The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 016 :: Steph Davis on Training for Alpine, Sport Climbing, Free Soloing, FFAs, and Veganism

I got to sit down with the great Steph Davis the other day and chat about her training for climbing, her vast accomplishments, her FFAs, her free soloing exploits, her diet, her wing suit flying, and all kinds of other stuff.
About Steph Davis
I can't really do her resumé justice, so I'm just going to let her Wikipedia page do it for me.
Stephanie "Steph" Davis (born 1973) is an American rock climber, BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer. She is one of the world's leading female climbers, having completed some of the hardest routes in the world. She is the only woman to have free solo climbed a 5.11 climb, the first woman to summit all the peaks of the Fitzroy Range in Patagonia, the second woman to free climb El Capitan in a day, the first woman to free climb the Salathė Wall on El Capitan, the first woman to free solo The Diamond on Long's Peak in Colorado, and the first woman to summit Torre Egger.
Here's what we talked about:
How she trained for her free solo ascents on the Diamond
How she trained for her alpine ascents in Patagonia
How she trains for Rifle
Whether or not FFA's really matter
Her vegan diet
Related Links
Steph Davis site at www.highinfatuation.com
Support The Podcast
Check out the new Bouldering Strength and Power program for boulderers of all abilities!
Our other training programs are pretty cool, too. Check 'em out on the Training Programs Page.
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!
 

Free Q&A Webinar-1: Kris Peters & Seth Lytton.mp3

This is a recording of the free Q&A webinar that we hosted on 2-2-15. Chris and Seth answered training questions from anyone who called. Questions are focused on general training and specific questions about the training programs offered on TrainingBeta.

TBP 015 :: Heather Weidner on Trying Hard and Sticking with Projects

It's been FOREVER since I published a podcast episode and I'm really sorry for the inconsistency! My surgery and ensuing weirdness has had me away from working very much at all, but I'm hoping to start putting podcasts up again on a regular basis.
About Heather
Alright, so this episode is with my friend, Heather Weidner (nee Robinson), who is a badass sport and trad climber, having redpointed Stockboy's Revenge (5.14b) in Rifle this summer and Must'a Been High (5.13c R) in Eldorado Canyon in Colorado soon after.
She and her husband, Chris Weidner, are full time climbers living the dream, although Heather was a veterinarian for about 5 years before that. When I think of Heather, I think of a very sweet woman with a bullish determination to climb her projects. I also think of kneebarring, since she's a pro at it.
Here's what we talked about:
Her lack of fear and how that helps her climbing
Whether kneebarring is "cheating"
How her vegetarian diet affects her climbing
Her longest (time) project and how she kept trying even when she felt defeated
How she makes it as a full time climber
Related Links
Heather's site at www.heatherclimbs.com
Heather's article for TrainingBeta, "Headstrong"
Support The Podcast
Check out the new Bouldering Strength and Power program for boulderers of all abilities!
Our other training programs are pretty cool, too. Check 'em out on the Training Programs Page.
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!
 

TBP 014 :: Physical Therapist Jared Vagy on Injury Prevention and Treatment

 
About Dr. Jared Vagy
I am so excited to put this podcast out! Holy crap. This is some MUCH NEEDED info for climbers of all kinds, and I really hope you listen to the whole thing. Jared Vagy is a PhD physical therapist who also happens to be a rock climber who's had a lot of injuries.
He works with athletes of all kinds and does special phone/skype and in-person assessments and sessions with climbers all over the world. He's written a book just for us on how to prevent and treat common climber injuries, and he's got a lot more info for us up his sleeve. He's super passionate about educating us, and I'm so happy I found him!
He's dissected our contorted movements and figured out how we can prevent finger, elbow, and shoulder injuries.
What We Talked About
Finger injuries 
Elbow injuries
Shoulder injuries (my favorite!)
What we're doing wrong on the wall to cause these injuries
How to properly warm up before climbing
Related Links
Jared's site at www.theclimbingdoctor.com
Jared's book, The Ultimate Climber 
Support The Podcast
Check out the new Bouldering Strength and Power program for boulderers of all abilities! 
Our other training programs are pretty cool, too. Check 'em out on the Training Programs Page. 
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!
 

TBP 013 :: Hans Florine on Speed Climbing The Nose and Training for It

 
About Hans Florine
This is from Wikipedia because I couldn't possibly sum this up any better. Hans Florine has a long and storied history on El Cap, and in particular on The Nose. Here goes:
Hans Florine (born June 18, 1964)[3][4][5] is an American rock climber, who together withAlex Honnold holds the Speed Climb World Record for climbing The Nose of Yosemite’s El Capitan in 2:23:46 (2 hours, 23 minutes and 46 seconds), set on June 17, 2012[6] which broke the previous record of 2:36.45 set by Dean Potter and Sean Leary. Hans also previously held the same record with Yuji Hirayama for El Capitan in 2:37:05 (2 hours, 37 minutes and 5 seconds), set on October 12, 2008.[2] This broke their record of 2:43:33 set on July 2, 2008, which had broken the record that was set by the German "Huberbuam",Alexander Huber and Thomas Huber.[7] The two brothers climbed The Nose on October 8, 2007 in 2:45:45, breaking Hans' and Yuji's prior speed record.[8] El Capitan is traditionally climbed in three to five days.[9]The Nose route is 2,900 ft long (880 m) and features over 31 pitches of strenuous, exposed climbing.[9] Florine thus climbed The Nose at roughly 6 minutes per pitch. On July 30, 2005, Florine also completed a solo ascent of The Nose in just 11 hours and 41 minutes.[10] Solo ascents are characterized by climbing by yourself and require one person to do all the work.
Pretty impressive, huh? I wanted to know how he trained for such crazy shenanigans, and he kindly gave his time for an interview.
What We Talked About
His seriously amazing feats as a Yosemite and competition speed climber
His badass training sessions in the gym before work
How he trains for big walls and speed climbing
What he eats before and during big wall speed ascents
Whether or not he'll attempt another speed record on the Nose
A lot more
Related Links
Hans's site at www.hansflorine.com
Hans on Wikipedia (he's that good)
Hans with Yuji Hirayama on a previous record speed ascent of the Nose (VIDEO)
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the Training Programs on TrainingBeta. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
Photo
Jim Thornburg
Thanks for listening!
 

TBP 012 :: Alli Rainey on Training, Cardio, and Body Weight

 
About Alli Rainey
Alli Rainey is a long-time climber and route developer, having put up a ton of routes in Ten Sleep Wyoming and boulder problems in Cody, Wyoming. She's redpointed several 14a's in Ten Sleep and done more than 90 5.13s up to 5.13d all over the world. She got into training for climbing a while back when she realized that she wasn't the greatest at steep powerful climbing (not much of that in Ten Sleep) and needed to train to improve.
Since then, she's studied the art and science of training for climbing (rather than climbing to train for climbing) for herself and her clients, and she's successfully expanded her climbing horizons to steeper stuff. I know - I've seen her at the Motherlode in the Red ;) 
What We Talked About
The most important things for climbers to do to get stronger
How everyone's needs are different, and how to train your personal weaknesses
Diet and body weight's role in sending hard
What to do on your off season, and how she's successfully sent hard routes after only climbing on her home wall
A lot more
Related Links
Alli's site at www.allirainey.com
Alli on Facebook: www.facebook.com/alliraineyclimbing
Alli working the 14a at Ten Sleep, Galactic Emperor (VIDEO)
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the Training Programs on TrainingBeta. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!
 

TBP 011 :: Dan Mirsky on Staying Strong on the Road, Training for Rifle, and Whether Running Helps Him Send

 
About Dan Mirsky
Dan Mirsky is an understated crusher. I've been watching him gracefully take down rock climbs in Rifle for as long as I've been climbing there. Last year we witnessed his fitness (literally) in The Red when we were next door neighbors at Lago Linda's last year. 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 Carry the Fire (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).
He lives part time on the road and part time at his house in Carbondale. He dates my good friend and fellow TrainingBeta worker bee, Katy Dannenberg (you may have noticed her posting a bunch of awesome stuff on our Facebook page recently?), and together they are the hardest training couple I've ever known. If they're not climbing, they're doing CrossFit workouts outside of the Airstream, running half marathons, doing yoga, or hangboarding on their portable A-frame hangboard.
So how does Dan Mirsky do it? He doesn't even live in a city with a climbing gym and yet he's consistently killing it. He'll tell you all about it in the interview.
What We Talked About
How he financially manages to live on the road for most of the year
How he stays strong on long trips to the Red or other areas
What he thinks doing cardio has done for his climbing
How he stays super ripped and lean without starving himself (he eats - I've seen it myself)
The wise advice he gave me about projecting
Related Links
A more complete bio on Dan Mirsky on Millet.com, one of his sponsors.
His account of his FA of Solid Gold (14c) on Evening Sends
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the Training Programs on TrainingBeta. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!
 

TBP :: 010 Kris Peters on All Things Training, Team of 2, TrainingBeta, and Cardio

Hooray!! I finally did an interview with my favorite climbing trainer, Kris Peters! He's been working on TrainingBeta with us since basically the beginning, so I've had plenty of time to get to know and love this guy. He's kind of intimidating on the outside (big muscles, beard, hardass trainer), but he's a playful teddy bear on the inside.
What I've noticed is that while he jokes a lot with his clients, he takes their workouts and progress VERY seriously, and puts his all into their success. He takes on a lot in life, between working with clients one-on-one, being a part of the training/coaching duo, Team of 2, with Justen Sjong, and keeping up with his own athletic goals. 
He's trained climbers of all abilities from all over the world, including Daniel Woods, Alex Johnson, Matt Segal, as well as people who just do this sport for the fun of it, and he's had amazing success with a lot of them. He also wrote our 6-Week Power Endurance Training Program, which has gotten a lot of positive feedback from climbers all over the world.
What We Talked About
His background as a trainer
How he approaches every individual climber as a client
2 Case Studies: How he trained a 5.11- climber vs a V10 climber
His thoughts on cardio training (and whether or not he'd tell Daniel Woods to run as part of his training)
Who should be campusing and who should NOT
All about the new training subscription program he created for TrainingBeta (coming soon)
Related Links
A more complete bio on Kris: trainingbeta.com/about-kris-peters
Train with Kris one-on-one from anywhere in the world: teamof2climbing.com/trainer/ or email kris@teamof2climbing.com
6-Week Power Endurance Training Program
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the training programs on TrainingBeta here. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
Photo
Photo by Ian Civgin
Thanks for listening!

TBP 009 :: Mark and Mike Anderson on Their Book, J-Star, and How Less Is More

I'm psyched to introduce this podcast with the Anderson brothers, Mark and Mike. We did a longer-than-usual interview this time, partly because there were two of them and mostly because they have a lot of advice to give. For the uninitiated, Mark and Mike are the Rock Prodigy guys, the authors of the new book The Rock Climber's Training Manual. They're the trainers who helped J-Star turn his training methods around in order to do "Biographie" (or "Realization", 5.15a), but they also have impressive climbing resumes themselves, despite having high-stress jobs and families. 
Mike is an Aeronautical Engineer, aka robot developer. He's an officer in the US Air Force and he has 2 sons (5 and 8) with his wife and they live in Colorado. He's redpointed 5.14 sport 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 (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 5.14c and on-sighted 5.13b. 
Along with their book, they also partnered with Trango to make the Rock Prodigy Training Center, a hangboard they recommend. So they're kinda the shit when it comes to training.
What We Talked About
How long it took Mark to get off his 5.10 plateau
The thing Mike eats every day to stay lean and strong
Both of their biggest accomplishment in climbing (they have the same one)
The surprising number of hours they train every week
How Mike trained for one of his hardest sends in Afghanistan
Who should be campusing and fingerboarding and who should avoid it
What to do when you've been falling at the same high point for 8 weeks
Their passionate opinion on running for climbing
LOTS more
Related Links
Mark and Mike's website is www.rockclimberstrainingmanual.com
Their recent posts about training J-Star (part 1 and part 2)
Their book, The Rock Climber's Training Manual
Their hangboard, the Rock Prodigy Training Center by Trango
Jonathan Siegrist's interview with me about training with the Anderson brothers
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the training programs on TrainingBeta here. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen and Review on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
 
Thanks for listening!

TBP 008 :: Alex Johnson on Training, Hard Female Ascents, and The Swarm

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After many months of trying to find a time that worked for both of our crazy schedules, Alex Johnson and I finally sat down and had a conversation about her climbing, training, eating, and other aspects of her life.
Alex Johnson is an athlete on The North Face team, and she travels the world as a professional climber. She has some V12 ascents under her belt, she's a 2-time world cup winner and 5-time national champ. She's currently living in Las Vegas, but before that she was living out of her RV, following the good weather to her favorite bouldering areas. She spent a lot of time this winter in Bishop trying The Swarm, a V13/V14, which we talk about in the interview.
I've always been a fan of Alex Johnson, and I remember watching her at The Spot competing when she was just a kid really. Her confidence and poise, as well as her incredible strength, have always impressed me.
What We Talked About
Her biggest accomplishments and biggest failures as a climber
Which training styles have worked for her and which have not
What it was like for her to train with the Euros
How she's training for Vail this year (it's a secret so don't tell anyone)
How her diet affects her climbing (if at all)
Whether or not her hard ascents have been downgraded because she's a female
How she balances being friends and fierce competitors with Angie, Puccio and the other girls
Related Links
Alex's website is www.aj-ontherocks.blogspot.com
Alex on Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexjohnsonclimber
An article in Rock & Ice about Alex's negative experience training in Europe: "Unbroken: The Alex Johnson Profile"
Support The Podcast
This podcast is made possible by the training programs on TrainingBeta here. Check 'em out if you need some help sending!
Subscribe to the newsletter to find out when our new training programs are available. 
If you'd like to sponsor the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.
Listen on iTunes
Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is HERE.
Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;)
Music
Intro and outro song: Yesterday by Build Buildings 
Photo
Portrait of Alex Johnson by Forest Woodward
 
Thanks for listening!