It’s a known fact you have to load up with protein after climbing. But what about before and during? A good climber is a healthy climber. So if you want to max out your performance in bouldering, climbing snacks can be the ace up your sleeve.
Stay with me as I walk you through this article to find out how to better fuel for both climbing and specific training so you send that boulder problem.
How does a good climbing day start?
You guessed it: energised! And it all comes down to what you eat.
A healthy delicious snack at the right time can help you reach your maximum potential in terms of performance.
Too often I see friends who never take anything to snack at the crag and after 3, or 4 hours they start feeling tired.
Some even call it a day because they have low energy levels.
Impact of low blood sugar on your climbing
Are you experiencing symptoms of low blood sugar such as low focus, lack of energy, and slight anger while climbing?
Prevent this by making sure you are giving your body what it needs to send that boulder problem instead! Eating well and fueling up starts before the actual climbing day.
First, discover which foods are most compatible with you. For example, I love raw veggies but I have friends who get bloated when eating them – especially in the morning.
Therefore, find out what world is best for you and take it with you (or eat it) on a climbing day!
Eat better to climb more!
Just because you are preparing your big weekend out it doesn’t mean you should eat less so you feel leaner. Just eat smart.
Training Beta recommends fueling up by adding 25 percent more carbs to four of your meals 2 days before your big day out or weekend.
This way your body will be able to sustain the effort and recover efficiently afterwards and you’ll fully enjoy climbing days out without getting tired too fast.
Examples of good carbs are starch, such as potatoes, bread, peas, pasta, and sweet potatoes.
Pro Tip: don’t eat late and don’t drink alcohol before your climbing day because instead of sleeping and recovering your body will be busy digesting. As for alcohol, it increases inflammation and fatigue and it dehydrates.
How to eat before climbing?
Some nutritionists say you should leave at least two hours between eating fat or protein and climbing. True!
However, with time I realised by the time I get to the climbing spot, do the resistance bands warm up + one or two easy climbs, I almost always have at least 2 hours in between breakfast and climbing hard.
Based on what Jessie Inchauspé (the glucose goddess) says, there’s nothing better than a savory breakfast.
Build it around protein (eggs, greek yogurt, nuts, leftover meat, tofu, and protein powder from your smoothie), then you can add some fat such as avocado and cheese, then add starch such as bread.
Personal experience: I used to eat lightly before a climbing session and my favourite breakfast was oats with fruits and nut butter. But I also used to snack the entire day and feel tired afterward.
After I switched to a savoury breakfast my energy levels grew, my focus improved, I started snacking less and I started losing fat.
How to eat during your climbing day for optimal performance?
Good news: Your climbing day is the best time to eat sugar and keep your glycogen levels in check. Glycogen is your body’s main source of energy that is stored as glucose in your liver and muscles.
That’s where your power comes from!
Considering you’ve been eating your starch a few days after the big day, during the actual climbing day you can choose simple food so it’s easy to digest.
Simple foods can be dried fruits (figs, dates, bananas, pineapple, mango), chocolate energy bars, and whole-grain crackers.
You can also eat fresh fruits such as bananas, apples, and oranges but keep in mind pure sugar is faster to digest than fructose and you’ll probably prefer it between runs.
Training day? Carb up, carb up, wherever you are!
On training days you can top up your energy stores by consuming carbs to get you through the day.
Bananas, oranges, dates, dried figs, or something similar (similar to what you would be consuming on a climbing day) should be enough to keep you going.
What to eat after training?
If you are heading home shortly after climbing you can think about a low-glycemic dinner such as quinoa, whole rice, protein, and veggies.
However, if for whatever reason you can’t go home right away make sure you have protein powder with you.
This way your body will start repairing fast and building up muscles and you’ll not feel tempted to eat anything that gets in your way just because you are too hungry.
Also, you’ll be feeling less guilty for having that one beer after training!😂
Homemade health options
Here are some homemade healthy options to replenish your glycogen levels and avoid fatigue. They are delicious, cheap, and easy to make.
Matcha Energy Balls
Ingredients:
- 1 generous spoon of matcha
- 4 generous spoons of flaxseed power (I grind mine)
- 4 generous spoons of coconut
- 4 generous spoons of almond flour
- 3 to 4 spoons of almond or sunflower seed butter
- 1 spoon of coconut oil (it gives a nice texture)
- 1 spoon of fresh grated ginger or lemon peel
- For sweetening: 1 spoon of honey and 6 chopped dates. You can use anything else that tastes sweet
P.S. If you are not a coconut lover you can easily replace it with hemp seeds or almond flakes. Otherwise, it’s a very nice blend of ingredients with a unique taste. Promise!
Note: Matcha contains more caffeine and antioxidants than are typically present in green tea. Therefore, to fully take advantage of its benefits make sure you don’t consume more than 2 teaspoons per day and that your source is organic.
Protein Energy Balls
Ingredients:
- 4 spoons of oat flakes
- 4 spoons of protein powder of your choosing (I use hemp or pea)
- 4 spoons of tahini
- 3 spoons of flaxseed powder
- One handful of cranberries
- Optional: chocolate chips
- I love chocolate so I like wrapping mine in cocoa powder
- For sweetening: 1 spoon of honey and 6 chopped dates. You can use anything else that tastes sweet
Note: You’ll get around 10-15 balls (no baking) you can store in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months! In the summer I like eating them frozen because they taste so good!
Climber’s tip: To save your banana from being spoiled just put it into a banana taper.
What if I’m not into cooking and I don’t have the time?
Great question! It came as a surprise but I realised preparing all of this for myself wasn’t that hard – getting into the routine and organising myself was!
Eating as clean as possible and cooking for yourself is healthier, better for the planet, and much cheaper!
However, we get it! When working full-time, and juggling between a personal and climbing life it makes sense you don’t want to spend time doing all of this.
We got you covered with these healthier nutritional climbing snacks from the shop:
- Chocolate for energy and focus thanks to phenethylamine
- Olives: antiinflammatory and they have salt
- Tofu, cheese, and mixed nuts for protein
- Bars such as Cliff, Chimpanzee (or other brands) contain enough carbohydrates to help provide energy for exercise and protein to help with muscle recovery after a workout
Pros of using protein bars
- They’re generally good for climbers who are into dosing their number of nutrients such as carbs and protein
- Very convenient for those who don’t have much time but still want to fuel properly at the crag
Cons of using bars
- They’re not cheap
- They might contain artificial ingredients
What do the climbing elite eat?
The older you get the more important nutrition becomes.
When you are in your 20’s your body can take up a lot: you recover fast after partying all night, you can skip warm-ups more often and get away with it, and so on. However, things start to change when you hit 30’s.
For example, Adam Ondra takes his diet very seriously and says getting a good routine of nutrition and sleep is essential to performance.
When it comes to nutrition, he prefers having part diversity and part fixed amounts of proteins, carbs, and fiber.
In the morning he prefers having the biggest quantity of carbohydrates whereas for lunch he has the most complex meal with cereals, veggies, spices, and protein.
For dinner, he has vegetables and protein and little to 0 carbs. He uses very little supplements because he believes real food is better!
What about popular energising drinks amongst climbers?
Mate
Originating from South America, this herb is a popular drink we often see among climbers.
Moreover, studies show it is full of powerful antioxidants and elements such as Mg and Zn and is beneficial for weight loss, cholesterol, bone density, and inflammation.
However, just like coffee, mate contains caffeine. Therefore be mindful about how much you drink.
Coffee
Yet another drink we often see at the crag, coffee is a worldwide popular drink with beneficial effects when consumed according to one’s personal tolerance.
Studies show it can boost sports performance when consumed at the right moment, however, as Eric Horst says, be careful not to develop a “more is better mindset” when it comes to it.
Advantages:
- It improves focus and mood
- It keeps you engaged for longer on endurance days such as multi-pitch climbs
- It gives you a boost on explosive moves (therefore is perfect for bouldering days)
Disadvantages of drinking (too much) coffee:
- It dehydrates so make sure you drink enough water to protect your articulations and kidneys
- It can cause insomnia or give you a nonresting sleep when drank too late in the day (around 6 hours before going to sleep)
- When in high doses it can cause anxiety, increased heartbeat, excessive urination hence dehydration
Already made sports drinks
If you’re going to do more than 90 minutes of effort you should be hydrating yourself with more than water – especially on warm and sweaty days.
Torq Hydration Drink is a hydrating drink mix. Isotonic sports drinks and hydrating ones provide you with the key to hydration.
Therefore they come in handy during a prolonged training session or a full climbing day.
Tork Energy Drink is a naturally flavored refreshing isotonic that contains 5 key electrolytes and is loaded with carbs (500 ml=30 grams).
Torq Hydration Drink is significantly superior to tablets, optimises fluids and electrolytes, and enhances hydration during the performance.
Make your own electrolyte drink
4 liter of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of Celtic salt, sweetener of your choice, and lemon juice.
Before I wrap it up, I want to quickly remind you that a healthy and complete nutrition base is essential to feeling good in your body.
If you want to better understand how to eat healthily and send like a pro make sure to read our article on what is the best diet for climbing.
What you’ll get from eating the right foods?
Better mood, normal to high levels of energy, faster recovery and better sleep, more sends, and higher focus.
Overall you’ll be healthier! But before I go, let me ask you a question: what are your favourite climbing snacks?
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