Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing

INTRODUCING | Written in Stone: Climbing’s Most Important Ascents Oct 23, 2023

Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound designed stories about what led to new levels in climbing, alternated with conversations with today’s top climbers about what inspired them about what went down way back then. Season One is focused on the 1990’s, and will tell the stories of how sport climbing came to dominate, how women climbers made their mark, and explore the characters who made it all happen. Moon, Skinner, Gullich, Hill, Nicole and more! Like Todd Skinner always said, ”never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

Learn more at www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone

Can Beta-Alanine Supplementation Help You Send Your Sport Climbing Project? Sep 14, 2022

In the final episode of Season 2, Kris and Paul discuss beta-alanine, a nutritional supplement, and its impact on climbing performance as investigated in:

Beta-Alanine Supplementation and Sport Climbing Performance

Authored by Krzysztof Sas-Nowosielski, Judyta Wyciślik, and Piotr Kaczka; published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in May, 2021.

They’ll explain what beta-alanine actually is and does chemically, and how this might translate into improved climbing performance. They’ll consider the pros and cons of the experiment’s design and thus the validity of its results in an attempt to determine whether or not climbers should consider using beta-alanine.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who want a deeper look into what science is actually saying about rock climbing, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Are We Doing the Right Things When Warming Up for Climbing? Sep 07, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the difference between systematic and critical reviews, while examining what science says about warming up for sport in three reviews:

Current Approaches on Warming up for Sports Performance: A Critical Review

Authored by Maria Helena Gil MD, Henrique P. Neiva PhD, António C. Sousa MD, Mário C. Marques PhD, and Daniel A. Marinho PhD; published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal in August, 2019.

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A systematic review of the effects of upper body warm-up on performance and injury

Authored by J. Matt McCrary, Bronwen J. Ackermann, and Mark Halaki; published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in July, 2015.

&

Upper-Body Post-activation Performance Enhancement for Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Recommendations for Future Research

Authored by Mitchell James Finlay, Craig Alan Bridge, Matt Greig, and Richard Michael Page; published in the Sports Medicine in November, 2021.

They’ll discuss the benefits of various warm-up activities like static or dynamic stretching, isometric movement, passive heating or cooling, and movement-specific activity. They’ll consider variables like duration, load, and volume — and the impact that warming up has been shown to have on performance.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Biomechanical properties of the crimp grip position in rock climbers
Authored by Andreas Schweizer; published in the Journal of Biomechanics in February, 2001.

Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Authored by Andrea J. Fradkin, Tsharni R. Zazryn, and James M. Smoliga; published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in January, 2010.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who warm up their fingers on a flash board and think they are ready to try their hardest, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Are Chalking Up and Shaking Out Actually Helpful or Persistent Myths? Aug 31, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the dangers of reading only the abstracts of research papers, by taking a look at what science says about chalking up and shaking out. They’ll reference multiple papers including:

Use of ‘chalk’ in rock climbing: sine qua non or myth?

Authored by François-Xavier Li, S. Margetts and I. Fowler; published in the Journal of Sports Sciences in July, 2001.

&

Active Recovery Strategies and Handgrip Performance in Trained Vs. Untrained Climbers

Authored by Jackson G. Green and Stephen R. Stannard; published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in February, 2010.

They’ll discuss how a study’s design can alter its results and their usefulness, and how key design aspects aren’t always included in abstracts. They’ll compare studies with better/worse designs, reminding us to dig a little deeper into a research paper before accepting the validity of its findings.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

The effect of chalk on the finger–hold friction coefficient in rock climbing
Authored by Arif Mithat Amca, Laurent Vigouroux, Serdar Aritan, and Eric Berton; published in Sports Biomechanics in 2012.

Friction between hand and different surfaces under different conditions and its implication for sport climbing
Authored by Franz Konstantin Fuss, Günther Niegl, and A. M. Tan; published in The Engineering of Sport 5, Vol. 2 in July, 2004.

The importance of friction between hand and hold in rock climbing
Authored by Franz Konstantin Fuss and Günther Niegl; published in Sports Technology in 2012.

Active recovery of the finger flexors enhances intermittent handgrip performance in rock climbers
Authored by Jiří Baláš, Michail Michailov, David Giles, Jan Kodejška, Michaela Panáčková, and Simon Fryer; published in the European Journal of Sport Science in 2016.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who tell you that liquid chalk and having your arm over your head while shaking out will allow you to climb a grade harder, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

What are the Anthropometric and Performance Characteristics of Modern Female Climbers? Aug 24, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul chat with data analyst and fellow Power Company coach, Dale Wilson, to examine a study that attempts to collect and compare data from female climbers:

Anthropometry and performance characteristics of recreational advanced to elite female rock climbers

Authored by David Giles, Kimberly Barnes, Nicola Taylor, Corinna Chidley, Joel Chidley, James Mitchell, Oliver Torr, Edward Gibson-Smith, and Vanesa España-Romero; published in the Journal of Sports Sciences in August, 2020.

They’ll discuss the data that was collected from each climber and which measurements seem to be indicative of climbing performance. They’ll talk about some of the correlations revealed and Dale will explain how these compare to trends he’s seen in the Power Company’s data on female climbers.

Have Dale crunch the numbers for you - check out our Mini-Assessment + Analysis!

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please, tell all of your female friends who say they are too short to be a good climber that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Did You Punt Because Your Focus is On the Wrong Thing? Aug 17, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that explores how our attention - and where we focus it - can impact our performance:

Links between Attention, Performance Pressure, and Movement in Skilled Motor Action

Authored by Rob Gray; published in Current Directions in Psychological Science in June, 2011.

They’ll discuss the difference between focusing attention internally or externally, and how each has been shown to affect athletic performance, especially when the pressure is on. They’ll break down four ways that attention focus has been shown to impact movement, and what this information could mean for climbers.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Performance of gymnastics skill benefits from an external focus of attention
Authored by Reza Abdollahipour, Gabriele Wulf, Rudolf Psotta, and Miriam Palomo Nieto; published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, 2015.

Internal and External Focus of Attention in a Novice Form Sport
Authored by Gavin P. Lawrence, Vicky M. Gottwald, James Hardy, and Michael A. Khan; published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2011.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please, tell all of your friends who are constantly telling you that “You’ll send if when you do that, you just focus on pulling with your lats instead of your traps,” that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Do Our Abilities Alter How We Perceive Hold or Move Size? Aug 10, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that looks at the relationship between an athlete’s skill level and how they perceive their environment:

Embodied perception in sport

Authored by Rob Gray; published in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology in December, 2013.

They’ll explain the idea of embodied perception in sport - the theory that how we see our environment is impacted by our ability to interact with it - with some climbing-specific examples. They’ll consider several factors that can influence this perception and how understanding these concepts might be helpful to us as climbers.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who insist that that mini jug is actually a 10mm edge, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Can We Measure How Different Energy Systems Contribute to Climbing? Aug 03, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that investigates how different energy systems contribute to climbing performance:

Climbing-Specific Exercise Tests: Energy System Contributions and Relationships With Sport Performance

Authored by Marcin Maciejczyk, Michail Lubomirov Michailov, Magdalena Więcek, Jadwiga Szymura, Robert Rokowski, Zbigniew Szygula, and Ralph Beneke; published in Frontiers in Physiology in January, 2022.

They’ll explain the different energy systems and how they were measured in the study using three finger flexor muscle tests. They’ll consider how well these measurements can act as reliable performance indicators for climbing.

Special thanks to AJ Sobrilsky at Excel Physical Therapy in Bozeman and also the Climb Strong team for suggesting this paper!

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who have their energy system training totally dialed in but say “Take!” as soon as they are getting pumped, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Can We Accurately Assess the Movement Skills of Sport Climbers? Jul 27, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul dig into a paper that presents and then tests a method for measuring movement skills in climbing:

Climbing performance analysis: A novel tool for the assessment of rock climber's movement performance

Authored by Nicola Taylor, Dave Giles, Michaela Panáčková, James Mitchell, Joel B. Chidley, and Nick Draper; published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance in January, 2020.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not movement skills in climbing can even be measured reliably, and if the proposed system translates to anything useful for everyday climbers and coaches trying to assess movement.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who tell you that you are climbing something incorrectly, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Does Strength Training Help Prevent Shoulder Injuries in Climbers? Jul 20, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul take a look at three papers dealing with the shoulder health of climbers:

Application of closed kinematic chain exercises with eccentric and strength exercises for the shoulder injuries prevention in student rock climbers: a randomized controlled trial

Authored by Serhii Kozin, Marian Cretu, Zhanneta Kozina, Andrii Chernozub, Olena Ryepko, Tetiana Shepelenko, Iryna Sobko, and Mariia Oleksiuk; published in the Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics in January, 2021.

&

Shoulder pathology on magnetic resonance imaging in asymptomatic elite-level rock climbers

Authored by Joseph D. Cooper, Max N. Seiter, Joseph J. Ruzbarsky, Ricky Poulton, Grant J. Dornan, Eric K. Fitzcharles, Charles P. Ho, and Thomas R. Hackett; published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine in February, 2022.

&

Shoulder girdle strength and finger flexor strength in prediction of performance in female rock climbers

Authored by Jan Kodejška and Jiří Baláš; published in Studia sportiva in 2016.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not strength training really is a viable method for preventing shoulder injuries, and if shoulder health can be a reliable indicator of climbing performance in women.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who don’t have time to climb because they are doing dozens of wacky exercises with the 1 lb. dumbbells that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is Isometric Finger Testing Reliable? Which Edges are Best? Jul 13, 2022

In the Season 2 premiere, Kris and Paul take a look at two papers that deal with measuring isometric finger strength in climbers:

The reliability and validity of a method for the assessment of sport rock climber’s isometric finger strength

Authored by Dave Giles, Oliver Torr, Thomas Randall, Remus Knowles, and Stephen Atkins; published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in January, 2020.

&

Which is the most reliable edge depth to measure maximum hanging time in sport climbers?

Authored by Eva López-Rivera, Juan José González-Badillo, and Vanesa España-Romero; published in Gait & Posture in October, 2021.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not isometric finger strength has been proven reliable in predicting climbing ability, and if how it’s measured affects this reliability.

New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!

And please, tell all of your friends who claim their $2000 force gauge is the only valid way to measure their finger strength, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | International Rock Climbing Research Association Test Battery Jun 22, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that introduces and assesses a battery of ten tests designed specifically to measure climbing performance.

Performance Assessment for Rock Climbers: The International Rock Climbing Research Association Sport-Specific Test Battery

By: Nick Draper, David Giles, Nicola Taylor, Laurent Vigouroux, Vanesa Espana-Romero, et al. Published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Human Kinetics, 2021.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Flexibility Assessment and the Role of Flexibility as a Determinant of Performance in Rock Climbing
By: Nick Draper, Simon Brent, Gavin Blackwell, and Chris Hodgson; published in the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport in 2009.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul ADDENDUM | The Male / Female Performance Gap in Climbing Jun 15, 2022

For a few weeks after recording the episode on the IRCRA postion statement, some of my comments didn't sit quite right with me. They weren't false, but they weren't the whole story. In this addendum episode we look at a little more of the complete story by examining the paper:

Female excellence in rock climbing likely has an evolutionary origin
Published by Collin Carrol in Current Research in Physiology, 2021

Thanks to Irene Di Lauro for sending this paper in!

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | How Should Climbing Research Be Standardized? Jun 15, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a position statement paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that seeks to bring uniformity to how rock climbing research is collected and presented.

Comparative grading scales, statistical analyses, climber descriptors and ability grouping: International Rock Climbing Research Association Position Statement
By: Nick Draper, David Giles, Volker Schöffl, et al; published in Sports Technology, 2016.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Reporting climbing grades and grouping categories for rock climbingBy:Nick Draper, Jorge Couceiro, Simon Fryer, Tabitha Dickson, David Winter, Greg Ellis, Michael Hamlin, Jerry Shearman, and Chris North; published in Isokinetics and Exercise Science, January 2011.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | How Do We Choose and Read Research Papers? Jun 08, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the process they use to choose and read research papers, both for Breaking Beta and for their own interests as climbers and coaches.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Beall’s List of Potential Predatory Journals and Publishers

How to (seriously) read a scientific paperby Elisabeth Pain; published on Science; March 21, 2016.

Ten simple rules for reading a scientific paperby Maureen A. Carey, Kevin L. Steiner, and William A. Petri Jr.; published on PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY; July 30, 2020.

How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientistsby Jennifer Raff; published on Violent Metaphors; August 25, 2013.

How to read scientific papers quickly (and effectively organize them for a literature review)published on Genius Lab Gear.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | Are Your Statistics Even Significant, Bro? Jun 01, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss statistics and their significance with data analyst and fellow Power Company coach, Dale Wilson. He explains his views on statistical models, p-values, and more — and breaks down how we should be looking at all this data as climbers.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Scientists rise up against statistical significanceby Valentin Amrhein, Sander Greenland, and Blake McShane; published in Nature 567 (305-307), 2019.

800 scientists say it’s time to abandon “statistical significance”by Brian Resnick; published on Vox; March, 22, 2019.

Systematic review of the use of “magnitude-based inference” in sports science and medicine by Keith R. Lohse, Kristin L. Sainani, J. Andrew Taylor, Michael L. Butson, Emma J. Knight, and Andrew J. Vickers; published on PLOS ONE; June 26, 2020.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | What Did We Learn From Season 1? May 25, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss what they learned from Season 1. They break down the specifics — from finger strength to injury prevention, flexibility to nutrition — that they’ll be incorporating into their own coaching and training going forward.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Which Finger Strength Protocol is Best for Endurance? Feb 09, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul bring things full circle, ending the season with another hangboard study from Eva Lopez:

Comparison of the Effects of Three Hangboard Strength and Endurance Training Programs on Grip Endurance in Sport Climbers

authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzalez-Badillo; published in the Journal of Human Kinetics in 2019.

They’ll attempt, once more, to determine whether or not scientific evidence exists in favor of a single hangboard protocol being more effective than the rest. Tune in to find out if we have a clear winner in the ring between Max or Intermittent Hangs, or if Paul and Kris are destined to be discussing hangboard studies for many more seasons to come!

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

From Episode 1: The Effects of Two Maximum Grip Strength Training Methods Using the Same Effort Duration and Different Edge Depth on Grip Endurance in Elite Climbers authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzales-Badillo; published in Sports Technology, 2012.

Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please, just like in Episode 1, tell all of your ridiculous friends who still claim that they know the best hangboard protocol, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is Creatine Useful for Climbers? Feb 02, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss two papers that try to clear up the rumors surrounding one of the most popular supplements in sports nutrition:

International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Safety and Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation in Exercise, Sport, and Medicine

authored by Richard B. Kreider, Douglas S. Kalman, Jose Antonio, Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Robert Wildman, Rick Collins, Darren G. Candow, Susan M. Kleiner, Anthony L. Almada, and Hector L. Lopez; published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2017.

And:

Common Questions and Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?

authored by Jose Antonio, Darren G. Candow, Scott C. Forbes, Bruno Gualano, Andrew R. Jagim, Richard B. Kreider, Eric S. Rawson, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Trisha A. VanDusseldorp, Darryn S. Willoughby, and Tim N. Ziegenfuss; published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2021.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not creatine really is the secret to getting swole, or if it’s just going to cause your kidneys to eventually fail. Tune in to find out if all those Olympians in the early ’90’s were really on to something, or just angling to get on GNC’s payroll.

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who cite those 1982 studies that say you'll look like a bodybuilder if you use creatine, not that that's necessarily a bad thing, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Sport Climbers vs. Boulderers: Who is Stronger? Jan 26, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a study that dares to touch THE ultimate strength debate climbers love to argue about:

Comparison of Climbing-Specific Strength and Endurance Between Lead and Boulder Climbers

authored by Nicolay Stien, Atle Hole Saeterbakken, Espen Hermans, Vegard Albert Vereide, Elias Olsen, and Vidar Andersen; published in PLOS ONE in 2019.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not there’s actually scientific evidence determining if the stronger climbers are those toting crash pads or hauling ropes. Tune in to find out if all that time you’ve spent hanging draws means you’ll never send your bouldering buddies’ warmups, or if all their top outs have done nothing to prepare them for clipping chains.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Haemodynamic Kinetics and Intermittent Finger Flexor Performance in Rock Climbers authored by Simon Fryer, Lee Stoner, Adam Lucero, Trevor Guy Witter, C. Scarrott, Tabitha Dickson, M. Cole, and Nick Draper; published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.

International Rock Climbing Research Association (IRCA), Reporting Grades in Climbing Research, Climbing Grade Conversion Chart

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who slowly and frustratingly sport climb their way up boulders, maybe even wearing a harness, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Does Hangboard Training Increase Pinch Strength? Jan 19, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss another study seeking to determine if there’s really a best way to train on a hangboard:

Hangboard Training in Advanced Climbers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

authored by Saskia Mundry, Gino Steinmetz, Dominik Saul, Elizabeth J Atkinson, Arndt F. Shilling, and Volker Schoffl; published in Scientific Reports in 2021.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not there’s evidence that hangboarding can help you train more than just your crimping skills. Tune in to find out if this study dives deeper into the debate between Added Weight or Minimum Edge, or if it just dives off the deep end altogether.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
From Episode 1: The Effects of Two Maximum Grip Strength Training Methods Using the Same Effort Duration and Different Edge Depth on Grip Endurance in Elite Climbers authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzales-Badillo; published in Sports Technology, 2012.

International Rock Climbing Research Association (IRCA), Reporting Grades in Climbing Research, Climbing Grade Conversion Chart

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And then please tell all of your friends who spend their warmup time telling you that your hangboarding is only going to carry over to that one rare four-finger flat edge on a rock climb, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Can We Minimize Tendon Injury and Return More Quickly to Climbing? Jan 12, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss another study examining a type of injury commonly seen in climbers:

Minimizing Injury and Maximizing Return to Play: Lessons from Engineered Ligaments

authored by Keith Baar, published in Sports Medicine (Springer Nature) in 2017.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not there’s much we can do to help prevent tendon injuries and speed up recovery time when they do occur. Tune in to find out if that friend who swears their collagen supplements are the key to their fingers of steel is actually on to something, or totally full of it.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Stress Relaxation and Targeted Nutrition to Treat Patellar Tendinopathy authored by Keith Baar, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2018.

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And tell all of your friends who keep telling you that you should rest every single one of your tendon tweaks until they're gone, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

How Does 30 Years of Climbing Affect Our Shoulders? Jan 05, 2022

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a topic that every climber has to consider during their career - shoulder health - as examined in the study:

Impact of 30 Years High-Level Rock Climbing on the Shoulder: an Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of 31 Climbers

authored by Silvan Beeler, MD, Torten Pastor, MD, Benjamin Fritz, MD, Lukas Filli, MD, Andreas Schweizer, MD, and Karl Weiser, MD; published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery in 2021.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not we are truly trashing our shoulders more than others, and if so, what kind of impact this damage could have on our climbing performance. Tune in to find out if every iron-cross move is a potential trip to the operating room, or if there’s a good chance our shoulders just might be able to withstand the wear and tear.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Physiological Bone Responses in the Fingers After More Than 10 Years of High-Level Sport Climbing: Analysis of Cortical Parameters authored by Frederik Hahn, MD, Matthias Erschbaumer, MD, Philipp Allenspach, MSc, Kaspar Rufibach, PhD, and Andreas Schweizer, MD; published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2012.

Ep. 153 of the Power Company Climbing Podcast: Pain Science for Climbers with Dr. Natasha Barnes

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your weak-shouldered friends who insist that every shouldery move is going to result in surgery, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is Flexibility a Good Metric for Climbers? Dec 29, 2021

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a study that might finally reveal why there are so many former gymnasts who can crush:

Flexibility Assessment and the Role of Flexibility as a Determinant of Performance in Rock Climbing

authored by Nick Draper, Simon Brent, Gavin Blackwell, and Chris Hodgson; published in the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport in 2009.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not a climber’s flexibility is a good indicator of their climbing performance and, moreover, if a climber’s flexibility is even something we can accurately measure. Tune in to find out if all that twisty pretzel stuff Adam Ondra does with his knees is actually doing something, or just for show.

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who keep preaching to you that unless you do those tactical frog stretches, you'll never climb harder, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Does Stretching Result in Power Loss? Dec 22, 2021

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a hotly-debated topic - not just in the climbing world but the greater athletic community:

Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Strength and Power: An Attempt to Clarify Previous Caveats

authored by Helmi Chaabene, David Behm, Yassine Negra, and Urs Granacher; published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2019.

They’ll attempt to determine whether or not stretching in your warmup is what’s costing you that last bit of power you need to send the proj, or if it’s exactly what you need in order to execute that heel-hook-next-to-your-ear crux move without pulling a hammy. Tune in to find out what data on the topic is legit, and what might be a bit of a...well, you know.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:

Factors Affecting Force Loss with Prolonged Stretching authored by David Behm and Duane C. Button; published in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 2001.

Stretching the Way We Think About Athletes, TEDx Talk by Dr. David Behm

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who spend their warm up time telling you that you should stop doing any stretching in your warm up that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is Finger Pulp the Key to Crimping? Dec 15, 2021

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the study that led to climbers everywhere both blaming and training their fingertip pulp:

Measuring Lifting Forces in Rock Climbing: Effect of Hold Size and Fingertip Structure

authored by Roger Bourne, Mark Halaki, Benedicte Vanwanseele, and Jillian Clarke; published in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics in 2011.

They’ll attempt to determine if just how meaty your tips are can actually help or hurt your climbing. And if so, is there even anything you can really do about it? Tune in to find out if it really does boil down to just the tips.

*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Force response of the fingertip pulp to repeated compression—Effects of loading rate, loading angle and anthropometry authored by Elaine R.Serina, C.D. Mote Jr., and David Rempel; published in the Journal of Biomechanics, 1997.

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all of your friends who are constantly telling you that you're only good at crimping because of your tiny fingers, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is This the Best Hangboard Protocol? Dec 08, 2021

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss what might be the most popular study in all of climbing:

The Effects of Two Maximum Grip Strength Training Methods Using the Same Effort Duration and Different Edge Depth on Grip Endurance in Elite Climbers

authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzales-Badillo; published in Sports Technology in 2012.

They’ll try to determine whether this study provides evidence for one hangboard protocol to rule them all, or if folks have just been misinterpreting the data. Tune in to see who wins in the finger strength battle between Minimum Edge Depth and Maximum Added Weight!

New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please tell all your friends who are constantly telling you that their hang protocol is the number one best protocol, that you have the perfect podcast for them.

Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram

Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram

Check out both of our Kettlebells for Climbers ebooks!

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Introducing Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing Podcast Nov 01, 2021

Is it possible to make research and science both more fun - and frankly - more useful for coaches and climbers?

That’s what we needed to answer. Now that we’re a few episodes into recording this podcast, I can honestly answer YES. It takes a lot of work, but yes. Our goal is to do that work for you.

In this podcast, coaches Paul Corsaro and Kris Hampton are getting together in the lab weekly to look at the body of research - both climbing specific and more general sports science - that is often cited by climbers on their quest to improve. We’ll take each study, break it into it’s components, explain it in a way that doesn’t make your eyes glaze over, and then discuss what we find useful and as well as the ways in which these studies are so wildly misinterpreted by damn near every one of us.

Season 1 of Breaking Beta drops on Wednesday, December 8th. Every week for 10 weeks we’ll be getting deep into finger strength, tendon health, creatine, flexibility, climbing specific injury, and more. What the research says, what it doesn’t, and how you’ve been getting it all wrong.

Make sure you’re subscribed, hit the follow button on Spotify, and tell your friends to tell a friend. Particularly that one friend who is always citing his wild misinterpretation of the research. Tell him you’ve got the perfect podcast for him.

Brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning.

Find Kris and our main Breaking Beta content on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/powercompanyclimbing/

Find Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cruxconditioning/

Get transcripts, citations, and more at https://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/breakingbeta

If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at https://community.powercompanyclimbing.com

Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Breaking Beta is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective.

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