The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Latest Episodes:

EP 62: Q&A 1 — How We Get Strong, Dealing with Injuries, and Patterns Among High Performers Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

In this Q&A, I tackle some of my patron’s most burning questions about how we getting stronger, takeaways from my experiments with nutrition and intermittent fasting, dealing with injuries, favorite training playlists and climbing books, life on the road, patterns I’ve noticed among high performers, dream guests, recommendations for first-time trainers, and much more.

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Learn more about Q&As:

thenuggetclimbing.com/bonus-content

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/qa-1

Nuggets:

00:00 – Q&A introduction, Patreon tiers, and format

06:53 – Nico’s Question: Tactics for mini-projects/quick ticks?

12:47 – Tony’s Question: Least favorite climbing shoe?

14:15 – Tony’s Question: If you could do an episode with one deceased person, who would it be?

14:49 – Tony’s Question: Favorite climbing-related book?

15:50 – Tony’s Question: Worst climbing bodily function story?

17:00 – Emma’s Question: How does training work, and what is happening in our body when we get stronger?

27:16 – Emma’s Question: Recommendations for training with a knee injury?

30:34 – Emma’s Question: Should I train my good leg while my other leg is injured?

31:44 – Katie’s Question: What inspires you the most aside from climbing?

33:34 – Adrian’s Question: Why did you stop intermittent fasting?

35:39 – Ted’s Question: Will carbs help me get stronger faster coming from a keto diet? And what changes have you made to your diet that have made a difference?

41:16 – Jasna’s Question: How do you mentally deal with injuries? How do you redirect your psych when dealing with a climbing injury?

50:35 – Darren’s Question: When are you going to tell us about anorexic Steven? And was it worth it?

51:32 – Jimmy’s Question: 3-week or 5-week training cycles: have you tried both? Which do you prefer?

54:58 – Jimmy’s Question: Favorite training playlist?

56:07 – Adriel’s Question: Advice on working through mental blocks, like fear of falling?

1:00:23 – Adriel’s Question: How much can you train a month sustainably?

1:03:24 – Adriel’s Question: Tips for hard finger cracks? (5.11 and up)

1:06:07 – Heather’s Question: Advice for someone who is interesting in training for the first time?

1:12:57 – Heather’s Question: What have you learned about yourself living in the van? And is this lifestyle sustainable for you?

1:17:01 – Heather’s Questions: What are some of your biggest climbing takeaways? Where would you be without climbing, and what has made you the climber you are today?

1:22:01 – Casey’s Question: Do you train on the road? If so, how?

1:23:19 – Casey’s Question: How are you structuring your Hueco trip?

1:26:47 – Casey’s Question: Why does everyone say your van smells good even if they are vegan? Is it because everyone needs beef? (just kidding… kind of)

1:27:32 – Casey’s Question: Bouldering diet vs. sport climbing diet?

1:28:35 – Casey’s Question: Favorite other podcasts?

1:31:00 – Casey’s Question: Thoughts on flexibility?

1:32:21 – Casey’s Question: Thoughts on warming up?

1:34:20 – Casey’s Question: If you could press a button and go anywhere, where would you go each day of the week?

1:37:11 – Steve’s Question: What patterns have you seen emerge among the high performers you’ve interviewed?

1:40:04 – Steve’s Question: Living on the road full time, do you ever get sick of it and just want to settle somewhere for a year?

1:41:13 – Jeffrey’s Question: Top 3 dream guests to interview?

1:43:45 – Jeffrey’s Question: What’s the most common weakness you see among top climbers?

1:45:40 – Ilkka’s Question: What about the ethical side of eating meat?

1:49:08 – Wrap up

EP 61: Chelsea Murn — How to Rewire Your Brain, Take Courageous Leaps, and Manifest Your Dream Life Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Chelsea Murn is a climbing and business coach, and the founder of Lady Beta Coaching. We talked about making 100k in her first year of climbing coaching, recommendations for new entrepreneurs, getting uncomfortable, investing in ourselves, scarcity vs. abundance, rewiring our limiting beliefs, money mindset, and Hogwarts letters.

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chelsea-murn

Nuggets:

5:04 – Chelsea’s morning routines, and scheduling similar things on specific days

8:45 – Batching, and Do Not Disturb mode

12:20 – Creating boundaries, and making time to enjoy climbing

13:33 – Having a coach

16:24 – Being empowered and validated by other women in her business school

17:58 – Making $220k last year, and the story of climbing her first 5.13b at Deep Creek

24:19 – Description of Deep Creek

27:11 – Making $100k in her first year as a climbing coach, and getting started in business coaching

32:59 – Example clients and businesses

36:11 – How Chelsea thinks about investing in herself, scarcity vs. abundance mindset, and being uncomfortable

39:40 – “I was uncomfortable every day of 2020”

42:52 – Building a business and not a hustle

47:33 – How much Chelsea works now

50:12 – Working toward a 7-figure business, and the minimum effective dose

52:05 – Coming up with bad ideas, fear of being seen, and having the courage to take the first step

57:30 – Backpack full of rocks

58:53 – My failed leaps before the podcast, fourth try is the charm, and playing the long game

1:04:14 – Doing meaningful work, creating value for people, and getting paid enough to do it again and again

1:07:22 – Patron Question from Kyle: Advice for someone getting started in the climbing industry, and moonlight vs. taking a big leap?

1:10:21 – Money mindset

1:18:03 – Looking for evidence for limiting beliefs, and scarcity mindset in relationships

1:20:49 – Journaling, and writing down “opposite reasons”

1:22:21 – Brain rewiring: what is it?

1:24:47 – Chelsea’s experience with route setting, and rewiring her belief about her own worth and strength

1:28:51 – Chelsea guides me through brain rewiring my money mindset

1:32:34 – What brain wiring does, the mechanisms behind why it works, and my homework

1:37:12 – Being open with goals, charging what you are worth, and redefining success

1:42:09 – Patron Question from Curtis: What trends are you seeing in your clients who are having performance breakthroughs?

1:44:02 – “Vanity metrics” vs. how you feel

1:44:31 – Chelsea’s current brain rewiring practice, and what she is working on herself right now

1:47:18 – Why Chelsea doesn’t read business books, and my thoughts on how to navigate the information age

1:51:14 – Chelsea’s favorite fantasy books

1:53:16 – The Hogwarts Letter, and Chelsea’s Hogwarts house

1:55:25 – Grateful for sun and to be moving

1:56:31 – Upcoming offerings from Chelsea

1:58:11 – The LadyBeta Podcast

2:00:32 – “If you know you were meant for something more, you were.”

Follow-Up: Ben Herrington — A Guide to Developing New Boulders (Teaser) Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Ben Herrington. We talked about the treasure hunters mindset and clues to look for when developing new boulders, go-to tools for cleaning a new line, how to suss out moves off the deck, building landings, Ben’s new gym in the Tri-Cities, WA, and setting himself boulders that attack his weaknesses.

You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 47:14.

EP 60: Leif Gasch — Becoming a Trainer, Mini-Goals, and Tackling Listener Questions Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Leif Gasch has been a climber for over 25 years and now works as a trainer and coach. We talked about his path from construction to coaching, balancing training with a physically demanding job, how to be a better weekend warrior, mini-goals, breaking into new grades, warming up for hard redpoints, and much more.

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/leif-gasch

Nuggets:

4:36 – “Back porch kind of a deal”

5:28 – Living on the road during covid, and moving back to Lander

8:06 – The pod, Leif’s first trip to Hueco with Scott Milton, and sending Frogger

11:18 – Years of cherry-picking, new development in Hueco, and becoming a guide

12:51 – Early carpentry, becoming an electrition, and building a house

15:40 – Growing up on a ranch, hunting, and climbing Devils Tower

17:54 – Climbing in Cody, ‘The Fuz’ climbing gang, teaching, and falling in love with climbing

21:45 – “You come to Lander, you gotta bring your own job!”

23:32 – Living with artists, ‘The Plague’, and Leif’s intro to training for climbing

25:46 – Lifting weights in college, and the rocket ship analogy

29:12 – Sticking with the training process, “it takes time”, and Leif’s first 5.14b

35:57 – Learning to stick with it, mental carry over, and testing to be an electrition

38:38 – Moving away from the trades, relating to blue collar workers, and starting SUBSTR8

42:04 – How Leif educated himself to become a better coach, remote vs. in-person coaching, and being receptive to critique

45:42 – The PCC

49:06 – The 75/25 rule, and designing skill drills

54:40 – On the wall tension building, crunches, and the shortcomings of limit bouldering

58:56 – Core tension, the posterior chain, and an example of building tension on the wall

1:02:39 – The benefit of having a specific goal

1:04:19 – The drill Leif learned from Kris Hampton at Power Company, and learning to create more tension through the feet

1:07:10 – Patron Question from Donovan: What should I work on to break into 5.13?

1:19:50 – Patron Question: How can I be a weekend warrior?

1:31:53 – Mini goals

1:34:31 – Patron Question from Tyler: Tips for non-professional climbers?

1:39:03 – Patron Question from Matt: Recommendations for someone who works a physically demanding job in the trades?

1:43:49 – Patron Question from Moritz: Leif’s weight when he climbed 5.14b?

1:45:38 – My restricting eating story, training heavy, and being an opportunivore

1:54:40 – Patron Question from Moritz: Can Leif do a front lever yet?

1:56:43 – Patron Question from Nolan: What does your warmup look like for a hard redpoint?

2:05:14 – Patron Question from Steve Bechtel: How did Leif deal with and get past a severe finger injury?

2:16:01 – ‘Strawberry Roan’

2:26:01 – Patron Question from Darren: Send goals or dream route in Lander?

2:31:11 – Patron Question from Darren: Does it feel like a disadvantage being a big dude pulling on small monos in Lander?

2:33:08 – Grateful for friends and family

EP 59: My Eating Disorder — Starving Myself to Climb Harder, and Lessons Learned Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

In this solo episode, I share my experience with an eating disorder. I talk about how an inaccurate DEXA scan and a desire to climb harder spiraled into body dysmorphia, failure, and shame. I also talk about what led me out of it, reframing the way I think about weight, key lessons and takeaways, where I am at now with weight and diet, and how I plan to move forward.

Support the Podcast:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/my-eating-disorder

EP 58: Carlos Tkacz — Lessons from Teaching, a Free Training Book, and Self-Publishing Sci-Fi Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Carlos Tkacz is a teacher, author, and lover of literature. He also lives in a van and climbs V13. We talked about many things, including a reading list given to him by his friend, impactful quotes, lessons learned from students, starting climbing in his 20’s and discovering training, writing a training book, self-publishing sci-fi novels, public speaking advice, and sharing ideas.

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/carlos-tkacz

Instagram Links:

@boulderbushido

@thenuggetclimbing

Nuggets:

2:35 – The record button

3:37 – Stickers and paintings

6:37 – Books from the reading list

11:16 – James Baldwin quote

12:38 – How Carlos uses Instagram

16:16 – ‘Turbulence’ and East of Eden

22:45 – Plans to go back to school for a Ph.D. in Literature, and living in a world of stories

26:18 – The moment Carlos knew he wanted to be a teacher

31:01 – Teaching Communication 101

34:54 – Public speaking advice #1, and the fight or flight response

38:38 – Public speaking advice #2

39:17 – “Drink deep or not at all.”

43:02 – Zen Buddhism, and being skeptical of little enlightenments

44:11 – “The sign of a true education is to be able to entertain an idea without believing it.”

47:50 – Mr. Ruff, and writing an editorial about gay marriage

49:33 – Two great stickers

49:54 – Living on public land in Bishop and taking a year off

52:05 – Quarentraining, and social connection through climbing

56:20 – Sending ‘Diabolique’ and becoming a climber at age 23

59:01 – Resonating with Patxi Usobiaga’s masochism in ‘Progression’

1:02:43 – Carlos’ climbing progression, ups and downs, and the broken pinky story

1:07:04 – Shifting to focusing on bouldering

1:08:03 – Early training iterations, Taco Bell + bananas, and moving the pieces around

1:11:20 – Writing a training book on accident

1:14:50 – The Japanese team, and top outdoor boulderers

1:17:25 – Jimmy Webb, gymnastics, survivorship bias, and structure as a tool for resilience

1:20:43 – Overview of ‘Training 102’ and Carlos training philosophy

1:27:31 – Drills, and higher intensity core exercises

1:30:17 – Rotating exercises and addressing weaknesses, and programming

1:32:39 – Training friends and testimonials

1:35:33 – What a typical week of training looks like, climb outside, and how Carlos trains within a year

1:38:35 – The nutrition chapter, eating disorders, Carlos’ experience with vegetarianism and veganism, and his current way of eating

1:41:36 – Eating the same thing every day

1:42:49 – Planning nutrition, eating more, and becoming more flexible

1:45:37 – The food industry and the unique challenge of balancing a healthy outlook on food and weight

1:46:25 – The ‘Light’ documentary, and finding the line

1:47:47 – Scarcity vs. opulence, discipline as a path to freedom, and Carlos’ upbringing

1:59:26 – Carlos’ Sci-fi novels, and writing a thousand words per day

2:04:03 – Two different types of creatives, and using his first few books as practice

2:05:05 – Plot overview of The Void Within

2:10:07 – Star Trek vs. Star Wars, Captain Pips, and Carlos’ conversion story and swearing off violence

2:11:51 – Losing the mental battle in Hueco, and making a trip to Roy

2:14:52 – Gratitude

2:17:00 – Excited with sharing ideas with students

2:20:40 – Where to connect with Carlos

Follow-Up: Emily Harrington — Sending 'Golden Gate', Shoe Tricks, and Pancakes (Teaser) Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Emily Harrington. We talked about her send of ‘Golden Gate’ in a day, finding flow state after a minor head injury, using two pairs of TC Pros to climb the Monster Offwidth, her recent trip to the VRG, how she has trained Adrian (her partner) to climb his first 5.13b, and favorite pancake toppings.

You can get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 36:17.

Learn more: thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups

EP 57: Dave MacLeod (Part 2) — Highlights From ‘9 Out of 10’, Flexible Programming, and Listener Questions Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

This is part 2 of my conversation with Dave MacLeod. We talked about key points from Dave’s book 9 Out of 10 Climbers, how he uses flexible programming to train around the weather in Scotland, his current carnivore diet experiment, and listener questions about aging, piles of eggs, disordered eating, fatherhood, Scottish climbing, and more.

Support the Podcast:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dave-macleod-part-2

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:04:10) – Why Dave wrote ‘9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes’

(00:11:09) – Using ‘9 out of 10’ to discover your own individual pitfalls, and why Dave has become more and more interested in lifestyle

(00:15:28) – Using your climbing partners as mirrors, changing your circumstances, and the shortcut to sending your project

(00:21:00) – Dave’s common pitfall—quality recovery

(00:22:25) – Productivity and the value of having a home wall

(00:26:30) – “Bouldering is king”, and how Dave fits indoor bouldering sessions around outdoor climbing

(00:31:47) – How Dave uses flexible programing for his training

(00:37:01) – Periodization as a tool for introducing variety

(00:38:52) – Fingerboarding on the same day as bouldering and Dave’s thoughts on which to do first

(00:40:33) – The “one-minute-per-move” rule

(00:42:40) – Patron Question from Adriel: Any advice for maintaining a positive growth curve as you age? What does Dave think the upper age limit is for hitting peak performance?

(00:48:23) – Dave’s take on how much protein to eat per day

(00:49:39) – Dave’s current carnivore diet experiment

(00:57:10) – Sport climbing on a ketogenic diet

(01:07:20) – Patron Question from Charizze: How many eggs make a pile of eggs?

(01:10:17) – Patron Question from Maria: How do manage the strength to weight ratio through diet, while avoiding falling down the rabbit hole of energy deficiency and/or disordered eating?

(01:16:42) – Patron Question from Mike: Dave, you’re a hero, but I’ll be honest, much of the climbing in Scottland looks chossy and overgrown. What crag should a climber from the US visit to correct that misconception?

(01:19:07) – What time of year is best to visit Scottland to climb, and the “24/8”

(01:22:23) – Patron Question from Laurent: How do you balance fatherhood and climbing? Any secret beta for a new father who’d like to keep improving at climbing while being present in his daughter’s life?

(01:25:59) – Patron Question from Eric: Any recommendations for injury-prone climbers?

(01:30:50) – Favorite discipline of climbing

(01:32:05) – Last meal

(01:32:39) – Recommended books

(01:36:24) – Advice for his 20-year-old self

(01:37:26) – Advice for his 30-year-old self

(01:39:52) – Defining climbing moments

(01:42:14) – One of the best decisions Dave has ever made

(01:42:54) – Gratitude

(01:44:21) – Excited to focus on climbing

EP 56: Dave MacLeod (Part 1) — Jumping Up 4 Grades in 18 Months, Fingerboard Rituals, and Nutrient Density Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Dave MacLeod is a professional climber from Scotland and might be the best all-around climber in the world. Dave also has two master’s degrees and has authored two books. We talked about improving from 13d to 14d in 18 months, the ritual of approaching the fingerboard, how to reduce the risk of tendon injuries, interpreting scientific research, nutrient density, and more.

Support the Podcast:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dave-macleod-part-1

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:04:26) – The hardest thing Dave has ever downclimbed

(00:09:06) – Downclimbing for climbing up?

(00:09:57) – Going from 8b to 8c+ (13d to 14c) in 18 months as an experienced climber

(00:17:06) – Dave’s thoughts on fingerboarding 6-days per week vs. 2-3 days per week with longer sessions

(00:21:57) – Becoming less sure about things as time goes on, and the endurance study example

(00:24:25) – Dave’s theory about level of effort as the key to finger strength gains

(00:27:42) – The ritual of approaching the fingerboard, and pouring your passion for climbing into every set

(00:29:23) – The binary nature of climbing

(00:31:09) – How important each of the three ingredients (fingerboard, circuits, running) were to Dave’s jump from 8b to 8c+

(00:34:58) – More details about Dave’s outdoor circuits

(00:41:08) – Accounting for elite climbers who train vs. just climb

(00:47:12) – Hanging straight arm vs. bent arm, and considerations for Golfer’s Elbow

(00:50:54) – Learning about tendon injuries for ‘Make or Break’, theories on why tendons fail to adapt, possible environmental factors (sunlight, blood sugar, and linoleic acid), and what Dave is doing to reduce his own risk of tendon injuries

(00:57:14) – Dave’s thoughts on linoleic acid and seed oils

(01:02:06) – Epidemiological studies vs. interventional trials and experimental studies, and eggs and red meat as examples

(01:15:58) – Looking at diet through the ancestral lens

(01:20:10) – Dave’s recommendation to focus on nutrient density (regardless of dietary preference)

(01:24:22) – Getting interested in nutrition because of weight and seeking simplicity

(01:25:52) – Fingerboard grip selection, my recent half crimp assessment, and Chirs Sharma’s crimp grip

(01:33:55) – Training difference edge sizes vs. sticking to a basic 20mm, and thoughts on small hold training (10mm and below)

BONUS: Blake Cason — Upcoming Retreats Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

In this bonus episode, I chat with Blake Cason about ClimbWell, and upcoming retreats for Spring 2021. Blake explains what ClimbWell is all about, who the retreats are for, what to expect from this 4-day experience, and talks about her fellow coaches and their vision for future events.

10% Discount Code:

“NUGGET10”

Learn More about Sign Up:

climbwell.co/retreat

Retreat Dates and Location:

April 8-11 in Veyo, Utah

(Second retreat has been canceled)