Prepare For A Rock Climbing Competition

The objective of e very rock climber is to reach the zenith of your performance level on the day of the competition. For this you must start certain preparatory activities almost two-months before the actual event. Besides the usual training routine you should start targeting specific muscle systems (aerobic, anaerobic) and specific muscle groups for the type of climbing. Ensure the intake of a good nutritious diet to compliment the specific, targeted training plan for maximizing your advantages. Given below are general guidelines. You should seek advice from a sports nutritionist or sports trainer for individual training for your position.

Two Months before the Competition.

Chalk out a workout with a daily routine that aims at succeeding in the kind of climbing included in the competition. Following are some types of training:

Negative sloping, long-reach moves and overhanging sums up to the Strength Training; Speed climbing, Dynos make up the Explosive/Burst Power Training;
Long or high runs that need continuous climbing for more than five minutes is the Endurance Training and the Long leads, lock-off that require sustained power, difficult clipping without burnout in addition to the duration of climb and long routes sums up to the Strength-Endurance Training.

After identifying the type of training you would need, start a specific training plan that concentrates on that particular training.

Food and Nutrition

You must always keep away from fatty food two months before the competition. The usual training diets must be high in carbohydrates, low in protein and fats. If the carbohydrate is less than 60% of the daily calories, you may not be topping up the muscle and glycogen stock, making the glycogen levels drop below normal. People who find themselves unable to train on a daily basis show signs of glycogen reduction. To avoid this condition you should have an intake of approximately eight to nine grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight daily. Carbohydrates can be pasta, breads, potatoes, or sweets, fruits, etc.

One-Week before the Competition

Stop all arduous exercises and start moderating stretching and aerobic activity. Keep the muscles ample time to recuperate. Moderate aerobic activities must not use the climbing muscles. Some old low aerobic activities like bicycle riding, walking, moderate swimming, golf, and ping-pong, etc stimulate blood circulation when target muscles are recuperating.

Food and Nutrition

Have a carbohydrate rich diet and cut down on fat and protein intake. Drink ample water and get 8 hours of sleep. Have the normal quantity of food and avoid dieting during this time. By cutting down on water and carbohydrates before climbing competitions, your stamina will drop by nearly half. When the muscles are dehydrated they lose almost 25%of their contracted strength and reducing water and food intake a day before, uses up the stored glycogen. This reduces stamina and causes dehydration, leading to a reduction in strength and ability.

Three Days before the Competition

Avoid exercising, but carry on with stretching. There are some endurance athletes who completely do away with fat and protein intake during this time. Better known as carbo-loading, this increases the glycogen amount in muscles and liver and prevents exhaustion during the very exhaustive events.

A week before the event, you must stick to your normal diet for the initial four days. Throughout the other three days undertake a high carbohydrate diet. A number of endurance athletes increase their carbohydrate intake to about 10 grams per kilogram of bodyweight that is approximately 70% of dietary kilocalories during the two to three days prior to the event.