The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

Latest Episodes:

TBP 038 :: Tom Randall on His Nerdy Training Methods Dec 16, 2015

Show notes

About Tom Randall

Tom Randall is one of the infamous Wide Boyz offwidth climbers from Sheffield, England. He's climbed 5.14 offwidth, trad, and sport climbs, and he's a professional climbing trainer as well. He and his team at Lattice Training put hard science and historical data from other climbers into their training plans and robust assessments of their clients. He's pretty nerdy, in the best way possible.

What We Talked About

His assessment of Seth's climbing strengths and weaknesses
How he works with clients
Training for crack climbing
Pinky crack drills
Free soloing 3,000 routes
Case study of bouldering client

Sample Assessment of One of Tom's Clients Intro to "Jack Daniels" Jack is a 34 year old climber who has always been told by his friends that he has good finger strength, but never quite seems to transfer it to his projects. He either gets pumped too quickly on sport routes that feel within his redpoint ability and falls off when the moves are continuously strenuous, or on long style boulder problems he hits "The power-out wall" at about 60 seconds. He'd like to understand what factors are limiting his physical performance. --> Assessment feedback for Jack Daniels Related Links

Lattice Training: www.latticetraining.co.uk
Tom Randall on Facebook
His coaching partner, Ollie
Tom Randall on Instagram

Training Programs for You

Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Thanks for listening!

TBP 037 :: Thomasina Pidgeon on Climbing V12 at Age 40 Dec 07, 2015

Show notes

Podcast is on iTunes is HEREDirect Download: LINKDate: December 7th, 2015

About Thomasina Pidgeon

Thomasina Pidgeon is a Canadian boulderer - one of the strongest Canadian female climbers, actually, having done over 40 boulders V11 to V12. She's also competed quite a bit, and been quite successful on national and international levels. She does this at the age of 40, all while living out of her van, which she's done since she was 19 years old, and while raising her 9 year-old daughter.

What We Talked About

Van life and being a mom
Her training regimen designed by Steve Maisch
What's different in her climbing now that she's 40
How she trains now vs before she started competing
Her success on a high fat diet

Related Links

Thomasina's website: www.thomasinapidgeon.blogspot.com
Thomasina on Facebook
Thomasina on Instagram

Training Programs for You

Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Photo Credit

Mike Chapman

Thanks for listening!

TBP 036 :: Steve Bechtel Interview #2 Nov 25, 2015

Show notes

About Steve Bechtel

I was honored and excited to interview the great Steve Bechtel for a second time. Steve is a long-time climber and trainer who knows his stuff when it comes to getting strong, catering to individual training needs, and staying lean, among many other things. Steve runs ClimbStrong.com, a website where he writes articles and training programs for climbers. You can subscribe to the site to get full access to all of his info. He also runs a gym in Lander, WY called Elemental Fitness, where he works with climbers and athletes of all kinds.

What We Talked About

What makes a good climbing trainer
Confusion about periodization
Confusion about finger training
Repeaters vs. Eva Lopez training
Climbing as training for climbing
Listener questions

Related Links

Steve's website, Climb Strong at www.climbstrong.com
Climb Strong on Facebook: www.facebook.com/climbstrong
Steve's gym in Lander is Elemental Performance and Fitness at http://lmntl.net
Steve's book about strength training on trainingbeta.

Training Programs for You

Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

TBP 035 :: Isabelle Faus on Sending V14 Nov 18, 2015

Show notes

About Isabelle Faus

Isabelle Faus is a 22 year-old boulderer out of Boulder, CO. (Yes, I know that a lot of my guests are from Boulder, but there are just so many amazing climbers here!) Isabelle climbed her first V14 in South Africa recently, and has done several V13's, including Nuthin' but Sunshine in a day. She also just started sport climbing and did her first 5.14a the other day. She'll tell you all about her climbing, training, and diet in this episode.

What We Talked About

Her bouldering career highlights
How her coach as a child taught her so much about training
Her weekly schedule for workouts and climbing
Exactly what her workouts look like
How she makes it work without sponsors
How she stays injury-free
Lots more

Related Links

Isabelle on Instagram: @Fausey
Isabelle on Island.io

Training Programs for You

Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

FrictionLabs Discount

FrictionLabs (my favorite chalk company by far) is offering you a discount on their awesome chalk - woot!

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Thanks for listening!

TBP 034 :: Justen Sjong on Improving Your Mental Game Nov 11, 2015

Show notes

About Justen Sjong

Justen Sjong is a prolific climbing coach out of Colorado, who's also had a successful climbing career, having established up to 5.14a big walls with none other than Tommy Caldwell, and crushing 5.14 sport climbs across the globe. He currently works out of Movement Climbing and Fitness in Boulder and does online coaching via www.climbingsensei.com. He has a thing or two to say about climbers improving their mental game and becoming better climbers overall.

What We Talked About

The difference between a climbing coach and a climbing trainer
When to say "take" on routes
How he coaches Alex Puccio
How to increase confidence, and why it's important
How your body language can influence your climbing performance
Lots more

Related Links

Justen's online climbing services: www.climbingsensei.com

Training Programs for You

Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

FrictionLabs Discount

FrictionLabs (my favorite chalk company by far) is offering you a discount on their awesome chalk - woot!

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Photo Credit

Andrew Burr Photography

Thanks for listening!

TBP 033 :: Will Anglin on Training Efficiently Nov 04, 2015

Show notes

TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes Date: November 4th, 2015

(Get 10% off Armaid by using "climb" at checkout.)

About Will Anglin

Will Anglin is a 27 year-old climber and head climbing trainer at Earth Treks in Golden, CO. He minored in Exercise Physiology in college and is a certified personal trainer, and he's studied climbing training quite a bit. He trains people in person and online. One of the reasons I wanted to interview him is that he's not only a well-respected trainer, but also a prolific climber himself, having sent V13 and 5.14.

He has a lot to say about training, and this was a dense conversation (in the best way possible).

What we talked about:

The importance of strength training
Difference between strength and power
His weekly training schedule during 50-60 hour work weeks
Whether or not you should train to exhaustion
Why he thinks using a weight vest during campusing is "safer" than not
Who should be campusing
Why he does weighted pull ups and why you should maybe not

Things We Mentioned

Will's website
Tension Climbing (coming soon)
Will's article on finger strength training
I'm doing nutrition consults one-on-one with people again on a limited basis. If you're interested, email neely@trainingbeta.com

Discount on ArmAid

If you haven't heard of the ArmAid yet, definitely give it a look-see. It's a nutcracker-type self-massage tool for your poor, overused arms, and it actually works.

We wrote a glowing review about it here. Use the code "climb" at checkout for a 10% discount!

Training Programs for You

Check out the Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.
If you'd like to place an ad on the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.

Please Review Us 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 ;)

Photo Credit

Thanks to Matty Hong for the photo of Jon Cardwell.

Thanks for listening!

TBP 032 :: Nathan Drolet (Average Joe Climber) Trains Smart and Climbs Hard Oct 05, 2015

Show notes

Date: October 5th, 2015

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About Nathan Drolet

We met Nathan Drolet in the Red River Gorge a couple years ago when his badass girlfriend, Natalie Hawley, was projecting 8 Ball while I was working on Snooker. We ran into them a lot over that season in the Red and in Chattanooga, where they now live.

What I noticed about Nate is that he's a calm, collected, strong, solid climber. He was obviously dedicated to climbing, having moved to the Red to work at Miguel's so he could pursue it full time. He's climbed up to 5.14a and V11, and he won the 2011 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell. And he's a really nice guy.

When I asked you all a while back for suggestions for "everyday climbers" (ie not pros) whose training has paid off, several people suggested Nate, so of course I had to interview him to find out how he does it.

What We Talked About

How he stays strong living on the road
How he uses breathing to create power and to relax
How he trained back flagging
His new interest in lifting and how it's changed his climbing
Whether or not he runs and why
Diet
Mental training

Training Programs for You

Check out the Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Thanks for listening!

TBP 031 :: Ben Moon on Training and Climbing Through The Decades Aug 20, 2015

Show notes

Direct Download: LINKDate: August 20th, 2015

About Ben Moon

Ben Moon is an iconic climber from England who's accomplished much in his 40-year climbing career. He's 49 years old and just sent 9a (5.14d) this year, after having put up the first of the same grade in 1990 ("Hubble" in France). He's bouldered up to V14, and he does all this while running a successful climbing company called Moon Climbing and raising a child with his wife. He also created the classic Moon Board and the Moon Fingerboard, designed for the stronger, more massochistic among us.

I wanted to talk to this legend about how he's achieved all of this, and he kindly granted me an interview. By the way, there are 2 Ben Moon's in the climbing world: this English Ben Moon and the videographer/climber Ben Moon who lives in the U.S. and recently made a video about Denali the dog.

What We Talked About

Here's what English Ben Moon and I talked about:

His history as a climber
Hubble, the first 8c+ ever, and how it got upgraded to 9a
Training for and sending 9a at age 49
How he trains in general
His thoughts on the Moon board and the Moon Fingerboard
Whether he's just genetically gifted or if he has to train hard
Training and projecting on a tight schedule
How he's doing on Northern Lights, another 9a

Related Links

Moon Climbing: www.moonclimbing.com
Video interview of Ben Moon on his recent 9a ascent of Rainshadow
Moon Climbing on Facebook

Training Programs for You

Check out the new Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Thanks for listening!

TBP 030 :: Jon Cardwell on How He Climbs Hard Routes and Boulders Aug 12, 2015

Show notes

Direct Download: LINKDate: August 12th, 2015

(Get 10% off Armaid by using "climb" at checkout.)

About Jon Cardwell

Jon Cardwell is a 26 year-old Albuquerque native living in Boulder, Colorado, who climbs 5.14d and V15, along with being one of the top male bouldering competitors in the U.S. He's a sponsored climber and also holds jobs as a route setter and youth climbing coach at Movement Climbing and Fitness in Boulder.

I've been hearing all about him crushing Rifle and the Fortress this year, so we sat down and talked about how he trains for that, what he's psyched on right now, and his plans to go back to France this year and finally do Biographie. He's a super humble, sweet and well-spoken guy, and I really enjoyed this conversation with him.

What we talked about:

How he trained for The Game (V15)
How he trains for hard routes
His attempt at Biographie (5.15a) this spring, and what he'll do differently next trip
His successful Rifle season this year, including 5.14a onsights
His unconventional use of the hangboard and campus board
How he gives back as a coach
His thoughts on diet

Things We Mentioned

Jon's Instagram
Jon's Facebook

Discount on ArmAid

If you haven't heard of the ArmAid yet, definitely give it a look-see. It's a nutcracker-type self-massage tool for your poor, overused arms, and it actually works.

We wrote a glowing review about it here. Use the code "climb" at checkout for a 10% discount!

Training Programs for You

Check out the Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.
If you'd like to place an ad on the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com.

Please Review Us 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 ;)

Photo Credit

Thanks to Matty Hong for the photo of Jon!

Thanks for listening!

TBP 029 :: Climbing Trainer Adam Macke on MAT and Weight Training Jul 29, 2015

Show notes

Date: July 29th, 2015

Climbing Magazine HUGE Sale!

==>> Get The Discount

About Adam Macke

Adam Macke (pronounced "Mackey") is a climbing trainer out of Chattanooga, TN. He works with people out of High Point Climbing and Fitness, which is a pretty new gym downtown. Adam has been personal training people since the early 2000's, and uses weight training and Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) to unlock climbers' potential. He's also a climber of 8 years himself.

His methods with people in training for climbing are quite different than other trainers, so our conversation was pretty interesting and out of the box.

To find out more about him, go to www.mackefit.com.

What We Talked About

How he differs from other climbing trainers
What MAT is and how it's helped climbers
Why fingerboarding isn't the best way to train finger strength
And what to do instead
Why campusing isn't the best way to gain power
And what to do instead

Links We Mentioned

Adam Macke's website: mackefit.com
High Point Climbing: HighPointClimbing.com
Anvil Crash Pad Rental in Chattanooga: AnvilCrashPadRentals.com
New Awesome resource for Route setters: TickTapeTighten.com

Training Programs for You

Check out the new Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.

Please Review The Podcast 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 ;)

Photo Credit

Photo of Adam Macke by Corey Wentz at www.coreywentz.com. Thank you, Corey!

Thanks for listening!

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