{"id":13276,"date":"2017-02-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=13276"},"modified":"2025-11-20T19:17:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T03:17:31","slug":"7-best-recovery-tools-climbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/7-best-recovery-tools-climbers","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Best Recovery Tools for Climbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recover better today, climb better tomorrow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are the\u00a0self-care tools that I use to\u00a0win over sore muscles and fatigued fingers. Collect these as a mobile self-care kit you can use at home or on the road. Use them\u00a02-3 times per week to recover from all that training <\/a>and prevent injury.<\/p>\n

Basic Foam Roller<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Good for:\u00a0Opening up your\u00a0chest, working into your hips, loosening tight\u00a0calves<\/em><\/p>\n

A basic foam roller<\/a>\u00a0(see above) can cost you as little as $20 and can be your best assistant for full body needs. Pick a super soft one to start out and then move up to a more aggressive (firmer) roller as your tissues loosen and you can lay on the region without crying in pain. Lay onto your back and work into your upper shoulders with the goal of trying to relax and to rest onto the roller. Breathe. There is no right or wrong to rolling, just make sure to avoid your lower back\u00a0(it can\u00a0irritate those with disc or joint hyper-mobility issues).<\/p>\n

Armaid<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Good for: Pumped forearms, elbow pain<\/em><\/p>\n

Ask any climber who has one, and they will tell you all about it fixing their elbow pain. It also unloads the finger tendons, and in my opinion, it’s the best tool to mimic a climbing-specific massage. Useful for the treatment of tight, angry, whiny, overly abused, or commonly pumped-out forearms, you can first secure the Armaid<\/a> to your leg, position it on your arm, and then cry with painful bliss as your tight muscles learn to forgive you for your abusive ways.\u00a0Forearms like rocks? Try two to three times per week of gentle use. I use a foam roller attachment for the day after a really hard session. On off-days, I\u2019d recommend the singular ball to dig deep into your finger flexor muscles.<\/p>\n