When you first start climbing, you might be like I was and want to climb every single day. I did exactly that for a month or so before the warning signs showed up: constantly sore muscles, nagging fatigue, and a real dip in my climbing. So when do you need a rest day? That’s the question I went digging into, and it turns out rest days are one of the biggest levers you have for actually getting better on the wall.
If you aren’t sure whether you need one, run through the common signs below. I’ve also put together a quick pros and cons list for rest days, plus what to actually do with your day off so you come back stronger instead of just rusty.
When Do You Need A Rest Day? Common Signs To Watch For
Sore Muscles
Soreness shows up when you start a new program, change your routine, or crank up how long or hard you climb. If your muscles are sore all the time, a rest day will help. To take the edge off and speed up recovery, try icing the sore spots and drinking turmeric juice after you climb. And if you’re wondering whether it’s fine to keep pulling on through it, we got into that here: Is Bouldering When Sore Bad?
Fatigue
Staying wiped out for more than a few minutes after a session can be a sign you’re fatigued. Fatigue can be physical or mental tiredness that hangs around and takes extra time to shake off. It’s usually down to not enough rest and not enough food, so if you feel like this, take a rest day instead of trying to climb through it.
Fatigue also bumps up your injury risk and drags your performance down, so it’s not worth grinding through when you’re running on empty.
Pain
Pain in your tendons, especially in your hands, is common for climbers who climb too hard or too much without the right care or rest. If you feel any pain in your tendons, back off and wait until it clears up. If you think you might have damaged a tendon or nerve, get it looked at by a doctor. A doctor who works with climbers is your best bet, because they’re more likely to understand what’s going on and how to help.
Issues Sleeping
If you aren’t sleeping well, you might be overworking your body and need a rest day. It sounds backwards, since exercise is one of the most common fixes people recommend for bad sleep, but push your body too far and you flip that on its head. Too much load and your sleep quality actually drops.
Reduced Performance
If you find yourself fighting on moves that used to feel easy, that dip in performance can be a sign you need a rest day.
When I climbed 5 to 6 days in a row, I noticed my performance dropped off on the 5th and 6th days. Since I started taking rest days, that dip went away and my day-to-day climbing actually got stronger. If you want to nail down the right amount of climbing for you, we broke it down in How Often And Hard Should You Climb To Get Gains?
Crankiness or Mood Changes
Feeling cranky or noticing your mood swinging around has been linked to overworking your body, and the usual fix is rest. If your mood is off, take a rest day. That doesn’t mean you should lie in bed all day, but you should point your attention at something other than climbing (see below for what to do on rest days).
Elevated Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is one way to see that exercise is making you healthier. The healthier your heart, the lower your resting heart rate tends to be. But if you’re overworked, your body can struggle to bring that number back down, and that’s a sign a rest day is in order.
Sickness
Plenty of gym rats will tell you to sweat it out and train through a cold, but that’s not the move. Your body needs extra care when you’re sick, and a rest day is a great way to give it.
On top of that, if you climb at a gym, training while you’re sick spreads whatever you’ve got to everyone else, since your hands and feet end up all over the holds.
Dehydration, Despite Drinking Water
A lot of climbers who need a rest day notice their urine is darker than usual even though they’re drinking the same amount of water. If that’s happening to you, take a rest day so your body can recover and reset. Drink extra water on that day too, to help the recovery along.
You Already Climbed 5 to 6 Days In A Row
Unless your sessions are really light and easy on you, climbing more than 5 to 6 days in a row is a lot to ask of your body. Even if you feel like you’ve got another full session in you, take the break to cut down the risk of injury or fatigue. If you’re trying to figure out a sustainable weekly rhythm, we laid one out in How Many Days Should You Climb Per Week?
Pros and Cons of Taking a Rest Day
If you follow this blog, you may have seen a recent post weighing up the pros and cons of climbing every day against the pros and cons of taking rest days. Here’s the short version for rest days, but if you want the full breakdown of climbing every day, check out this article: Pros and Cons of Rest Days and Climbing Every Day.
Pros of Rest Days
- Improves performance
- Improves endurance
- Gives muscles a chance to recover
- Prevents muscle fatigue
- Prevents skin tears
- Prevents tendon injuries
Cons of Rest Days
- You may forget the technique or beta for your project
What Should You Do On Rest Days
Despite the name, a rest day isn’t really about parking yourself on the couch or taking a long afternoon nap. The research says you’re better off filling it with light, active stuff that doesn’t hammer the muscles you lean on when you climb. On top of that, refuel your body and stay on top of your nutrition and hydration. For more ideas, we put together a full list here: 7 Things Climbers Should Do On Rest Days For Better Performance.
Exercise
If you run every day and you’re training for a marathon, running on your rest day is counterproductive. But running on a rest day when your training days are all climbing is a solid choice. Climbing gets your heart rate up but doesn’t really get your lungs working, so a lot of climbers get real cardiorespiratory benefit from an easy run on their day off.
If running isn’t your thing, find another way to get the blood moving, like yoga or pilates. Those get your blood pumping and do a great job of stretching you out and improving flexibility, which every climber can use. If your goal is climbing more without breaking down, we cover recovery-friendly ways to do it in How To Climb More Often Without Getting Injured.
Nutrition
Unlike your climbing days, you don’t need to load up on carbs for energy. Instead, lean into protein, fruits and veggies, and vitamins and minerals to help you recover and get ready for your next training day.
Hydrate
One of the most important things for your muscles and the rest of your body is staying hydrated. Cut back on sugary and caffeinated drinks so you can get more actual fluid into your system. Water is the best way to hydrate, since it helps cut down soreness and cramping and keeps everything working smoothly.
Want more small, practical tips like these landing in your inbox? Join the free Send Edition newsletter for one climbing drill a week that takes about 15 minutes. It’s a simple way to keep chipping away at your climbing on rest days and training days alike.
Where this fits in your training
Knowing when to rest is half of knowing how to train. The Climbing Training Hub shows how tracking, rest, drills, and strength fit together, and which one to fix first.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when I need a rest day?
Watch for the signs your body gives you: muscles that stay sore, lingering fatigue, tendon pain, trouble sleeping, a dip in performance, crankiness, an elevated resting heart rate, sickness, dark urine even when you’re drinking water, or simply having climbed 5 to 6 days in a row. If a few of these line up, it’s time to take a day off.
How many rest days do climbers need?
It depends on how hard and how often you climb, but climbing more than 5 to 6 days in a row is a lot to ask of your body. If you’re climbing hard, working at least one or two rest days into your week helps you recover and usually leaves you climbing stronger, not weaker.
Should I climb when I’m sore?
Light soreness is normal, but if your muscles are constantly sore you’ll benefit from a rest day. Pain in your tendons is a different story, and you should back off and let it clear up before climbing again. Icing sore spots, drinking turmeric juice, and staying hydrated all help speed up recovery.
What should I do on a rest day?
A rest day isn’t couch day. Fill it with light activity that doesn’t tax your climbing muscles, like an easy run, yoga, or pilates, and focus on protein, fruits and veggies, and plenty of water. That keeps you moving and helps your body recover for the next session.
