The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 195 :: How to Assess and Improve Your Climbing Skills with Coach Alex Stiger

How to Assess and Improve Your Skill Set in Climbing In the episode, I talk with Coach Alex Stiger about how she assesses her clients’ and her own skill level and then how she helps her clients (and herself) improve upon it with drills and objective learning. This is a big one, and I walked away from this conversation sort of blown away by how much I’ve been missing in my climbing training all these years. There’s SO MUCH more I could’ve been doing this whole time to make improvements where hangboarding or other strength training just can’t help. We go over in depth how Alex first analyzes her clients’ technique, skills, overall usage of their bodies, and tactics. She describes how she quantifies everything to make it less nebulous and more objective, and then creates drills to see objective improvements going forward. We then talk about 7 experiences Alex has had while climbing outside that have led her to change her tactics, improve her skills, and be able to practice all of it further in the gym and outdoors. I really hope you listen to this because whether you’re a 5.8 or a 5.14 climber, you will likely learn something and maybe even be inspired like I am to start incorporating this stuff into your own routines.   Episode Details How training actually held her back from climbing well in the beginning Her repeating climbs until they feel “good” has helped her How Alex assesses skills and technique in clients Key things to focus on with your feet, hips, arms, and hands Why practicing basics is so important How much of your climbing should be spent trying hard vs. gaining mastery How climbing in Font drastically improved her footwork and overall climbing ability How resting less can help you send hard routes How she gets herself to climb faster while still having good technique How being injured has actually expanded her skill set How to cultivate using momentum instead of raw strength/power   Show Links Do Alex’s Workshop on Skill Building Work with Alex as your coach Work on your nutrition with Neely Have questions? Email alex@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.            

TBP 194 :: Goal Setting in Climbing with Matt Pincus and Alex Stiger

Matt Pincus and Alex Stiger are both experienced climbing coaches who will work with you from anywhere in the world to help you create and reach your climbing goals. They can either consult with you on making your own program or they will create a detailed program for you based on your lifestyle and equipment availability. WORK WITH MATT OR ALEX   Goal Setting in Climbing In the episode, I sit down with Coaches Matt Pincus and Alex Stiger to discuss how we approach goal setting for ourselves and for our clients. Goal setting can be overwhelming and it’s easy to get lost in the details while overlooking the big picture (and vice versa). We go over our personal goal setting strategies, how fear of failing can affect people in their goal-setting, things to consider when you’re setting goals for a climbing trip, and how to stay grounded in our OWN goals without comparing ourselves too much with the person who’s warming up on our project.   Episode Details What we’ve all been focusing on in our lives lately How we all approach goal setting for ourselves How fear of failing can affect goal setting, and what to do about it Removing the pressure of time from goals The question Alex always asks her clients after they tell her their goal Whether or not you have to have a goal Whether or not you need to have a solid pyramid before progressing to the next grade Trip goal-setting examples Alex’s tips to stay grounded when she starts comparing herself to others Having goals for each session, and the importance of fall-back goals   Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt Work with Matt as your coach Work with Alex as your coach Work with Neely as your nutritionist Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com, alex@trainingbeta.com, or neely@trainingbeta.com       Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.  

TBP 193 :: How Bobbi Bensman Is Still Climbing 5.13 at 58

Where to start about Bobbi Bensman?? Bobbi has been climbing since 1980 and was basically the Alex Puccio of her time. She was a professional climber for 21 years until she transitioned to a full-time job as a sales rep for outdoor companies and became a mother to two daughters. In her time as a pro climber, she helped forge the way for strong female climbing by doing one of the first 5.14a female ascents, which was quickly downgraded after her send. We talk about how controversial that – and other – downgrades of hers were and how she dealt with that at the time. We talk about how her climbing and training have changed – if at all – as she’s gotten older, and how becoming a parent changed her climbing and lifestyle. Bobbi has an unquenchable thirst for climbing and has never stopped being motivated by her goals. She does whatever it takes to follow her passions and she’ll tell you all about that in the interview. I’ve gotten a lot of requests recently for interviews with older climbers, so I hope this is helpful to hear how Bobbi is still sending basically just as hard now as she did 30 years ago.   Bobbi Bensman Interview Details Most notable ascents Sexism in climbing Climbing 5.14 and having it immediately downgraded Why she resisted doing this interview How she improved at climbing with no indoor gyms in the beginning 216 5.13’s in her life so far How her training has evolved over the years How motherhood changed her lifestyle How full-time job changed her life and climbing How she can tell that age is a factor now Her goals for this year (and every year)   Show Links Instagram @bobbibensman Work on your nutrition with me   Photo Photo of Bobbi on Helicopter V6 by  @dog_man_van   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.    

TBP 192 :: How My 68-Yr-Old Mother-In-Law Still Climbs 5.12

Elyn Lytton is a 68-year-old climber from Colorado who started climbing in her early 50’s and is still regularly crushing 5.12’s (indoors and on toprope). She is also my mother-in-law and I’m constantly impressed by her. She’s a really good example of a person who does things in the name of sustainability, meaning, she LOVES climbing and will do whatever it takes to be able to do it for many more years. In this conversation, we discuss her approach to climbing and what she does to make it work for her body (with the aches and pains that come with age). We also talk about how she started lifting heavy weights in the past couple years in order to improve her bone density, and how that’s working out for her. Elyn has had setbacks with chronic migraines and arthritis/hand pain in the past, and we talk about how she’s tackled those things successfully through diet so that she can climb several days a week pretty much as hard as she wants now. Something that’s always struck me about Elyn is her ability to bend “norms” and just do what’s right for her. For example, she only top ropes and she never climbs outside. She doesn’t have any desire to do either of those things, but she loves climbing and gets a great workout all the same, and she encourages her climbing partners to take care of themselves in the way that she does, too. We talk about how people put pressure on each other (and themselves) to do more, more, more with climbing, but how sometimes that’s not best for everyone for physical and mental reasons. I’ve gotten a lot of requests recently for interviews with older climbers, so I hope this is helpful to hear how Elyn makes climbing work for herself. But even if you are still a very young climber, there’s something to be learned from her wisdom.       Elyn Lytton Interview Details Why she started climbing in her fifties How she fit climbing into her schedule with a demanding job before she retired How she deals with osteoarthritis in her fingers How she cured chronic migraines How her diet helps her climb hard and recover well How lifting heavy weights helped her osteoporosis and her climbing How climbing has changed her life for the better         Show Links Instagram @elynlytton and @belayoptics Use our Bouldering Training Program         Photo Family selfie! From left to right: Neely Quinn, Seth Lytton, Elyn Lytton on top of a lighthouse in Florida       Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.    

TBP 191 :: Matt Pincus on Navigating Training Options if You’re in a Plateau

TBP 191 :: Matt Pincus on How to Navigate Training Options if You’re in a Plateau   25% Off Bouldering Program  Our Bouldering Training Program is on sale for 25% off the normal price (regularly $27/month and now $20/month) with coupon code “bouldering.” The program consists of 3 levels, depending on your training experience, and it will help you get stronger, more powerful, and have more all-day capacity. If you sign up for the program by February 2nd, you’ll be automatically entered to win a free hour-long consultation with Coach Matt. Sale Ends Friday, February 4th, 2022. USE CODE “BOULDERING” FOR 25% OFF PROGRAM     How to Navigate Climbing Training Options if You’re in a Plateau In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I talk about navigating the overwhelming number of training options that are available to us now. Matt’s noticed that a lot of his clients come to him confused about what is the best way to train, given there are SO MANY ways to train, programs to follow, and trainers to choose from. We try to help guide you in your decisions about the who, what, and where, and to empower you to do what’s right for you at this time in your life.   Episode Details Why there’s no universal “best” training program What to do if you’re overwhelmed by choice 2 questions to ask yourself when you’re designing a training program Why there’s no substitute for climbing outside How to pick a program or a trainer The elements of a simple but effective training program How to approach WHEN to train   Show Links Get 25% off Bouldering Training Program with code “bouldering” until Feb 4th Do an hour coaching session with Matt Work with Matt as your coach Work with Neely as your nutritionist Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.  

TBP 190 :: Meal Timing for Climbing Performance and Recovery

In this episode, I talk all about how to time your meals and snacks to help your climbing performance, energy levels every day, overall mental well-being, and body composition. You might think that when you eat food isn’t really that important – or maybe you haven’t given it much thought. But the truth is that it can be almost as important as what you eat when it comes to performance, recovery, and overall well-being.  I’ll go over some sample meal/snack time schedules and tell you about the mistakes I see many people making with it. I’ll also go over the truth about recovery meals/snacks. Is it super important to eat right after working out? And if so, what should you eat? This is a recording taken from a 5-day nutrition challenge I did last year in front of a live zoom audience. I talked for about 15 minutes on the topic and then took a bunch of questions from the audience (very common questions, so they’re quite relevant). A Little about Me After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, I did a 4-year nutrition certificate program at Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment, and Healing. I graduated in 2007 as a Certified Integrative Clinical Nutrition Therapist. During those 4 years, I learned about not only nutrition, but herbs, homeopathy, and other alternative practices. I’ve been seeing clients since 2007 and I’ve worked exclusively with climbers since 2013. Nutrition Coaching with Me If you’re looking for help with your own nutrition and you feel like you need personalized coaching, I’m taking new clients right now. I also have a program that is self-paced with 4+ hours of video from me, PDF’s, and meal plans laid out for you. LEARN MORE ABOUT NUTRITION COACHING Show Links Work with me one-on-one or do my self-paced program   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.

TBP 189 :: Lucie Hanes- Running and Climbing and Eating Disorder Recovery

TBP 189 :: Lucie Hanes- Running and Climbing and Eating Disorder Recovery Lucie Hanes is a 27-year-old climbing coach out of Eagle, Colorado, who is pursuing her Master’s of Science in Applied Sports Psychology. I met Lucie in the Wicked Cave in Rifle last summer, and the next time I heard from her was when she reached out via email in response to the episode I did with Matt Pincus about running and climbing. In that episode, Matt and I basically conclude that running isn’t going to help your climbing, and that it may in fact hinder it. And that there are other more effective ways to train endurance for climbing. Lucie emailed me to say that she was not only a high performing climber (having sent numerous 5.13’s), but also a high performing ultra runner. She wanted to tell the story of how it’s possible to do both sports well as a counter to my episode with Matt. Lucie is incredibly passionate about both of her sports, and my conversation with her ended up being even more enlightening than I thought it would be because it turns out she’s also in recovery from an eating disorder. And she’s very open about it, so a lot of our conversation ended up being about body image, disordered eating behaviors, her health consequences of underfueling, and how she’s recovering from all of it. While she does provide details about her training for both running and climbing – and how she does both at the same time – I want to stress that this is not necessarily something that all humans can imitate without negative consequences. Lucie will admit herself that she may be an outlier, and she also concludes at the end of our talk that running may be inhibiting her climbing abilities and vice versa. So this is NOT an episode wherein we are wholeheartedly advocating for people to train for running and climbing at the same time, and do it with the gusto that Lucie has. I honestly considered not publishing this episode because I knew it would be triggering for some people. But after a lot of thought, I decided that this episode could be very helpful for people who struggle with disordered eating and over-exercising behaviors. Lucie is finding that she is healthier and happier now that she’s eating properly to fuel all of the exercise she does, and that is the lesson I want everyone to hear. I want to thank Lucie for her willingness to talk about difficult things; Her vulnerability is invaluable to us all. I very much enjoyed this talk with her, and I felt super connected to her during it. I wish she lived closer to me so we could hang out, honestly. If you’d like to work with Lucie, you can find her at www.insideoutathlete.com, where she consults with athletes on mental strength coaching in sport & performance. Lucie Hanes Interview Details Why running is her form of moving meditation Her running and climbing achievements Her studies and aspirations as a sport psychologist Why she feels the need to be doing something physical all the time How the low points of her eating disorder and RED-S felt Tools she uses to deal with body image as her body changes How she trained for both sports during her eating disorder vs how she trains for them now What she thinks about running for climbers in general and how she thinks it affects her own climbing   Show Links Instagram @luciehanes Lucie’s coaching website: InsideOutAthlete.com Train with Coach Alex Stiger in her Team Program  starting next Tuesday, January 18th   Photo Credit Photo of Lucie climbing by Charlie Postlewaite   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.

TBP 188 :: Rest - How Much Is Too Much and Navigating the Holidays

About Matt Pincus Matt is a boulderer and a sport climber based out of Wyoming. He splits his time between training at home in Jackson and traveling to pursue his climbing goals around the world. Matt is also a coach at TrainingBeta and he’s been seeing clients from around the world since 2017. He’s currently taking new clients, so if you’d like to work with him, you can sign up here. Matt just started offering 1-hour remote coaching sessions so you can get your training questions answered and have guidance on how to build out a training program for yourself. Consider this offering as a gift for the climbers in your life, or for yourself if you’re not ready to commit to a coach full-time. >>>Get an Hour of Coaching with Matt       Rest – How Much Is Too Much and How to Navigate the Holidays In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I talk about rest. We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our clients who are scared to take off any time from climbing over the holidays for fear that they’ll lose all of the gains they’ve worked so hard for. Matt describes 3 client scenarios with different circumstances and the guidance he gave about rest: A person who just came off a performance cycle and is a little tweaky and is going home to visit family for a week. A person who has a climbing trip coming up 2 weeks after a trip home to visit family for a week. A person who doesn’t have a climbing trip coming up and is going home to visit family for 10 days. We give our own anecdotal stories about whether or not resting has hurt or helped us in the past, and we talk about professional climbers’ use of long and short rest periods. We also discuss what the research says about how long it takes to actually lose strength and endurance during taper and off-season periods in other sports. Enjoy!   Episode Details My story about sending after 5 days completely off How Matt is guiding his clients during the holidays Expectations for when you come back from a full rest period What to do if you really want to keep training while you’re on vacation and only have minimal equipment What the research says about how much rest it takes to see declines in performance   Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt Bouldering Program (Levels 1-3) to help you work your way up the grades Work with Matt as your coach Work with Neely as your nutritionist Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com Research Mentioned https://greatist.com/fitness/how-long-lose-your-fitness#nonathletes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17762369/ https://www.pnas.org/content/107/34/15111     Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.   Photo Credit Photo of Adam Peters on Make It A Double by Matt Pincus @mpincus87    

TBP 187 :: Matt Samet on Training and Climbing Hard at 50 and Route Development

  Matt Samet is the editor of Climbing Magazine, the author of several books, a prolific route developer, and a very strong and dedicated climber. He’s also a friend of mine and someone I respect a lot, so I’ve been wanting to interview him for a while. He’s a father of 3, works full-time, and just sent a 5.14 project a couple days before his 50th birthday, which is the same max grade he was sending 20 years ago. It’s always inspiring to me to see people just make it work in climbing, even if they have a million things going on in their lives and are at an age many climbers believe to be limiting. Another notable thing about Samet is that he battled an addiction to benzodiazapenes and other psychiatric drugs for over a decade, and he still deals with neurological consequences of that. He’s had to alter the way he trains and his expectations of himself, and yet he still gets out climbing and trains more often than most of us ever will. In this interview we talk about his dedication to route development, how his training has changed over the years, his stint with anorexia and how he’s overcome it, among many other things. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.   Matt Samet Interview Details Why he loves route development so much How route development can be a thankless job (and why he doesn’t care) Gender bias in route development How he’s doing now since being off all drugs since 2006 Long-term nervous system effects from psychiatric drugs How he makes time for climbing while being a dad and working full-time How his wife deals with him wanting to climb all the time How having kids changes your relationship How age plays a role in his climbing at 50 His decades-long bout with anorexia How he’s changed his eating and how that affected his climbing What he hopes to achieve going forward (he’s not slowing down)     Show Links Instagram @phorrizzler6514 His book about Benzos: Death Grip: A Climber’s Escape from Benzo Madness The Crag Survival Handbook: The Unspoken Rules of Climbing  The Climbing Dictionary: Mountaineering Slang, Terms, Neologisms & Lingo: An Illustrated Reference His article in Outside Magazine about benzo addiction: “Beauty in the Breakdown”     Photo Credit Photo of Matt on Nephson (5.13+) at Hillbilly Rock in the Flatirons by Ryan Pecknold   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.    

TBP 186 :: Dr. Tyler Nelson’s New Injury Prevention and Warm-Up Protocol

Dr. Tyler Nelson’s New Injury Prevention and Warm-Up Protocol In the episode, Tyler explains how we should be warming up our youth teams (and ourselves) in order to make climbing sessions more effective, and more importantly, for injury prevention. Once again, Tyler pored over the research and came up with a very progressive way of doing things – much differently than what we’re used to. Gone are the days of just warming up for climbing by doing some easy climbing: there’s actually a better way. Tyler Nelson has a lot of qualifications, so I’m going to let his website sum those up for you: Tyler is a second generation chiropractor whose father was a leader in chiropractic sports medicine for many years. In graduate school he did a dual doctorate and masters degree program in exercise science with an emphasis on tendon loading. He completed his masters degree at BYU and was a physician for the athletics department for 4 years out of school. He currently is the owner of Camp4 Human Performance where he treats clients through his license as a chiropractic physician. He also is an instructor for the Performance Climbing Coach seminar series and a certified instructor for gobstrong. When he’s not working he’s climbing or hiking outside with his family.   You can find Tyler in Salt Lake City at his clinic, Camp 4 Human Performance, where he tests athletes, creates training programs, and treats all kinds of athletes for injuries. Tyler’s ability to question what we take for granted and provide relevant research is unparalleled, and I was psyched to hear about this new way of doing things. He is well-spoken and a wealth of knowledge about how the human body responds to climbing and training. Other Episodes with Tyler TBP 168: New Insights on Finger Training TBP 162: Dr. Tyler Nelson on Endurance Training for Fingers TBP 155: Dr. Tyler Nelson on High Volume Power Training TBP 149: The Different Roles of Stretching for Climbing TBP 133: The Simplest Finger Training Protocol with Dr. Tyler Nelson TBP 084: Injury Rehab and Blood Flow Restriction Training TBP 098: Isometric Movements to Prime and Test Your Body TBP 108: Bood Flow Restriction for Injury Healing and Performance TBP 118: Latest Technology for Finger Training and Performance Testing TBP 128: Surprising Methods for Healing Tendon Injuries   Tyler Nelson Interview Details Why just climbing easy stuff isn’t the most effective way to warm up How to warm up instead using a series of exercises to prep your whole body to try hard How this way of warming up is good for injury prevention for climbers The youth teams he’s tested this on have all had great results How to incorporate it into team practice or your own climbing   Tyler Nelson Links Personal website: camp4humanperformance.com Take an online class with Tyler: camp4humanperformance.com/store Do a consultation with Tyler Instagram: @c4hp Facebook: @camp4chiropractic Learn More from Tyler: If you want to work with Dr. Tyler Nelson on an individual basis for injuries or strength training, he offers remote consultations to people all over the world. He also teaches online classes on strength training and injuries. Learn more.   Training Programs for You Do you want a well-laid-out, easy-to-follow training program that will get you stronger quickly? Here’s what we have to offer on TrainingBeta. Something for everyone… At-Home Training Program: trainingbeta.com/covid Personal Training Online:  www.trainingbeta.com/coaching For Boulderers: Bouldering Training Program for boulderers of all abilities For Route Climbers: Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities Finger Strength : www.trainingbeta.com/fingers All of our training programs: Training Programs Page   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.