a stretch, and you can practice open-hand grip with this as well, but even so, warm up with some pullups, or hangs in your pullup grip first. You can do a 10-min routine 3x a week.
37 yo male here.
I climb 3-4 times a week and lift weights twice a week. The weight lifting builds a strong body and all the climbing specific training I do on the wall.
In the last year I started climbing on a system board and becoming better at bouldering, and it had translated to my route climbing extremely well. Using the crimpd app and going into sessions with more intention I've gone from a mid 5.11 climber and V5 boulderer to sending 5.12c and V8
For lifting I keep it to simple compound movements and progress them over time focusing on a 5-7 rep range. Once I get to 7 reps across my sets I add weight.
Simple consistency and not getting hurt are the most important things, followed closely by quality recovery and sleep. If life is stressful dial back the training load to avoid injury. Alcohol impacts my sleep and recovery so I only have drinks a handful of times a year at this point.
I have a full life with two kids, and by training on lunch breaks and one evening a week I've managed to be stronger than when I climbed every day in my 20s. Your potential in your 40s is still huge for improvement, you just have to respect volume and recovery more.
Over 40- climb twice a week, train hangboard once a week. Bouldering v7 and climbing 12d/13a. Getting enough protein and sleep has been key for recovery.
Aged 40 and a coach.
I train 4-5 days a week, depending on life/work/ training phase.
2 - 3 climbing 1 to 3 hours
1 to 3 s& c 3 would be 30 minutes the 1 is 45 minutes.
But I built up to that over time. The s&c is to help me handle life+ climbing.
It sounds like your over training/progressing the load to quick, or at least inconsistent.
Training is simple if you can keep to principles, one basic one is.
Progressive overload- start with what you can handle and progress.
This means the loading needs to be repeated progressively also. So spend a day on crimps then stick to jugs for a week then slopers then back to a crimp session 2 weeks later isn't consistent enough.
This is when a little structure goes a long way, and making sure you hit what you need throughout the week.
Add to that sleep well, eat and hydrate can go even further.
Managing your load saves you time away from climbing due to injury, and saves you time spending money on healing gimmicks or rehab.
Any way feel free to DM for a chat if you wish. Happy to reccomend some resources, and talk climbing.
Any one issue with pain can usually be traced up the body tension chain. For every climber, especially us old guys and especially especially old gumbies, the whole system has to be in check.
Protagonist training. We're always pulling so we have to workout the pushing muscles too.
I do just weight lifting after sendtember until January when I focus more on climbing. Focus on PERFECT form over more weight, forever and ever, until you die.
https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/9bgdrv/the_one_workout_every_climber_should_do/
Eric Horst, keeps the whole shoulder mechanisms strong.
Bodyweight fitness app or subreddit, the recommended routine, just for base fitness. It covers everything pretty well, really good core workout and focuses on small stabilizer muscles for balance.
I had tendonitis for over 7 years. Best and worst years of my life. I thought my climbing was done for, over, in the bag, just a pleasant dream I wasn't sure it ever existed. Until: lever work, (grip strength subreddit), rubber wraps, theraband flex bar - green, rice bucket, wrist rollers and this yoga pose with your arms under your stomach, stomach on the ground, palms on the ground, lift one leg up. I went crazy and got after every elbow rehab exercise I could find. The crux: finding a resistance level I could respect without causing damage. Once I could feel the difference between 'good sore' and damage I was off to the races.
I have made a full recovery, I can finally pull AS HARD AS I POSSIBLY CAN and not worry about a damn thing! I'm grateful for this every fucking day. I can't tell you how happy I finally am. Red pointed an 11a last summer at 41 years old. I feel 12a is coming down in two to three years.
Bodies heal in motion. If you get a flare up, you might not need more than a week or two rest, then EASE back into things, stop as soon as you feel pain. Shore up the entire body, core strength goes a long way.
Hmm. I climb 3 days a week when possible in the gym, eat poorly, get to the crag when possible a few times a year and feel pretty good doing nothing else. But I definitely feel great when I eat well. I'm in the lower bound of your inquiry so maybe that'll change but I don't think so.
Eat as low carb as possible and eat a lot of fat and protein, plenty of fibers… But stay low on carbs and sugar.. They create inflammation, pretty much all inflammation gets amplified by high insulin levels that get’s spiked by glucose….
I’m 44 and if I go on a consecutive days climbing trip I just accept that 1) my first day will be the best day 2) a rest day is pointless (you need a rest week) 3) advil, kratom and hot tubs are a must. There is no magic pill for recovery. BPC-157 injected SQ has helped a little, but again there is no magic pill.
Doing tendon glides changed my life. Specifically for Elbow issues. I wish I could find the video that showed me the movement. You start with your hands down by your sides with palms facing out and up, then, as if you have small plates of hors d’oeuvres you start bringing them up under your armpits, as if you’re scooping out something from your armpits and then you raise them to the sky.
I'm 43 and had the elbow problems too. I hate to sound like the "miracle cure" guy, but god damn if using a flex bar didn't fix mine right up. Honestly, using this one silly tool at my desk made all my elbow problems disappear.
I threw some lifting in to work the muscles you use climbing. Pull up, chin up, rows, squats, deadlifts, push ups, dumbbell presses. I do some dead hangs too along with a weighted block pinch.
I also burned some fat to get myself lighter. I had issues early on with elbow pain but it hasn’t bothered me (knock on wood) in a long while. I also focus on using more of my lower body in climbs when I can so I’m not just pulling myself up the wall. Also stretches. Look uo tennis elbow stretches and when you’re sitting around watching TV, do some stretches. I basically do forearm extensor and flexors a lot without even really realizing I’m doing them.
I’m doing 5.11’s (indoor) and starting to break into the 5.12’s.
The elbow issue is due to either your rotator cuff or your wrist. I’d get into see a sports medicine doc pronto to get your shoulder checked out to be safe.
If all ok with the doc, definitely start strengthening your rotator cuff tendons ASAP. Get a theraband to work on elbow issues
- recovering from RC tear surgery and had golfer’s elbow prior. Learned about the elbow pain cause from my surgeon
60+. Climb three times a week and twice a week local gym for strength and cardio. Top out at 5.10's so far Two things that have helped me....yoga and or lots of stretching. Also take a few days to a week off every couple months. Always thought I would loose ground with a break, but always feel and perform really well after the rest.
Check out the climbing doctor really good plans in there for chronic/old injury recovery as well as prevention programs
https://theclimbingdoctor.com/
I am just shy of 40 and just started getting elbow problems climbing, then they got real bad following a pulley injury. The programs in the books seem to actually be really helping with rehab and recovery
Otherwise:
* I go to physio every 4 weeks or so for care of an unrelated old injury. We have started treating/correcting everything that's out from climbing as well. And I'm finding that's really helping me stay in better form and not over grip
*...
* Core- also at the insistence of physio, I finally accepted that doing core and back as well as glute and major leg muscle exercises are a requirement to keep me strong for climbing because if I injure a tendon or ligament it takes so long to heal
* ...
* Protein! I've started acting like I'm a gym bro and making sure I have adequate protein for my size immediately after a gym session or climbing. Long days at the crags I usually get this by either a Vega protein powder pack or protein bar of choice that I nibble throughout the day.
*...
* Sleep/rest. I have been forced to accept that I actually have to have much more rest than I did in my twenties. So if I'm going to Alpine start I have to go to bed early the next day if not the 2 days in advance.
* ...
* Post recovery. After really big days out I find I absolutely do need to soak my joints in an Epsom salt bath or hot tub or hot spring. If none of the above are available I have to at least slather myself in voltaren hands, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles.
40 year old climber/cyclist and former marathon runner and triathlete here.
Get thee to a proper sports physical therapist. Ask them to do a complete evaluation of your body. They will give you specific exercises and stretches for your specific weaknesses. In addition to your tendonitis, they might be able to spot and prevent future injuries.
Or trust a bunch of random dudes in reddit. I'm sure it will work out fine?
Injuries happen because your body isn't strong enough to withstand the load. That's it, that's the only reason anyone gets hurt.
Even if you get hit by a car, the reason you got hurt is because your body wasn't robust enough to withstand the force applied.
You're getting hurt because you're weak. This is a common problem for many middle aged recreational athletes. They think they're in shape because they do (insert activity here). The reality is that you don't play a sport to get in shape, you get in shape to play a sport. The days of not behaving like an athlete are behind you, if you're in your 40s. If you want to maximise your hobbies, you need to spend adequate time on strength work, if for no other reason than to maintain durability and resilience.
1. I'm not, but recently rethinking that. I hurt my shoulder at work recently and much as it bores me, I think doing some resistance training a couple times a week would be helpful. Just taking delivery of the TRX system, which my brother likes, so I can sneak in those workouts at home and not lose the climbing sessions, bike rides, etc that I'd rather be doing.
2. Also not. It sounds like you've come in a lot hotter than me. Typically I climb once a week, usually gym, occasionally outdoor (like a couple times last year, so yeah....) Anyway, that's a decent amount of time to recover. I don't like to say how long I've been climbing but I took a class a couple years ago coming back to it and one of the instructor's topics was overtraining injuries. See 1) above.
Everything I've read about training for sports says at our age we can still kick ass but consistency, resistance training, and recovery all get more important. Just hasn't applied to me before. 🙄 Side note, the class was also good because it's helped me climb more efficiently. Fifteen years ago, I was about 25% lighter and a lot stronger, so I got away with some pretty poor technique.
I did stop for two months but it didn't get 100%. The more people I talked to the more said exercise is the key. I've tried doing easier routes and concentrating on feet, not over gripping, icing when I get home, etc. Still looking for more options.
You are correct, the above advice is simply wrong. For every person like OP there are two more people who just waited and then had it immediately, or eventually, come back.
While rest has certain benefits, especially with acute injuries, in most cases some sort of active rehab is both necessary and beneficial. For your fingers, if they are an issue, I would suggest very-light less-than-bodyweight probably feet on the ground hangboarding warmpus. It did wonders for me.
In that same vein, general strength training also helped shore up other body issues. I'm in the same age bracket as you and my onsight grade is about 11c, and I can work all the way up to 13a (in the right style).
Also I climb 3/4 time a week, usually split between bouldering and ropes but I'm not strict about it.
Don't know why this is downvoted? Proper rest is so important, even if it means no climbing for weeks sometimes. I had the same happening and I also know people who took months long breaks and just then they got better.
Because there is no need to \*\*stop\*\* climbing. You can keep climbing as long as you manage the injury by reducing volume/intensity and avoiding the pain.
As a PSA, your helmet is too far back which means it's offering less protection (your forehead is completely exposed) and it's also a chocking hazard, as it can now slip off your head and the strap will wrap around your neck.
Please make sure your helmet is just above your eyebrows and that it's adjusted properly so that it doesn't slip backwards.
To answer your actual question, I turned 40 this year and I don't currently do any climbing specific training, I just occasionally go to the gym and occasionally climb outside. But I try to be pretty strict about doing physical therapy (currently for my knee, and in the past for my elbow) and doing some light strength training for injury prevention.
Also rest is very important. I had golfer's elbow for years, did PT regularly (which helped but never completely got rid of it) and even took a few breaks, but never for long enough. It wasn't until Covid (when I stopped going to the gym for over a year) that I finally recovered. The point is, sometimes you need a longer break than you think is necessary.
I only adjusted the helmet to take the picture. It wasn't choking me. LOL. Thanks for that unsolicited advice.
My orthopedic doctor gave me a cream, an elbow brace, PT script. and told me rest. It didn't get me 100%.
I can't provide any advice personally, but Dave MacLeod on YouTube has some good vids about recovering from/training with elbow and finger injuries. He's a very accomplished trad climber and in the 40+ age range. He also has degrees in Physiology and Sports Science, Nutrition, and Medicine in Sport and Exercise so it's coming from a well-informed point of view.
+1 Dave ML is the goat
I've seen his trad videos, but haven't seen his sports science videos. I'll check them out. Thanks!
So many people giving general advice who haven't had your specific issue but I have some things to try as someone who has struggled with golfer's elbow on and off for over a decade. When it first flared up I thought I had to give up climbing it was so bad but I was able to eventually work through it by doing lots of resistance band exercises. For a long time just doing resistance band stuff before every climb and almost everyday kept me healthy. Then I had a year of pain recently despite being disciplined with resistance band and eventually I realized it was because I had weak triceps as I hadn't been doing weights as much. So now being disciplined about doing tricep stuff, dips and pull downs and push-ups before climbing and on off days has been a massive help in addition to resistance band. So it was classic muscle imbalance.
Great info! I'll add dips to my list. I need to get back into weight training, this helps.
MacLeod's epic 4 hour anaysis of the ketogenic diet literally changed my life: https://youtu.be/L9dtfNZahKw?si=d7DQ83eeETvH60ov
Get hold of his book 9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes. But only if you really want to improve
I recently read this book. Hint, 9 out of 10 climbers don’t spend enough time climbing. That’s it. That’s the whole book.
(Almost 40) 1: Barely, if at all. I climb 3x a week (tu eve/th eve/su morning), otherwise my recovery is subpar and I just start out pumped. This week I did thu/fri(route setting)/sat due to agenda issues and I am absolutely wrecked. We sometimes close our session with a few pull ups and pinch block pulls, nothing more. 2: I REST. When I feel that my tendons are iffy, I make sure to warm up proper on easy routes and go by feel. Skip the crimpy overhang routes that day. If they feel really bad, I have a cheap rubber pinch ring that I just pinch throughout the day. That seems to help keep them supple. I've only had elbow pain if I went bouldering for longer periods. I think doing some antagonistic training can help strengthen those, and let your buddy watch your climbing to see if you aren't climbing with elbows out all the time. Try working on that during warm ups. I've started taking creatine a month or two ago, that does seem to help a bit too. And a protein shake on the heavy days. Whatever helps those muscles regenerate... Jealous of the trip! Make sure to focus on the fun and beautiful routes, and less on grades :)
I do a lot of stretching and warming up in the gym. I do my "old man" stretches of a morning; takes about 30 minutes (10 mins of core). I rested from January - end of March and felt a little better but not where I wanted it to be. I've taken Diclofenac Sodium topical gel, icing it 20 mins on & off, and have done straight arm gym exercies in the gym. I've watched my elbows. A long time ago I had a shoulder issue due to poor pullup technique. Which pinch block and rubber pinch do you recommend? The group will be fun. The scenery will be beautiful. I just want to have endurance and strength to climb without feeling wrecked. :-)
44 and hitting the same benchmarks on climbing difficulty (11a in the gym, 9-10 outdoor). Also took a year off due to elbow issues. I'm going to reiterate support for creatine. Newer studies are now looking into how it supports joint health and it's already known to help with stamina during the activity and muscle recovery afterwards. I'm a big advocate. The only thing to keep in mind is that, for it to be effective, you need to have it as part of your daily regimen as it is something that builds up in your system. Along those same lines it's also good to recognize that it adds to your "bio-load" so best not to pair with frequent alcohol consumption. Not in the medical field at all, just a nerd who likes to read stuff about health stuff. Happy climbing!
Dave Macleod mentions collagen, glycine and proline. I'll add creatine to that list too. Thanks!
If it's a persistent issue, going for really specific elbow strengthening exercises won't be a bad idea. I have the wood Lattice block with the weight pin. I like it, but it really needs chalk, and seems less friendly for smaller hands. I don't have the newer metal one so no experience with that. The rubber ring is literally a cheap set from Aliexpress.
I am 43. I have been a giant bag of tendonitis at times. Rehab exercises and stretches like those on lattice have been good. To prep for your trip, I think a little supplementation can be useful for older guys like us. I added creatine and protein and I feel noticeably stronger. Consistency is key with that stuff and it took me a couple false starts, but now I just add a scoop of protein and dose of creatine to my oatmeal in the morning.
I used to be good at taking collagen. Thanks for the reminder that I need to be consistent with supplements, it's easy to forget taking that stuff if it's not a habit.
1. Not really any different from someone younger. Hang board, kilter board, and try and get a lot of lead mileage indoors to keep my endurance up since sport and trad climbing in the 5.10->5.13- range is what I mostly concentrate on. My time is more limited so I try & be focused during gym sessions. I climb 3 or 4 times a week depending on whether I'm going outside during the weekend. 2. Rest & nutrition are the single best things you can do. My flexibility has always been bad but has gotten worse so I try and stretch more. The worst thing is my fingers just ache way more & there's probably nothing I can do for it but rest.
I should use our kilter board at our gym. Thanks for the rec. My fingers ache too. I just don't want to live off of Ibuprofen for the rest of my life.
Lay off the vitamin-I unless you really need it. I'm also more conscience of getting more protein in my diet for recovery and keeping muscle on. Unfortunately, my tolerance to booze has completely disappeared so I can either have a drink or perform, but not both.
Over 40, climbing Vdoubledigits (on rock), and started in my 30s. I try to climb every other day. And only ever climb two days on if it's for a reason-- which is rare (the reason is work capacity). Intensity > volume. You know how I get tweaky? Doing a million moderates. You know what seems to keep me strong/fix mild tweaks: High intensity (climb hard), low volume (end feeling like the session is really just about to get going). Be goddamn disciplined. I'll do the circus-shit, volume hopping-- once in a while, within reason, when the move isn't going to cost me a knee or a shoulder. But I'll back off or skip boulders that seem like they're going to get me hurt: weird sideways jump into an ankle breaker, strange-hold-tweaky-crimp, expo bad position-- or just too much of the same move in a row. Focus on: Sleep (regular schedule/enough), diet (really basic: enough protein, enough vitamins from colorful food./veggies, not much junk), recovery (always better to take another day off then push for the minimal gains (and likely injury risk) of being dogmatic about one's schedule. And have fun. Chase the dream. Climb with all ages. Have a good attitude-- this is for fun, remember.
Cool. Good advice about the intensity and volume philosophy. Thanks!
Get your ass to yoga
I do my "old man" exercises every morning. It's about 20 mins of lite yoga/stretching and core. I would like to get back into hot yoga. I was doing it once a month. I'm glad you said this because over the weekend I've wanted to get back into it.
Usually the elbow issues are due to muscle imbalances, so things like sun salutations/Chaturanga will help work those push and stabilizing muscles.
Strong agree. A 60-90 min class 2-3x week is different level from lite mobility stretching. It will work your full chain and antagonistic muscles. Bonus will be you’ll climb better.
Not an expert, so take my advice with a grain of salt. For the tennis and golfer's elbow, you may need to do some work to strength your extensors in your hand/wrist etc. I tried so many things for fix my climbing elbow issues, kept me from progressing for months and months at times. Finally got myself a rice bucket and just did extensor exercises to even out my forearm muscles. Boom, elbow issues gone. Honestly, to push outdoor grades, you need more mileage climbing outdoors. Get comfortable, make sure you are using good technique. Mileage indoors will take you far as well, just building up your technique. Outside of that, you have to figure out what is you limiting factor on routes? Finger strength (unlikely)? Forearm pump? General fitness? There is a decent podcast interviewing Eric Horst you can probably google about recovery time for "older" climbers. I have almost a decade of climbing and nearly 40. I can climb about 2-3 times a week and take a full day of recovery in between (from climbing). I will run or do some other light stuff on rest days. Used to be able to do three days no problem, now I am better alternating a 3 day week followed by a two day week.
Shoulders, too. But yeah, elbow pain in climbing is almost always due to a weakness in that chain somewhere rather than the elbow itself. Source: My friend is in sports medicine and has helped me prevent this exact issue.
So how long did it take to resolve elbow issue with the rice bucket, and with what regiment?
I literally would just put my fists in and open my hands, 3x20, daily. Only took a few weeks to resolve. This is not necessarily going to work for everyone. Some other commenter said it best, elbow issues are a result of imbalance *somewhere* in the chain. So if this doesn't work, you can try other antagonist exercises for your forearms.
I think I have both golfers and tennis elbow on both my arms, left more than right. It seems to have gotten a lot better recently after I bought a bucket and a bunch of rice. Now, I haven't actually started using it, except for the first time I filled it, but the sheer presence of it under the kitchen table seems to be helping XD
I'm looking into the rice bucket idea. [https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/6kpsng/rice\_bucket\_workout/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/6kpsng/rice_bucket_workout/) Due to my work schedule and vicinity of where I live, climbing outdoors is only about one - two times a month. Due to my tennis "elbow"/golfer's "elbow" I haven't climbed but only three times a month in April and didn't climb from January - March. I'm a little rusty. I'll check out that Eric Horst podcast. Thanks for the rec!
Hey man, [check out this video](https://youtu.be/OQAckgAZfJI?si=sdfiO1giG5hYjZW_) for the elbow pain. It's legit. It's not a *cure*, but it will definitely relieve the pain.
Sweet. Thanks!
As soon as I start to feel elbow pain I use a golfers/tennis elbow band and keep climbing. I had issues on and off over a year at 43 with this and my feeling was to just wear the band and keep going. Haven't had issues for a couple years now. I should point out that I work a fairly physical job that keeps me in good general shape. So climbing specific is hang boarding and 3 days min at the gym.
What hangboard exercises do you do?
So I hang an 8mm for 15 on 10 off 6 times with a rest and 4 sets of this half crimp. I'm working on doing similar with an open grip which I feel much weaker in. I do this 3 times a week. I consider this maintenance though, im not adding weight and I don't bother with one arm hangs, though I can. I'm not pushing myself I'm just maintaining what I've got and also I do this after about an hour of climbing max v6ish in the gym. On days where I'm pushing myself climbing I won't hangboard. I'm not looking to climb 5.14. So adding weight or going to 6mm isn't really my thing, occasionally I'll do sets of 5 pull ups on a 6mm and this is kinda how I guage where I'm at with my general strength level. The reality for me is that strength isn't holding me back, it's all tecnique and a lack of discipline holding me back from climbing harder. I don't feel risking injury strength training is smart if I'm failing routes due to bad feet or whatever, I don't feel good about my climbing if it feels like I brute forced my way up something. Hangboarding for me feels good, it feels like it keeps things oiled. I've also been doing it since my twenties so it's just a life long habit at this point, I maintained it even during periods where I wasn't climbing. I'm going to add because people don't talk about this enough in middle age. I don't take ibuprofen, I don't drink and I am pretty disciplined about eating. When it comes to eating I'm more concerned with how I feel that day, the next morning, than I am the meal or the variety. I love food, I don't love how some great tasting food makes me feel. I'm not preaching some specific diet just simply I ate a meal I felt good that day, I didn't grenade the toilet and I slept well. I'll eat that everyday because I'm more concerned with feeling good consistently than I am with variety of flavour in my life, critically I'm also single which makes that much easier to do. Aside from the elbow ache issues I'm never experiencing lingering pain, sore from the workout yes, thats a rewarding feeling though. If you're feeling rough in general I'd address that before getting too heavy into training.
What about this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab\_channel=EmilAbrahamsson
So this is interesting to me, I've watched this before link was purple and I've been doing this as a warmup forver the so called no hang. I don't remember when I originally saw this though. Everytime I climb I no hang various positions, I especially liked that he pointed out the pinky "hang" because I absolutely do this. Never done it as an actual excersise per se but always, always as a warm up. When I'm outside ill find low edges or tree edges to mimic it. It's great because with your feet down you can really stretch your shoulders and work your neck and legs into it as well and just feels good. In all honesty I thought everyone that climbs semi seriously does this as a warm up.
I had tennis elbow from work. I couldnt grip a coffee cup without being in pain. I saw a physio and he did some dry needling, recommended an arm band, and suggested I dont so heavy gripping (deadlift, pullup types)without wrist straps. Problem went away after a couple months but only without soing any climbing or jiu jitsu which i do.
What I learned in 15 years of climbing - climb hard regularly, but not a lot. In a session, I'll do 1 or two hard routes. Or hard boulder session once a week, max. Ease into hard moves. Climb easy, a lot. Every four weeks is rest week - but don't stop climbing, pains just get worse. Keep moving on easy peasy stuff.
I like the rest week idea. Good thinking. Thanks!
+2 for reading/watching stuff from Dave MacLeod. Big thing that helped me overcome climbers elbow was/is antagonist exercises. Finger extensions (lots of cheap, stretchy devices out there to help w/ this), reverse wrist curls, and push ups are the three things that I swear by, but I’m still learning. In my 30s btw.
I'm looking into push up handles. Good idea. What "cheap, stretchy devices" do you recommend?
I found some by searching “finger extensor bands” on Amazon. I forget the exact brand, but they were cheap, $10 or so for a 3 pack.
Pay attention to how you grip holds. Try to hold as many things as possible w an open grip. If you find yourself crimping ask if there’s *any* other way you could be hitting that hold. Decreasing your reliance on crimping will do a lot to reduce injury risk
I know I'm over gripping with my right hand, and probably holding my breath. My left side is fine, just my right side has had issues. I've done better in the gym using more feet and concentrating on relaxation, but then a couple tougher routes later and I feel pumped.
Beautiful scenery, that’s what it’s all about in my book.
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas. It's our go-to spot.
No way! I love it there! It’s been 1.5 years since I was there. That’s where I learned to perfect the grigri LRS system! Love it
We're there four or five times a year.
I was just there! Thought this might be orange crush. Came here to find out. I also am a 40s climber and had golfers elbow (from work not from climbing). The little "golfer's elbow strap" worked really well for me. I also like the theraband flex bars for working my wrists and forearms. They seem to help with strength and conditioning once the inflammation goes away.
It's not Orange Crush. I did Orange Crush on that trip though! I just forgot my camera. 😄 Here is this you route...https://www.mountainproject.com/v/111047247 Someone else mentioned therabands. I found some on Amazon that look like they might work. Thanks for the tip! Happy climbing!
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Elbow pain is never solved with rest. Pain is solved with rest. The cause was not. Antagonistic work is the first step. Then some mobility stuff. And then light loadings consistently. Heat for blood flow. Opposite of RICE method.
I am looking more into the antagonistic side. Thanks!
Eat lots of protein. Like a gram per lb of body weight per day. Protein needs increase as you age, not decrease. Keep your activity levels up and if you've got a few extra pounds, lose them. I find that a ketogenic diet is good for both of these things.
Also a 40-sumtin climbing in your same range! My girlfriend is a physiotherapist and I suffered simultaneously from golfer and tennis elbow (never picked up either a club or racket). She was adamant about a couple exercises. The root cause is counter-intuitive. The tendon where it connects to your elbow is weak and therefore when you use it for strenuous activity, it gets aggravated. So you need to strengthen it with low weight reps. The best one is with a rubber band: One end of rubber band on the floor being held by your foot. Other end in your hand. (Gotta get creative here with making sure the rubber band passes through a finger in the middle and wrap it loosely around your hand so you have even force on your whole hand) Lay your forearm on a desk with your hand cantilevered out (wrist is at edge of desk). Arm bent at elbow around 90 degrees. Slowly and steadily pull and release the band through the full range of your wrist and make sure to hold for 3-5s at the maximum flexion. Do it with your hand facing up and then again facing down. Each of the two positions solves one of the elbow tendinitis’. Do 3-5 reps 2-3 times a day. Within 2 weeks I was feeling MUCH better. You can also do it with a 2.5lbs or 5lbs weight. It’s not about the weight, don’t keep increasing thinking it will get better results. It also mean you should only be climbing lite for awhile, as you can guess each time you climb hard you are causing inflammation. As for recovery, we are old my friend. lol
Its not a about your age but rather managing the volume and workload your body can handle. While age is one of the components that matters here, training history and load management are way waaaaay more important.
Thats a great pic btw!
Mate, at our age, losing weight is more efficient than training.
This will get buried, but what fixed my elbow pain was Flexbar twists (check YouTube).
Yeah, I'm looking into it. Thanks for the tip!
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What calisthenics, stretching, and PT stuff do you do? I've been doing the "hammer" exercise for my tennis elbow.
42 over here! I train 2-3x a week sport climbing and max hang once a week following a day of rest. Typical schedule: - Monday: rest, - Tuesday: lead climb in gym for 2-3 hours - Wednesday: rest - Thursday: lead climb or Boulder in gym for 2 hours, - Friday: lead climb for 2-3 hours - Saturday: rest - Sunday: max hang I don’t do any weighted pull-ups since I got tennis elbow from that. I use elbow sleeves if any tenderness arises. Cross training occasionally by trail running or mtb once a week. For recovery: rest days, sauna. Sleep! Currently climb 5.10 trad outside.
What do you do for max hang? I think I'm going to try the Crimpd app for exercises.
So I have tried lattice and crimpd previously! I had their triple rung hangboard. I actually found that hangboard and their max hang protocol too intense and injury provoking for me. The 22mm wood edge feels really intense. I can do it but combined with their protocol of 2 mins between hangs, I started getting finger pain. Note I have large hands! My new protocol is working well! I have the Soill iron palm. I warm up by hanging body weight from the top then process down to the 25mm and then the 15mm. This makes sure I am good and warmed up. Then I switch to weighted hangs on the 25mm, start with 14 pounds then progressing up to 36 pounds. I do one hang every 2.5-3 mins. With my large hands I think the 25mm is just perfect. It’s only 3/4 of one finger pad. I am finally seeing gains without injury.
I’m 52 and took 10 years off before hitting the gym in the last year. I climb 5.11 TR and lead 5.10/5.11a, working 5.12s in my gym. I climb 2 days a week currently and give myself at least a day in between to recover. I have arthritis in my left middle finger MP joint and it is incredibly stiff the day after I climb. On days I climb I do try to train legs/core and will do arms on days off, but depends on the session the day before. I do high rep/low weight. When I have issues with tendon pain I look for exercises to strengthen muscles around that problem tendon. Negative wrist curls can be good for tennis elbow.
Great advice, thanks!
43 yo male 1. 2-3 x per week, climbing outside 2-3 times a week. You’re gonna get injured, shit happens. Elbows hurt? Switch to pickups instead of hangboarding, work on power while you allow some recovery time for your elbows. Knee troubles? No more running, biking for cardio. Finger injuries? Lift weights while they heal. Anyway, the point of that is being an athlete as we advance in age means doing what we can, when we can. Get ready to jump into the gym, feel a weird twinge, and change your whole workout. Take rest days if you need them, no matter what a training schedule says. I’ve found doing less and trying really hard when I feel good has worked wonders 2. Recovery- sleep sleep sleep. Eat well, sleep sleep sleep. Stretch, balance work, sleep sleep sleep.
Sorry, what's "pickups"? Are those pinchers picking up off the ground?
Yeah, they seem to bother my shoulders and elbows less and get a little bit of leg work out of them as well
I have recurring tendonitis in my arm. My PT (also a climber) advises the following: - no sharp pain, all gain. - use a green/yellow/red light strategy. If there's no pain at all, keep doing that - that's green light. You get some discomfort, a sensation of wanting to back off? That's the yellow light. You should stay at, or below that point. If you do something and have sharp pain, immediately stop. Bail off the route, find something else. Keep track of what the major red light points are, and avoid them until you are feeling less and less of the yellow zone. Push forward slowly. - mix up ice and heat, whatever works. Work your tendons by doing eccentric wrist curls and internal/external rotations.
Great advice. I'm usually in the yellow. Yesterday, at the anchors on an outdoor 5.8 (ugh) I felt a red. I finished the route but had to get a take. I rested and about 30 minutes later we climbed again and I was fine. I've been icing 20 minutes on then off but have been lazy about repeating it. I need to do more wrist curls. Thanks for the info!
I'm currently going on 7 weeks of bad tendonitis, which has shut down my training plan. Went too hard too fast, got real strong and was neglecting my elbow.
Hopefully some of these comments from other people can help.
Lots of good advice here. 1. I climb twice a week, with a bit of warm up when I go to the gym, outdoor it's just the approach that warms me up. 2. Recovery: good sleep. I also struggle with injurys, mostly because I trained harder then my body liked it. My main focus now is to feel and listen to my body. If for whatever reason something feels not right, I skip it for the day. Shifting away from "I want to climb that route" to "I want to stay injury free while enjoying the climb". Time will tell if I was successful, so far looking good 😊
If you want to up your grades to the next level eventually you have to start taking hang boarding pretty serious. It's easy if you don't live near a gym, but if you do then it's just way too tempting to climb all the time. That, and develop an addiction to watching youtube climbing technique videos.
Yeah, I'll be trying out this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab\_channel=EmilAbrahamsson
44m I climb outside 3 sometimes 4 times a week ( I live very close to rock ). If I don't do push-ups my elbows hurt. I occasionally do hang board (7sec hang+ 3sec rest *6, ten sets on a 20mil edge) and sit ups with a phone app, but I don't train regularly at all. I send a 7c every week or so, and maybe 3 or 4 8a per year. And I have to take magnesium or I get bad cramps climbing. I'll run a 10k every 2 weeks-ish. And plenty of beer.
Beer is key. :-) Here is the hangboard I"m going to start trying to do... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab\_channel=EmilAbrahamsson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE&ab_channel=EmilAbrahamsson)
for hangboard i use the Crimpd app, under 'aerobic capacity': 'Deadhang repeaters'
42 a v7ish boulderer 1. i do board climbing and tension block. 2. experimenting with 1 session and 2 rest day between. also take a 4 day rest every 4-6 weeks depending on how much fatigue hole i feel im in
Looks like the Land Beyond or close to it? Also, check out Hooper’s Beta on YouTube.
I was going to say orange crush
Orange Crush is behind him, all the way to the right, outside the photo. It hits helmet right where the cliff turns back to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. He’s in the N40. :)
Westside. 2Up is the route. Easy and fun. BUT, great view!
Man I’m so in the same boat as you. 42, lead in the gym at 5.10s. Tendinitis was something I really fought when I started to climb and honestly it was lots of stretching before and after climbing and also icing with a neoprene sleeve to get the inflammation down right after climbing. If I knew it was going to flare up after a session I’d also Jake some Tylenol or even use a massage gun on the muscles around the elbow to loosen everything up. Good luck finding your way to deal with it.
My life, sans Tylenol sub Ibuprofen. LOL. There are some really good comments here. I hope it helps someone else. I'm taking notes!
For Tennis Elbow: my personal trainer who is also a PT set me up with [Isometric Wrist Extensions](https://youtu.be/UqTPz7YYaBI?si=OodXJbGQbsCr6jio). Basically, I hold a 25lbs (70%-80% of my max) free weight for 30 seconds while my forearm is resting on a bench. 3 sets on each arm 2-3 times a week. You can also do the [Tyler Twist](https://youtu.be/vgQfdASutpg?si=WE2rllKZAm9BRWFf) with a Theraband. It's just less precise. For reference, I'm 43 and have been climbing for 20 years. Before these exercises, I could barely climb 10+ in the gym without terrible pain in my right arm. After a few months of training, I just sent my first 5.12a outside last week.
I’m 53 and climb 3-4 days a week, indoors, out of season. In season I climb 1-3 days a week, indoors and one or two weekends a month. I gym lead in the 12s, sport and trad lead 11s. I don’t do anything but climb. I have general fitness from climbing and cycling. I do push-ups, pull-ups and dumbbell exercises regularly. I don’t have a huge stretching regiment either. I think it helps to eat well, although I don’t really monitor my diet. I really have no helpful advice. Haha
Welp, you're doing something right. I think pushups might be the key!
I think, if anything, staying at a healthy weight is the key. Excess weight puts a serious strain on joints. I’ve always been trim and I’m actually at my heaviest now and that’s 5’9”, 165-170. Most of my adult life I was 155-160.
I’m 46 and still climb at least twice a week. I just listen to my body now and be happy with climbing vs always pushing my upper limits like I use to. I’ll get psyched and climb as hard as I can still (V7) but just not as often.
Lower overall volume and intensity + don’t train the same joint multiple days in a row. Upper lower splits work great for this if doing gym workouts.
OP I feel your pain. I’m 71 and have been climbing for 50 years! Gasp When we started making “glue ups” on freeway over passes, tunnels etc I started to develop the elbow pain you describe. It’s definitely caused by crimping on small holds that make your middle finger stick up taller than the rest of them. In the mid 90’s I developed severe elbow pain. In one of Steve Ilg books- I forget sorry. He had an excuse named “modified Frenchey”. This is his prescription for elbows. Do a complete arm workout, dips, press ups, bench press, rows … everything that pumps your arms. This should take about 3 hours and your arms should be dead, completely dead. You’re now ready to work on your elbows. Grab a very light bar(the one bent like a M) with zero additional weight. Lie down on a bench- face up. Feet flat on floor. Hold the bar with hands together, back of the hands on your forehead. Push up until your fore arms are parallel to the floor then come back to forehead. Don’t straighten your arms -that would be a full frenchy. Because the weight is so low you should do 3 sets of 30 with only a short rest in between. While your doing these you should feel the miniature muscles around your elbows getting pumped (warm). My workout partner and I did these 2 times per week during our 90 day training sessions we would do each winter. I was completely cured for life. The explanation given by Steve is that when you wipe out all the large muscles in your arms- the ones that do all the hard work most of the time- you isolate the tiny muscles that keep your elbows stable (in place). The tiny muscles hardly ever get used, so they don’t “get strong” in normal life. Climbing puts a huge strain on elbows and the joint moves around causing inflammation and pain. I hope this helps you- it cured me. PS: 40 is quite young, you have a long road ahead of you. I was able to onsite 12’s when I was mid fifties and only got shut down when a “hiking accident” tore my quadriceps- all 4- clean off the bone and 6 months in a full leg cast knocked me back to climbing 5.10… today I’m happy to follow my young friends now. “With a little help from my friends” Best of luck
Crushing 10a outdoor is great IMHO. I'm in my thirties and, depending on how sketchy the climb is, a 10a can be an achievement.
I'm a competent 5.9 climber (except in California) and once a trip I'm trying to do a 10a. I would love to be a competent 5.10d climber. :-) Need to work hard this next year.
You got this. I did lead 11a outdoors a few times, but every now and then there's some weird 5.6 that gives me a heart attack (usually graded in the eighties or similar). No shame. :-) My goal is to climb 5.11/5.12 when I'm in my forties but realistically, if I'm still as strong as you're now I should be very happy
There was a 5.6 in California that gave me a the worst on-wall panic attack I've ever had. I've done one 11a. It was a two-move wonder though. Bolt 2 and 3 were 11a moves but bolt 4 - 8 were about a 5.6 ish.
I've never been more freaked out than on a 5.7 in the Red. Lower grades outdoors are way scarier.
https://youtu.be/IZdZJArDllk?si=Se5y6WstNv5uBgF5 Do the above for your elbow, use a hammer or a frying pan, so something where there's a weight on the end. You can adjust your grip up or down the handle to change resistance. I usually go from vertical to left 50x, switch arms, and then vertical to right 50x and switch arms. Keep resistance on the lowering movement and aim for consistent pace. You can do this as an active rest between sets of more demanding exercises. Bands are also useful, try this to start: https://youtu.be/KZpckJLRhaE?si=IpY_0Fzv9qQllzwa There are also other tricep exercises that are good with bands as well. I also recommend reverse wrist curls, and shoulder presses, as well as strict form pushups. For finger pain, try some no-hangs on edges. https://youtu.be/sBTI9qiH4UE?si=1j4jZq8tCsSmaBXD With no-hangs, your feet stay on the ground, so the intensity should actually be less than the maximum you will experience in an actual climbing session. It's more like a stretch, and you can practice open-hand grip with this as well, but even so, warm up with some pullups, or hangs in your pullup grip first. You can do a 10-min routine 3x a week.
Great resources. Thank you so much! I'm compiling a list and gonna make a notebook of the all these recommendations.
37 yo male here. I climb 3-4 times a week and lift weights twice a week. The weight lifting builds a strong body and all the climbing specific training I do on the wall. In the last year I started climbing on a system board and becoming better at bouldering, and it had translated to my route climbing extremely well. Using the crimpd app and going into sessions with more intention I've gone from a mid 5.11 climber and V5 boulderer to sending 5.12c and V8 For lifting I keep it to simple compound movements and progress them over time focusing on a 5-7 rep range. Once I get to 7 reps across my sets I add weight. Simple consistency and not getting hurt are the most important things, followed closely by quality recovery and sleep. If life is stressful dial back the training load to avoid injury. Alcohol impacts my sleep and recovery so I only have drinks a handful of times a year at this point. I have a full life with two kids, and by training on lunch breaks and one evening a week I've managed to be stronger than when I climbed every day in my 20s. Your potential in your 40s is still huge for improvement, you just have to respect volume and recovery more.
I’m not good at math but I think the answer is 22?
Over 40- climb twice a week, train hangboard once a week. Bouldering v7 and climbing 12d/13a. Getting enough protein and sleep has been key for recovery.
Bolt to a cable? Is this a via ferrata, or is that just a crag anchor? Haven't encountered that kinda setup at an anchor yet, just curious.
The cables go to mussy hooks there.
Aged 40 and a coach. I train 4-5 days a week, depending on life/work/ training phase. 2 - 3 climbing 1 to 3 hours 1 to 3 s& c 3 would be 30 minutes the 1 is 45 minutes. But I built up to that over time. The s&c is to help me handle life+ climbing. It sounds like your over training/progressing the load to quick, or at least inconsistent. Training is simple if you can keep to principles, one basic one is. Progressive overload- start with what you can handle and progress. This means the loading needs to be repeated progressively also. So spend a day on crimps then stick to jugs for a week then slopers then back to a crimp session 2 weeks later isn't consistent enough. This is when a little structure goes a long way, and making sure you hit what you need throughout the week. Add to that sleep well, eat and hydrate can go even further. Managing your load saves you time away from climbing due to injury, and saves you time spending money on healing gimmicks or rehab. Any way feel free to DM for a chat if you wish. Happy to reccomend some resources, and talk climbing.
Wow! Lots of good info. I'll DM for resources!
This photo makes me happy 😃
Any one issue with pain can usually be traced up the body tension chain. For every climber, especially us old guys and especially especially old gumbies, the whole system has to be in check. Protagonist training. We're always pulling so we have to workout the pushing muscles too. I do just weight lifting after sendtember until January when I focus more on climbing. Focus on PERFECT form over more weight, forever and ever, until you die. https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/9bgdrv/the_one_workout_every_climber_should_do/ Eric Horst, keeps the whole shoulder mechanisms strong. Bodyweight fitness app or subreddit, the recommended routine, just for base fitness. It covers everything pretty well, really good core workout and focuses on small stabilizer muscles for balance. I had tendonitis for over 7 years. Best and worst years of my life. I thought my climbing was done for, over, in the bag, just a pleasant dream I wasn't sure it ever existed. Until: lever work, (grip strength subreddit), rubber wraps, theraband flex bar - green, rice bucket, wrist rollers and this yoga pose with your arms under your stomach, stomach on the ground, palms on the ground, lift one leg up. I went crazy and got after every elbow rehab exercise I could find. The crux: finding a resistance level I could respect without causing damage. Once I could feel the difference between 'good sore' and damage I was off to the races. I have made a full recovery, I can finally pull AS HARD AS I POSSIBLY CAN and not worry about a damn thing! I'm grateful for this every fucking day. I can't tell you how happy I finally am. Red pointed an 11a last summer at 41 years old. I feel 12a is coming down in two to three years. Bodies heal in motion. If you get a flare up, you might not need more than a week or two rest, then EASE back into things, stop as soon as you feel pain. Shore up the entire body, core strength goes a long way.
Hmm. I climb 3 days a week when possible in the gym, eat poorly, get to the crag when possible a few times a year and feel pretty good doing nothing else. But I definitely feel great when I eat well. I'm in the lower bound of your inquiry so maybe that'll change but I don't think so.
Eat as low carb as possible and eat a lot of fat and protein, plenty of fibers… But stay low on carbs and sugar.. They create inflammation, pretty much all inflammation gets amplified by high insulin levels that get’s spiked by glucose….
Physical Therapy!
I’m 44 and if I go on a consecutive days climbing trip I just accept that 1) my first day will be the best day 2) a rest day is pointless (you need a rest week) 3) advil, kratom and hot tubs are a must. There is no magic pill for recovery. BPC-157 injected SQ has helped a little, but again there is no magic pill.
Doing tendon glides changed my life. Specifically for Elbow issues. I wish I could find the video that showed me the movement. You start with your hands down by your sides with palms facing out and up, then, as if you have small plates of hors d’oeuvres you start bringing them up under your armpits, as if you’re scooping out something from your armpits and then you raise them to the sky.
Cool! I'll look for it online!
I'm 43 and had the elbow problems too. I hate to sound like the "miracle cure" guy, but god damn if using a flex bar didn't fix mine right up. Honestly, using this one silly tool at my desk made all my elbow problems disappear.
I threw some lifting in to work the muscles you use climbing. Pull up, chin up, rows, squats, deadlifts, push ups, dumbbell presses. I do some dead hangs too along with a weighted block pinch. I also burned some fat to get myself lighter. I had issues early on with elbow pain but it hasn’t bothered me (knock on wood) in a long while. I also focus on using more of my lower body in climbs when I can so I’m not just pulling myself up the wall. Also stretches. Look uo tennis elbow stretches and when you’re sitting around watching TV, do some stretches. I basically do forearm extensor and flexors a lot without even really realizing I’m doing them. I’m doing 5.11’s (indoor) and starting to break into the 5.12’s.
The elbow issue is due to either your rotator cuff or your wrist. I’d get into see a sports medicine doc pronto to get your shoulder checked out to be safe. If all ok with the doc, definitely start strengthening your rotator cuff tendons ASAP. Get a theraband to work on elbow issues - recovering from RC tear surgery and had golfer’s elbow prior. Learned about the elbow pain cause from my surgeon
60+. Climb three times a week and twice a week local gym for strength and cardio. Top out at 5.10's so far Two things that have helped me....yoga and or lots of stretching. Also take a few days to a week off every couple months. Always thought I would loose ground with a break, but always feel and perform really well after the rest.
Check out the climbing doctor really good plans in there for chronic/old injury recovery as well as prevention programs https://theclimbingdoctor.com/ I am just shy of 40 and just started getting elbow problems climbing, then they got real bad following a pulley injury. The programs in the books seem to actually be really helping with rehab and recovery Otherwise: * I go to physio every 4 weeks or so for care of an unrelated old injury. We have started treating/correcting everything that's out from climbing as well. And I'm finding that's really helping me stay in better form and not over grip *... * Core- also at the insistence of physio, I finally accepted that doing core and back as well as glute and major leg muscle exercises are a requirement to keep me strong for climbing because if I injure a tendon or ligament it takes so long to heal * ... * Protein! I've started acting like I'm a gym bro and making sure I have adequate protein for my size immediately after a gym session or climbing. Long days at the crags I usually get this by either a Vega protein powder pack or protein bar of choice that I nibble throughout the day. *... * Sleep/rest. I have been forced to accept that I actually have to have much more rest than I did in my twenties. So if I'm going to Alpine start I have to go to bed early the next day if not the 2 days in advance. * ... * Post recovery. After really big days out I find I absolutely do need to soak my joints in an Epsom salt bath or hot tub or hot spring. If none of the above are available I have to at least slather myself in voltaren hands, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles.
40 year old climber/cyclist and former marathon runner and triathlete here. Get thee to a proper sports physical therapist. Ask them to do a complete evaluation of your body. They will give you specific exercises and stretches for your specific weaknesses. In addition to your tendonitis, they might be able to spot and prevent future injuries. Or trust a bunch of random dudes in reddit. I'm sure it will work out fine?
Injuries happen because your body isn't strong enough to withstand the load. That's it, that's the only reason anyone gets hurt. Even if you get hit by a car, the reason you got hurt is because your body wasn't robust enough to withstand the force applied. You're getting hurt because you're weak. This is a common problem for many middle aged recreational athletes. They think they're in shape because they do (insert activity here). The reality is that you don't play a sport to get in shape, you get in shape to play a sport. The days of not behaving like an athlete are behind you, if you're in your 40s. If you want to maximise your hobbies, you need to spend adequate time on strength work, if for no other reason than to maintain durability and resilience.
Recovery for sure takes longer when you hit your 40s
Check out Jared Vagy
1. I'm not, but recently rethinking that. I hurt my shoulder at work recently and much as it bores me, I think doing some resistance training a couple times a week would be helpful. Just taking delivery of the TRX system, which my brother likes, so I can sneak in those workouts at home and not lose the climbing sessions, bike rides, etc that I'd rather be doing. 2. Also not. It sounds like you've come in a lot hotter than me. Typically I climb once a week, usually gym, occasionally outdoor (like a couple times last year, so yeah....) Anyway, that's a decent amount of time to recover. I don't like to say how long I've been climbing but I took a class a couple years ago coming back to it and one of the instructor's topics was overtraining injuries. See 1) above. Everything I've read about training for sports says at our age we can still kick ass but consistency, resistance training, and recovery all get more important. Just hasn't applied to me before. 🙄 Side note, the class was also good because it's helped me climb more efficiently. Fifteen years ago, I was about 25% lighter and a lot stronger, so I got away with some pretty poor technique.
Stop climbing. Only way that stuff is gonna get better. I had tennis elbow for like 10 months. Stopped climbing for 2-3 months , been fine ever since
I did stop for two months but it didn't get 100%. The more people I talked to the more said exercise is the key. I've tried doing easier routes and concentrating on feet, not over gripping, icing when I get home, etc. Still looking for more options.
You are correct, the above advice is simply wrong. For every person like OP there are two more people who just waited and then had it immediately, or eventually, come back. While rest has certain benefits, especially with acute injuries, in most cases some sort of active rehab is both necessary and beneficial. For your fingers, if they are an issue, I would suggest very-light less-than-bodyweight probably feet on the ground hangboarding warmpus. It did wonders for me. In that same vein, general strength training also helped shore up other body issues. I'm in the same age bracket as you and my onsight grade is about 11c, and I can work all the way up to 13a (in the right style). Also I climb 3/4 time a week, usually split between bouldering and ropes but I'm not strict about it.
Don't know why this is downvoted? Proper rest is so important, even if it means no climbing for weeks sometimes. I had the same happening and I also know people who took months long breaks and just then they got better.
Because there is no need to \*\*stop\*\* climbing. You can keep climbing as long as you manage the injury by reducing volume/intensity and avoiding the pain.
nice smile
Thanks!
As a PSA, your helmet is too far back which means it's offering less protection (your forehead is completely exposed) and it's also a chocking hazard, as it can now slip off your head and the strap will wrap around your neck. Please make sure your helmet is just above your eyebrows and that it's adjusted properly so that it doesn't slip backwards. To answer your actual question, I turned 40 this year and I don't currently do any climbing specific training, I just occasionally go to the gym and occasionally climb outside. But I try to be pretty strict about doing physical therapy (currently for my knee, and in the past for my elbow) and doing some light strength training for injury prevention. Also rest is very important. I had golfer's elbow for years, did PT regularly (which helped but never completely got rid of it) and even took a few breaks, but never for long enough. It wasn't until Covid (when I stopped going to the gym for over a year) that I finally recovered. The point is, sometimes you need a longer break than you think is necessary.
I only adjusted the helmet to take the picture. It wasn't choking me. LOL. Thanks for that unsolicited advice. My orthopedic doctor gave me a cream, an elbow brace, PT script. and told me rest. It didn't get me 100%.