The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 071 :: Physical Therapist Esther Smith on Elbow Pain

About Esther Smith Esther Smith is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and the owner of Grassroots Physical Therapy in Salt Lake City. She is a 5.13- climber who’s reaped the benefits of her own physical therapy practices, having healed a shoulder injury through exercises, stretches, and alternative therapies. She works almost exclusively with rock climbers, which is rare for a physical therapist. For a complete bio and list of certifications and qualifications, please visit www.grassrootsphysicaltherapy.com. This is my second of three interviews with Esther, the first one covering shoulder injuries. This interview is all about elbows. During the interview, you’ll hear Esther talking about the videos she created to help you understand what she’s trying to explain. You’ll find those videos below, as well as the video tutorials she has for sale on her new website, www.selftreatment.com, which very well may make your elbow pain go away without the help of any practitioner.     Esther Smith Interview Details  In this interview, Esther talks about how to know what elbow ailment you’re suffering from, how to treat it, and how to prevent it from happening again. What We Talked About 3 most common reasons for elbow pain Poor climbing form that leads to elbow pain 4 most crucial exercises for elbow treatment Golfer’s and Tennis elbow treatment When to rest and when to climb through it       Videos for Elbow, Shoulder, and Finger Care 4 Essential Exercises  In this video, Esther Smith shows Brittany Griffith how to do the 4 essential exercises for climbers.   Rice Bucket Exercises  In this video, Esther Smith shows Brittany Griffith how to use the rice bucket properly for elbow, wrist, and finger injuries.   How to Hang Right  In this video, Esther Smith explains how to hang right on a hangboard, expanding on her article for BD on that topic.  Video Tutorials for Elbow Injuries Esther created two videos to help you treat Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow (common climber ailments described in the interview) that are each an hour long. You have to pay for these videos, but it’s well worth the investment if you struggle with elbow pain.     Esther Smith Links My first interview with Esther about shoulders Esther’s website: www.grassrootsphysicaltherapy.com Esther’s new website with resources for injuries: www.selftreatment.com Esther’s article on how to Hang Just Right Free videos about treating elbow pain

TBP 070 :: Josh Dreher on Losing Weight and Home Gym Training

About Josh Dreher Josh Dreher is, among many other things, the husband of Teal Dreher, who was my first "normal person" interview on the podcast. I wanted to do another "normal person" interview, and I thought that Josh would be the perfect follow-up to Teal. I keep putting "normal person" in quotations because Josh is actually quite strong: a V12 climber. So he's not exactly normal. However, he's had much of his success in the past year and a half after losing about 40 pounds and training diligently in his home gym. I found out in the interview that he actually attributes at least 60% of his newfound success to losing weight.  He's been climbing for about 15 years, and he'd done 6 V10's or harder in that time. After the serious training and the weight loss, he's done 36 V10's or harder, and 2 of those were V12's, which he'd never climbed before.  Pretty impressive. He also has a full-time job and really only trains in his garage, so I thought we could all learn a thing or two from him.    Josh Dreher Interview Details Scheduling training with full-time job How he lost 40 pounds Why he stopped running  Moon board training Home gym setup The workout he did right before the interview How he's designed his training plan Dealing with sweaty hands

TBP 069 :: Jess Simmons on the Benefits of Yoga for Climbing

About Jess Simmons Jess Simmons is a Registered Yoga Teacher (200-RYT) and Personal Trainer (NASM CPT) on a quest to climb harder and healthier. She integrates the physical, mental, and spiritual practices of yoga with modern exercise science for a holistic approach to training for climbing. While we think of yoga as just this tool to help us be more flexible, Jess talks about why it's way more than that: it gives us the ability to calm ourselves down in an uncomfortable situations, it gives us more strength physically, and helps us have better balance, among other things.  Jess wrote an article called "The Unsung Benefits of Yoga for Climbing" for TrainingBeta that describes some of the yoga poses she suggests in this interview. It contains helpful photos and thorough instructions for how to do the sequences.  Jess Simmons Interview Details In this interview, Jess talks about how yoga does all of these things, and she tells you what she thinks are the 5 most important poses for climbers.  What We Talked About Daily yoga sequence for climbers What kinds of yoga to avoid How you can overtrain with yoga and climbing Using breath in yoga helps climbing Yoga for shoulders Jess Simmons Links Jess's website: www.yogaclimbfitness.wordpress.com Jess's article on TrainingBeta about yoga for climbers Work with Jess at 3ClickFitness as your personal trainer

TBP 068 :: Alex Stiger on How Coaching Kids Made Her Stronger

About Alex Stiger  Alex Stiger is a good friend of mine and one of the most interesting people I know. She's been a mentor to me in climbing, riding horses (she was my trainer for a while), and chess (she taught me how to do tournaments). She's not only a V9 and 5.13 climber - she's also the highest rated female chess player in Colorado, a badass breakdancer, and a bona fide horse whisperer.  She's a 27-year-old, 5'0" woman who discovered climbing 12 years ago. She's gone through her ups and downs with climbing, but has recently enjoyed consistent progress through training and nutrition.    Alex Stiger Interview Details During her time as the head coach of the kids' climbing team at the Spot Gym in Boulder, Colorado, she's seen a lot of improvements in her own climbing. I wanted to ask her about how she coaches her kids, and how she's gotten so strong in the past couple years.  What We Talked About How she trains her kids team How horsemanship and chess relate with coaching and climbing What makes a good kids' coach Should kids campus? How her climbing performance shot up Sending her first 5.13s How she lost weight and if it affected her climbing

TBP 067 :: Sports Psychologist Chris Heilman on Breathing and Staying Calm

About Dr. Chris Heilman Dr. Christina Heilman is a Sports Psychologist, as well as a personal trainer (CSCS and ATC) who earned her PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Utah. She is an avid skier, but loves a lot of sports, including all aspects of rock climbing.  She does work with athletes of all kinds, one-on-one and in group/team settings. She's also in the process of writing a textbook on sports psychology.  Chris is the same sports psychologist you heard Sam Elias talk about in my interview with him about his experience with the BD Bootcamp. He credited Dr. Heilman with a lot of his success after the bootcamp because she helped him become calmer and more focused on and off the wall.    Dr. Chris Heilman Interview Details I talked to Chris about how we can all become calmer and more focused as climbers (and in general), and about her experience living and working with the guys' BD Bootcamp in 2015.  What We Talked About How she works with people How she came back from a devastating gymnastics injury Breathing exercises you can start doing right now How you can make yourself calm down using just one word Why you should start your day with goal setting Being in "flow zone"

TBP 066 :: Physical Therapist Esther Smith Talks About Shoulders

About Esther Smith Esther Smith is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and the owner of Grassroots Physical Therapy in Salt Lake City. She is a 5.13- climber who's reaped the benefits of her own physical therapy practices, having healed a shoulder injury through exercises, stretches, and alternative therapies. She works almost exclusively with rock climbers, which is rare for a physical therapist. I wish I lived in Salt Lake City so I could go see her myself! For a complete bio and list of certifications and qualifications, please visit www.grassrootsphysicaltherapy.com. In this first of 3 interviews with Esther, we focused on shoulder injuries and how to heal them. Esther Smith Interview Details Esther recently acted as the physical therapist for the women's Black Diamond Bootcamp, where she helped Babsi Zangerl heal a shoulder injury WHILE she was training hard.   Babsi's shoulder issues and how she healed How Esther healed her own shoulder injury The most common shoulder injuries Proper fingerboard posture to avoid injuries What exercises to do to support shoulders How much pain is too much? Esther Smith Links Esther Smith's website: www.grassrootsphysicaltherapy.com Esther Smith's article on how to Hang Just Right  Esther working with Babsi in her BD Bootcamp Video  

TBP 065 :: Beth Rodden on Big Walls, Injuries, and Becoming A Mom

About Beth Rodden Beth Rodden is a climbing icon and absolutely a hero of mine. She broke barriers for women in sport climbing and big wall climbing, being the first American woman to climb 5.14b, the first woman to free 2 routes on El Cap, and one half of the 3rd team to free The Nose (with then husband Tommy Caldwell). She also put up what was, at the time, the hardest climb in Yosemite, Meltdown (5.14c). She did Meltdown in 2008, and soon after started dealing with some major injuries, including surgery for a torn labrum, finger pulley tears, and a broken ankle. Then, after her body started healing up, she became pregnant with her husband Randy Puro, and she had their son Theo in the Spring of 2014. Beth Rodden Interview Details Beth is starting to get back into training and climbing a little harder, and I was honored to sit down and talk with her about where she is now as a climber, how motherhood has changed her, and how she used to approach training and climbing. Her most memorable climbing achievements How she trained with Tommy Caldwell FA's, FFA's (free), and FFA's (female) Dealing with and learning from injuries Tough pregancy and post pregnancy How motherhood has changed her What her goals are now

TBP 064 :: Dan Mirsky on BD Bootcamp Success and Becoming A Trainer

About Dan Mirsky Dan Mirsky is an understated crusher. I’ve been watching him gracefully take down rock climbs all over the country for the last 10 years. In 2013, we witnessed his fitness (literally) in The Red when we were next door neighbors at Lago Linda’s. And then a few months later he was kind enough to show us around The Cathedral/Wailing Wall, giving Seth and me encyclopedic beta on the entire crag from the ground. He chucked a couple laps on Golden (14b) that day right after sending Route of All Evil (14a) in the Virgin River Gorge that morning. Mirsky is PSYCHED to climb and psyched to see others succeed. He’s a bright-eyed, happy, almost boyish guy with a sneaky sense of humor and a willingness to get a little crazy with friends. He knows everything about the places he climbs because he’s obsessed with all things climbing. He’s sent 30+ 5.14’s up to 5.14c, having taken down The Crew (14c), 50 Words for Pump (14b), Bad Girls Club (14c), Lungfish (14b), and lots of other hard stuff, including an FA of Solid Gold (14c), the direct line to Golden (read his “The Day I Sent Solid Gold” from EveningSends.com). Dan Mirsky Interview Details Last year, Dan did the Black Diamond Bootcamp with Joe Kinder and Sam Elias, and he experienced some serious gains on actual rock because of it. Because of that success and his newfound psych for training in a structured way, he took a job as a trainer in Salt Lake City at The Training Room at The Front. In this second interview with Dan Mirsky we talk about his BD Bootcamp success and the novel concept that is The Training Room. How the BD Bootcamp changed him Sending spree followed by plateau Started training other people The Training Room - what is it? Cardio habits now? Diet is super important to him Current projects and city life

TBP 063 :: The Anderson Brothers’ Evolving Training Philosophies and New Research

About The Anderson Brothers For the uninitiated, Mark and Mike are the Rock Prodigy guys, the authors of the very popular book, The Rock Climber’s Training Manual, all about the training methods they’ve developed over the last two decades. They’re the trainers who helped J-Star turn his training methods around in order to do “Biographie” (or “Realization”, 5.15a) and many other hard climbs. But they also have impressive climbing résumés themselves, despite having high-stress jobs and families. Mike is 39 years old and is an Aeronautical Engineer, aka robot developer. He’s an officer in the US Air Force and he has 2 young sons with his wife in Colorado. He’s redpointed 5.14c sport and onsighted 5.13d, and has done some very impressive 5.13s, including First Free Ascents of Touchstone Wall (5.13, IV), Space Shot (5.13 IV) and Thunderbird Wall (5.13 VI) in Zion, UT, and Arcturus (5.13, VI) on Yosemite’s Half Dome. Mark, also 39, (by the way, they’re twins) supervises a team of computer engineers and has 2 kids with his wife, and they also live in Colorado. He’s an “all-around” climber, having climbed on four continents, established numerous first ascents, freed El Cap, summited Denali, red-pointed 5.14d. Along with their book, Mark and Mike Anderson also partnered with Trango to make the Rock Prodigy Training Center, a hangboard they recommend. They now have a new hangboard, the Forge, which they say is the Ferrari of hangboards. So they’re kinda the shit when it comes to training. Anderson Brothers Interview Details In this second interview with both of the twins, Mark and Mike Anderson, we talk about what they've been sending since last time we talked, how their training philosophies have changed, and the academic research they've been doing on climbing training.  Mark's send of Shadowboxing (5.14d) Mike's crushing spree (5.14c's and onsight of 5.13d) Mike's research on finger training How Mark trained specifically for Shadowboxing Linear vs Non-Linear Periodization How much weight to add on hangboard Training and sending while having a job and family Anderson Brothers Links Mark and Mike’s website - www.rockclimberstrainingmanual.com Article by Mark about sending Shadowboxing New research by Mike about finger strength in climbers Their book, The Rock Climber’s Training Manual Their hangboard, the Rock Prodigy Training Center by Trango Their new hangboard, The Forge by Trango Jonathan Siegrist’s interview with me about training with the Anderson brothers

TBP 062 :: Colette McInerney on BD Bootcamp and Living the Dream

About Colette McInerney   Colette McInerney is a 34-year-old climber who's been living on the road climbing for the past decade or so. She makes a living as a videographer and photographer all over the world. She's climbed up to 5.14a, and she just did another one of Black Diamond's training bootcamps to see how strong she could get. I wanted to interview Colette because she's really intriguing to me as a friend, and because she's so laid back that it kind of surprised me that she did the bootcamp at all.   Colette McInerney Interview Details In this interview with Colette McInerney, we talk about her evolution as a climber and videographer/photographer. Her moderate and laid-back approach to life and climbing is refreshing to me, and her success after the bootcamp is inspiring.  Making a living on the road Her long plateau with climbing BD Bootcamp tactics and results Most effective part of training Dealing with injuries on the road Being a "lifer" with climbing Colette McInerney Links Colette on Facebook Colette on Instagram @etteloc Colette's website: www.coletteloc.com Article on Colette in Climbing Mag: "Self Reflection" Training Programs for You Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities. Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.