Resting.

As I am not the first person to write about this, I am certainly not the last.  Climbing seems to be such a sport that it completely consumes those who partake.  Never have I heard another athlete complain so much about not being able to do their sport.  Occasionally when injured, I have heard a runner or a cyclist complain about not getting out and enjoying their pastime.  Maybe it is the nature of climbing that it is a maximum effort type of sport, with heavy muscle recruitment.  That maybe it is so goal driven and the goals are so clear that it's hard to just take an easy day;  climb that route, send this problem, beat our wall time.  If you haven't figured it out yet, I am talking about taking rest days.

When I was younger, I used to climb 3 hours a day, pretty much every day of the week.  I got sore occasionally, but really only when a specific move called out a certain muscle group.  I never felt tired, but in retrospect I think that is because I was actually always tired.  I never had off days because I never had rest days.  I plateaued and I couldn't figure out why.

Then I joined the Army.  I had so many rest days that I sank.  I "rested for nearly 6 months in training and for 10 months in the desert (Afghanistan not El Paso).  But then, I found a happy medium.  I got back from Afghanistan and I started up again.  However, my job, school and Fiancée kept me busy enough to have forced rest days.  Suddenly I was climbing better, faster than any advance I have had in my climbing career.  I came back not able to get things I had done prior to deployment and then was able to send nearly 4 grades harder within a few months and it all had to do with my resting in-between hard sessions.

Now back to what I was originally saying... The question then comes, that how, if I have seen the benefits of resting, is it still so hard to not climb?  It is as if I did some pull-ups and now I should be good to send, right?  But wait, you're telling me I have to wait three days?!?  I don't have that kind of time, body!  I gave you food so just be strong...but I digress.

My point being that now, finally, I get it.  I get what resting has to do with climbing and that it isn't just for bodybuilders and gymnasts.