Fueling Your Send: Why Climbing Performance Starts in the Kitchen
Our guest author, Caitlin Holmes, is a Certified Nutrition Specialist who works with climbers right here in Santa Fe, NM and across the country. She knows her shit and is a bomber resource for Rock Rehab.
Picture this: You're projecting that route you've been working on for weeks. Your technique is dialed, your mental game is strong, but halfway up the wall, your forearms are screaming and your body feels like it's running on empty. Sound familiar?
If you're like most climbers, you probably think the solution is more training time. Hit the hangboard harder. Add another session to your weekly routine. Push through the fatigue. But what if I told you that your plateau isn't about training volume—it's about what's happening in your kitchen?
The Hidden Performance Killer
Here's the truth that most climbers don't realize: inadequate fueling is sabotaging your sends before you even touch the rock. We obsess over beta, drill movement patterns, and analyze every hold, yet we completely ignore the fuel that powers it all.
This isn't your fault. The climbing community talks endlessly about training protocols and technique refinement, but nutrition often gets reduced to post-gym protein shakes or the occasional energy bar. Meanwhile, chronic under-fueling may be quietly undermining everything you're working toward on the wall.
What Under-Fueling Really Looks Like for Climbers
Under-fueling isn't just about feeling hungry. It shows up in ways that might surprise you, affecting both your climbing performance and your body's ability to bounce back from the demands of our sport.
On the wall, you might notice:
Your pump threshold dropping unexpectedly
Difficulty maintaining focus on technical sequences
That familiar afternoon energy crash hitting right before your evening session
Feeling like you're climbing at your limit when you should have more in the tank
Off the wall, the effects run deeper:
Poor sleep quality that leaves you dragging the next day
Increased irritability (ask your climbing partners—they'll tell you)
Sugar cravings that hit like a freight train
That general sense that your body isn't recovering the way it used to
The Injury Recovery Connection
Here's something crucial that gets overlooked: inadequate fueling doesn't just hurt your performance—it actively sabotages your recovery from climbing injuries. When you're not eating enough to support your activity level, your body enters a conservation mode that prioritizes basic survival functions over healing damaged tissue.
This means that nagging finger injury takes longer to heal. That shoulder impingement lingers for months instead of weeks. Your body simply doesn't have the raw materials—calories, protein, micronutrients—needed to rebuild stronger tissue. Even worse, chronic under-fueling can actually increase your injury risk by compromising tendon health and muscular endurance.
If you've ever wondered why that pulley sprain seemed to drag on forever, or why you keep getting the same overuse injuries season after season, your fueling strategy might be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Training Hard vs. Climbing Smart
Every climber knows the feeling of wanting to push harder when progress stalls. The instinct is always to add more volume, more intensity, more everything. But there's a critical difference between productive training stress and just beating yourself up.
Smart climbing means recognizing when your body is asking for fuel, not more punishment. It means understanding that consistency over time trumps any single heroic effort. One of my climbing mentors put it perfectly: instead of forcing yourself to climb three days a week every single week, aim for twelve quality sessions per month. This flexibility removes the pressure while maintaining the consistency that actually drives adaptation.
But none of this matters if you're not giving your body the energy it needs to adapt to that training stimulus.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
Your body is constantly communicating with you—you just need to know what to listen for. These signs often indicate that your fueling isn't matching your climbing demands:
Physical indicators:
Workouts that used to feel manageable now feel exhausting
Your usual recovery time between burns is getting longer
Strength gains have plateaued despite consistent training
You're getting injured more frequently or taking longer to heal
Mental and emotional signs:
Mood swings that seem to correlate with training days
Difficulty concentrating on complex movement sequences
Sleep disturbances, especially trouble falling asleep after evening sessions
Intense cravings for simple carbs or sugary foods
Fueling Strategies That Actually Work for Climbers
The good news? You don't need to become a nutrition scientist to fuel your climbing properly. Here are practical strategies that fit into a climber's lifestyle:
Think total energy, not just protein. Yes, protein matters for muscle repair and finger strength, but your body runs on total calories. This means carbs and fats aren't the enemy—they're essential fuel sources that keep you moving efficiently on the wall.
Time your fuel strategically. Eat carbs 30-60 minutes before climbing to top off your energy stores. For long outdoor days or multi-pitch routes, bring real food to maintain energy levels. After climbing, prioritize getting both carbs and protein within a couple of hours to kickstart recovery.
Hydration goes beyond water. Aim for roughly half your body weight in ounces of water daily, but don't forget about electrolytes, especially during hot weather or long sessions. Your cells need both fluid and minerals to function optimally.
Trust your body's signals. Climbing can suppress appetite, which makes it easy to under-eat without realizing it. Pay attention to your overall energy levels and adjust your intake based on your training load, not just your immediate hunger cues.
The Bottom Line
You can't out-train poor fueling any more than you can out-climb poor technique. Your body needs adequate energy to adapt to training, recover from sessions, and heal from the inevitable bumps and strains that come with pushing your limits on rock.
Every route you've ever sent started with the fuel you gave your body hours or days before you touched the first hold. Make that fuel count, and watch how it transforms not just your climbing, but your entire relationship with training and recovery.
Your next breakthrough isn't hiding in another training protocol—it's sitting in your kitchen, waiting for you to take nutrition as seriously as you take your climbing.
About the author: Caitlin Holmes is a nutritionist in Santa Fe, NM who is passionate about helping active people fuel their performance without the stress. Her approach prioritizes how you feel in your body over rigid rules, drawing from her own experience overcoming nutrition confusion and food anxiety.
Caitlin specializes in working with recreational athletes, particularly perfectionists who find themselves trapped in cycles of food stress and performance anxiety. She helps climbers break free from overanalyzing meals or believing they must eat "perfectly" to perform well.
Her science-backed yet flexible approach makes nutrition simple, sustainable, and stress-free. Through courses and coaching, Caitlin empowers people to fuel their bodies with confidence.
She’s taking new clients, sooooooo….. what are you waiting for? Get on it!
