Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

or reaching the end of your workout, however, it’s best to consume higher-GI foods and beverages. This latter distinction is powerful—there is a growing body of research indicating that what you eat in the first thirty minutes after exercise is the single largest determining factor in how fast you recover.
KICK-STARTING GLYCOGEN REPLENISHMENT AFTER CLIMBING OR TRAINING
     
    As incredible as it may seem, recent research has shown that waiting two hours after exercise to consume carbohydrates will reduce your glycogen replenishment by 50 percent compared with eating immediately upon cessation of the activity (Burke 1999). Therefore, when planning to climb a second day, you significantly handicap tomorrow’s performance by delaying refueling. Similarly, delayed refueling after training slows the recovery and rebuilding processes and, possibly, delays complete recovery by as much as a full day.
    Let’s take a closer look at the best refueling strategies in the hours following climbing or a vigorous workout.
     
    First thirty minutes after climbing: Ingestion of high-GI foods immediately after exercise substantially increases the rate of muscle glycogen replacement (Richter 1984). More recent studies have shown that glycogen synthesis may take place another 40 percent faster if protein and carbohydrate are consumed together, due to a greater insulin response (Niles 1997). Consequently, the best protocol for accelerating glycogen replenishment appears to be a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein consumption (Burke 1999).
    Since solid foods enter the bloodstream more slowly than liquids, it’s best to drink this carbohydrate- protein blend post-exercise. For example, a 160-pound climber would want to consume approximately one hundred grams of carbohydrate and twenty-five grams of protein. Drinking a quart of Gatorade, juice, or another glucose- or high-fructose-corn-syrup-based sports drink would provide nearly a hundred grams of high-GI carbohydrate. Consuming a high-protein energy bar or a whey protein shake would provide roughly twenty-five grams of protein. Another highly practical option is to drink a 4:1 (carbohydrate-to-protein ratio) sports drink such as Accelerade. Take these actions immediately after your workout or climbing and you will jump-start recovery, big time!
     
    Two hours after climbing: Assuming you consumed the initial feeding of carbohydrates and protein within the thirty-minute time frame, you can wait until about two hours post-activity to eat a complete meal. Ideally, the meal should comprise foods providing a macronutrient ratio of about 65:15:20 (calories from carbohydrate:protein:fat), as explained in chapter 9. Such a meal might include a large serving of pasta, a piece of lean meat, and a salad or some vegetables. Whereas high-GI foods are best eaten immediately after exercise, medium- and low-GI foods are more advantageous in the two to twenty-four hours after exercise. They will provide a slower, longer-lasting trickle of glucose into the bloodstream that will support steady glycogen resynthesis.
     
    Before going to sleep: A small meal of carbohydrate and protein within thirty minutes of going to sleep will further support glycogen resynthesis and tissue rebuilding overnight. Skim milk may be the perfect before-bedtime food—it possesses low-GI carbohydrate, high-quality protein, and the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, which slows down brain activity. Drink a tall glass of skim milk (consider mixing in some whey protein powder) or have some milk on a small bowl of whole-grain cereal before bedtime. It’ll do your body good!

     
    Cross-fiber friction (with braced finger) self-massage is an excellent way to increase blood flow and warm up the forearm muscles prior to training.
     

Stretch and Massage the Hardest-Working Muscles
     
    Earlier, you learned about an impressive research study showing that combining active rest and massage accelerated recovery by enhancing the removal of lactic acid from the blood. Deep-fiber-spreading sports massage is also an effective practice to enhance medium- and long-term recovery.
    The guy who literally wrote the book on the subject is Jack Meagher. In his text Sports Massage, he explains how the use of a specific form of sports massage can provide up to a 20 percent increase in performance, in addition to reducing the risk of injury and accelerating recovery.
HOW IT WORKS
     
    Traditional massage has long been used to increase