The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 274: Dr. Stacy Sims on Climbing Training and Nutrition for Aging Women

Stacy Sims, MSC, PHD, is a well-known exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who has done groundbreaking research and education for women in athletics. Dr. Sims has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and several books and is a regularly featured speaker at professional and academic conferences, including those by USOC and USA Cycling.
Stacy currently holds a Senior Research Associate position with SPRINZ- AUT University, supervises PhD students, writes academic papers, and is on the advisory board of some cutting-edge companies, including Tonal Strength Institute, WILD.AI, and EXOS. She also has her own business (www.drstacysims.com), creating and delivering online learning material focused on women training with their physiology across the lifespan.
I highly recommend her book Roar, which first introduced me to the differences in women's vs men's needs in sports performance. It was mind-blowing, honestly, and so validating to learn that a lot of what we've been taught about exercise science doesn't really apply to women. After all, the research was mostly done on men, and that is what Dr. Sims is trying to change. 
I was honored to sit down with Stacy to talk about some really important topics for perimenopausal and menopausal women, and all females in general. She really knows her stuff and speaks quite scientifically, so I asked her a lot of clarifying questions so we can all make use of the information she provided. I hope you enjoy this one! 
What we talked about:
The real journey she had with menopause herself
Why running stopped working for her body and what she did instead
An optimal training schedule for peri- or menopausal females
Cortisol differences as we age and what it does to our bodies
How estrogen plays into aging and athleticism
Which exercises are best for energy levels and body composition for menopause
The all importance of sleep for aging women
Carbs and menopause
Caffeine for menopause
Intermittent fasting?
Which supplements are worth it

TBP 273: Route Projecting Tactics for an Efficient Sending Season

Coach Matt Pincus discusses some very detailed rock climbing projecting tactics to make your process more efficient. He goes over why you'd use a top-down vs ground-up approach, why you might want to use both of them, and when each is appropriate. This is for you if you want to hear from a 5.14/V12 climber about how he gets projects done and how he advises his clients to get theirs done. You can sign up to work with Matt as your coach at www.trainingbeta.com/matt.  

TBP 272: Charlie Schreiber Coaches Me on My Climbing and Training

Charlie Schreiber is a climbing coach at ParadigmClimbing.com who was recently on the show. After that episode was done recording, we decided we should do a coaching session with him as my coach! 
So we recorded it right then and there, which was a couple months ago. In the session, he asked me a lot of clarifying questions to figure out how to create a training program for me, which he did the day after this conversation (links below to see that program).  
What we talked about:
My goals with climbing
My experience with training - what has worked and not worked
My weaknesses and strengths
What I WANT to be climbing
How to get me to 5.13c again
What holds me back in my climbing
How my age (46) plays into my goals
How my height has informed my climbing
My Training Program from Charlie
Charlie created a detailed training program for me with some educational content included in it. He sent them in google docs that are freely available:
Neely Quinn's Spring/Summer Training Program #1
Neely Quinn's Supplemental Training Program #1
 

TBP 271: How to Get Out of a Motivational Slump - Coach Alex Stiger

Coach Alex Stiger describes a 3-month slump she was in, how she methodically got out of that slump, and how she coaches her clients to get re-motivated when they've lost their psych for climbing. 

TBP 270: Sport Psychology Coach on How to Foster a Growth Mindset in Youth and Adult Climbers

Zoe Sayetta is a youth and adult climbing coach in New York and she has her masters in sport psychology. She loves working with youth, especially on their mindset, and she has a private practice as a sport psychology coach for youth and adults. I asked her to be on the show so we could talk about the most common things she sees in her team and her clients and how she helps them all have a healthier, more productive mindset in climbing.
Here’s what we talked about:
How to foster growth mindset vs fixed mindset
How to deal with emotional regulation in teens
How to teach kids (or anyone) to try hard
Productive vs unhealthy self-talk
How to coach someone to want success but not identify with it
Social comparison
Imposter syndrome
Using visualization for physical and emotional practice
Lots more

TBP 269: Ravioli Biceps on Moonboard Training and Mindset

Ravioli Biceps is one of the best Moonboard climbers in the world, so I was pretty excited to have him on the show. In 2021 he did all 280 (and counting) benchmarks on the 2016 Moonboard set, climbing up to V13. In total, he has sent 3500 problems on the 2016 board. Just take that in for a sec…
His Instagram feed is a beta encyclopedia–for Moonboard enthusiasts and fans alike–of his latest Moonboard ascents. He’s one of the people who are consulted when making the decision about whether a boulder should become a “benchmark” and he’s also a prolific setter himself.
And he does all of this while working long hours every week. So I wanted to talk to him about how he approaches the Moonboard, how he trains for it, his mindset around it, and whether the board is the goal or if he’s training for something outside (or both).
I received a lot of questions from our audience for Ravioli, and we had a fun time going through all of those at the end of this interview!
Here’s what we talked about:
Why he loves board climbing so much
The problem with the 2019 set
The feeling he gets from thousands of people doing his boulders
Hardest boulders he’s done on the Moonboard
How his board climbing translates to outdoor climbing
Thoughts on each of the boards
How often he climbs
How he trains
How he works climbing into his grueling work schedule
His positive mindset and how he maintains it
The book club he belongs to
Why he’s called Ravioli Biceps
His thoughts on height advantages on boards
Who should NOT be climbing on boards
Find bonus content with Ravioli about his diet, traveling to Moonboard, and his message to climbers everywhere on the TrainingBeta Podcast Patreon page. 

Mindset Mini: Why I Don't Toss Wobblers Anymore and How You Can Stop, Too

If you are a person who is maybe a little too intimately familiar with the term "wobbler," then this one is for you... 😉 This is the audio version of an article I wrote where I compare two similar climbs I did--a 5.13b in 2019 that I fully wobbled on, and a 5.13b I sent a few weeks ago that I fully enjoyed climbing on until then end.
I describe how I've evolved (slowly but surely) from wobbling through constant self-flagellation and shame... to enjoying pretty constant self-acknowledgment and fun in my climbing with the hope that you can get there, too.

TBP 268: From Overtraining to Discipline & Efficiency – Coach Charlie Schreiber

Charlie Schreiber is a climbing coach who runs Paradigm Climbing and works with all levels of athletes–including elite, competitive ones–from all over the world. He’s also a very strong boulderer, having sent up to V13 and continuously training to improve his own climbing.
In this interview, we talked about a range of topics, including how he used to overtrain and how his climbing and physical well-being improved when he learned to be more efficient with his training. This concept permeates the rest of our talk, as it guides him as a coach to do the best job possible.
Here’s what we talked about:
His experience as a youth coach
Overtraining vs. Disciplined Athlete
Training for an overhung crimpy boulder
Linear periodization vs logical progression
Case study of sport climbing’s 3-month training plan
How to know when you’re fully recovered
Why he has a coach himself
How he uses video analysis
How to have process goals vs outcome goals in training and climbing
How to access flow state
Making the tedious into the enjoyable and habit stacking

TBP 267: Why Your Gym Training Isn't Translating to Outdoor Climbing - Coach Karly Rager

Karly Rager is a climber and a climbing coach with her business Project Direct Coaching. Her approach to coaching climbers is a little different than what I've seen anywhere else, which really caught my attention when I discovered her on Instagram.
While she does the normal strength training and tactics education with her clients, she also focuses a lot on mindset. In fact, she has an entire mindset coaching option to help climbers with their "head game," including fear of falling and nervous system regulation while climbing. 
I asked her to be on the show to talk about ways she helps her clients manage fear, but also to discuss the reasons why our training in the gym doesn't often prepare us for climbing outside. Sometimes it's surprising when we go outside to find that we don't climb the same grades, things feel harder, and it's just weirder out there.
So she breaks down the reasons that's happening, and what you can do to make your outdoor climbing better, both physically and mentally. 
We also talk about Karly's own progression in climbing, what she loves about it so much, and what it was like to quit her full time engineering job to start a climbing coaching company. 
Here's what we talked about:
How she trained for her first 5.13c this year
Outdoor vs Indoor climbing tactics and training
Cognitive strategies to manage fear
Movement patterns and strengths required for harder climbs
Shoulder engagement on harder climbs
Fewer points of contact on the wall
How to practice and train all of these things

TBP 266: Negative Body Image Mindset Coaching Session with a Climber

Robynne Murray is a climber who graciously offered to do a mindset coaching session with me on the podcast about her negative body image. Robynne feels like her body doesn’t fit in with the “typical” climber body type, so she often feels self conscious and ashamed. It affects her mood, her confidence, and her sense of belonging.
In this session, her goal was to have some tools to use to start talking to herself differently about her body so she can stop feeling so ashamed and anxious about it. I coached her about her thoughts and emotions about the situation, and we did a lot of reframing, validating, and reassuring that she is indeed good enough just the way she is.
We talked about why she feels this way (what happened as a child that triggered such intense feelings of shame), how she can speak to herself differently going forward, and ways she can communicate with her close community more productively about it so she’s not constantly seeking external validation. We also talked about society’s role in her feeling this way, and the choice she has in caring about what people may or may not think of her.
This was one of my most favorite coaching sessions to date, honestly. If you struggle with low body image (I think I know one person who doesn’t), please listen to this. I’m confident you’ll hear something in this conversation that applies to you and you’ll be able to use some of the same insights and tools for yourself.
Work with Me on Your Body Image
If you want to work on this with me one-on-one, I’m accepting new mindset clients right now and I would be honored to help you feel more empowered and positive about your body. Or at the very least, must  more neutral about your body.
Work with Me on Body Image