 In this episode, I talk with Coach Alex Stiger about the most common mistakes amde by climbers who are trying to break into 5.12 climbing. Sending 5.12 is the most common goal among her clients, so she has quite a bit of experience with the minutiae of what it takes to do that. She will share her personal experience of her first 5.12’s and what she learned from her trials and tribulations. She’ll then go into the mindset shifts that are required to jump into the coveted 5.12 territory, and how she helps people do that. While you might predict that strength training is one of the main tools Alex uses with her clients in this situation, it is not, as she says it is very rare to find a person who is climbing 5.11 who can not climb 5.12 with the strength they already have. So while we spend a few minutes talking about strength training, you’ll find compelling evidence in this episode that that may not be your issue. Here are some of the other topics we discuss: Why technique and staying calm are so important Honing the skill of resting How to decrease intimidation of the grade How to learn from your falling experiences How to have more of a competition mindset What to climb on in the gym if you’re trying to send 5.12 A better alternative to having a perfect pyramid before entering into 5.12 territory Why repeating climbs that are sort of hard for you is an important strategy We talk about a lot in this episode, and I highly recommend it if you’re at the 5.10 or 5.11 level, or if you’re just not consistently climbing 5.12’s and you’d like to. Even if you are climbing 5.12’s consistently, I think a lot of her tactics will help you! 5.12 Breakthrough Series Coach Alex Stiger is hosting a 4-part series all about how to break into 5.12 climbing. She will do 4 90-minute zoom calls starting January 17th all about what holds people back from sending 5.12 consistently and exactly what you can do to break your 5.11 plateau. The cost is $147 (2-payment option available), and you’ll get all of the recordings of the zoom calls plus a bonus recorded coaching session with one of the participants. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 5.12 BREAKTHROUGH SERIES   Show Links Enroll in Alex’s 5.12 Breakthrough Series Work with Alex as your coach Work on your nutrition with Neely Have questions? Email alex@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com 

The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

TBP 222 :: Breaking into 5.12 Climbing with Coach Alex Stiger

 In this episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I discuss the extremely important topic of crag etiquette. As more climbers join the sport and crags and boulder fields become more crowded, there’s a growing need for us all to be on the same page about who gets to climb when, how to communicate with each other, and what our expectations are of each other in general. This conversation’s purpose is to bring some difficult topics into the light and hopefully to help climbers understand each other better, have more tools to use with each other in sticky situations, and to–more than anything–help us all have an amazing and safe time climbing outside with each other. Here’s what we talked about: Communication a. Who’s climbing when b. For how long c. Permission to join bouldering crew d. Brush holds e. Beta sharing desires f. Encouragement desires Taking up space a. Yard sale b. Loud conversations c. Taking long time to get ready when there’s a queue d. Talking to belayers Impact on others a. Smoking b. Music c. Screaming performatively on climbs d. Wobbling e. Yelling at ppl for waiting for a route you’re currently on f. Dogs I hope this conversation sparks conversations of your own with your climber friends! Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt for 15% Off Work with Matt as your coach Do Matt’s Bouldering Training Program for 35% off Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com     

TBP 221: Good Crag Etiquette for Great Climbing Days

 In this episode, I talk with Coach Alex Stiger about the tactics she used to send Silky Smooth, 5.13c (8a+) in the Red River Gorge last week without training endurance beforehand. She went into the trip feeling like she had low endurance, in fact, but she used specific tactics to send the route in 7 sessions. There are a lot of little tips and tricks in this episode, and so many observations that Alex has made over the years about endurance climbing, including: Maintaining Composure Breathing Pump Management Nailing Sequences instead of Winging It Eliminating Fear Managing Discomforts Increasing Confidence Having Patience with the Process Dealing with Cold Weather Climbing Eating for Cold Weather Pumpy Climbing We actually spent quite a bit of time talking about making climbing in the cold more tolerable, so if you’re a cold-a-phobe like I used to be, this is a good one to listen to! I learned some things from this episode, and Alex is really good at calling out issues and then making very relatable, useful suggestions that you can put into practice right away. Show Links Get Alex’s Holiday Workshop Bundle Get the Route Climbing Program Holiday Discount Get the Bouldering Program Holiday Discount Work with Alex as your coach Work on your nutrition with Neely Have questions? Email alex@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com     

TBP 220 :: Tactics for Sending Long Pumpy Routes with Coach Alex Stiger

 David Farkas is a 49-year-old climber who works as the Adult Programming Manager at The Front Climbing Club in Salt Lake City, UT. He’s been climbing since 1991, and found himself in a bit of a slump with his climbing and nutrition when he signed up to work with me in 2018. After working together on his nutrition and him working on his climbing training with various trainers and coaches, he went from climbing 5.10 to 5.12 in about a year, lost some weight he’d been trying to lose, and found that his energy levels were much better. He also found relief with some digestion and skin issues he was having. In this episode, we talk about the struggles he went through before, during, and after working with me, and what kinds of things we changed about his diet and lifestyle to get him the results he wanted. He was living in a van at the time, so we talk about how to improve your diet even if you don’t have a kitchen of your own. David is one of my all-time favorite clients, and the results he’s seen are inspirational (but not abnormal when working with nutrition), so I asked him to share his story. I was impressed with his willingness to be vulnerable and honest about his journey, and I hope you love it as much as I did.   Work with Me on Your Nutrition I’m currently taking new clients, and if you’d like to work with me to improve your climbing performance, overall energy levels, digestion, and blood glucose, I’m here for you. We can do an hour session, a month session, or you can do my self-paced nutrition course: Nourish and add a single session onto that for more personalization. >>>Find Out More about My Nutrition Services 

TBP 219 :: How David Farkas Changed His Nutrition to Improve His Climbing

 In this episode, I talk about the pros and cons of the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting for climbers. In my sessions with clients I often get questions about these very popular diet tactics, so I wanted to lay out in plain terms what I see happen–both good and bad–when climbers try them. This recording is taken from my Nourish program, which is a self-paced online course I created for climbers to help them change their diet so they can improve their climbing, energy levels, sugar cravings, and digestion. Check out the program here. Work with Me on Your Nutrition If you’re looking for help with your nutrition and you feel like you need personalized coaching, I can work with you on an hourly or a monthly basis to help you increase your energy levels, improve digestion, and feel more satisfied every day. I also have a course just for climbers that is self-paced with 4+ hours of video from me, PDF’s, and meal plans laid out for you. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY NUTRITION SERVICES   Other Nutrition Episodes TBP 213 :: What to Eat at the Crag for Optimal Performance TBP 209 :: Calories for Climbing Performance and Body Composition TBP 190 :: Meal Timing for Climbing Performance and Recovery TBP 184 :: Carbs for Climbers – How Much, What Kind, Timing, and Why TBP 175 :: Protein for Climbers 101 – How Much, What Kind, Timing, and Why     

TBP 218: Intermittent Fasting and The Keto Diet for Climbers

 Kevin Roet is a climbing instructor from the UK who’s been teaching workshops on climbing psychology for about 7 years now. He recently wrote a book, Climbing Psychology: Mind Training for Optimal Climbing, all about the topic, and I wanted to have him on the show to talk about the things he most commonly helps people with in regards to climbing psychology. This was a really enjoyable conversation for me, not only because Kevin is a humble Brit who’s well-versed in this topic, but also because it’s one of my own favorite topics. We talked about how he helps people with the fear of falling, the fear of failure, and recognizing their negative mindset. We also went over the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, what exactly the flow state is, the psychology of pumped forearms!, and performance anxiety. We also discuss the overlooked importance of communication between belayer and climber, and how much that can affect your climbing negatively or positively. I hope this conversation helps you dive a little deeper into your own psychology, and maybe take some steps to work on your mindset in climbing.   Show Links Kevin’s website: riseandsummit.co.uk Get Kevin’s book in the UK here or in the US here Rise and Summit Instagram @rise_and_summit Work with me on your nutrition: www.trainingbeta.com/nutrition 

TBP 217 :: Kevin Roet on Climbing Psychology for Optimal Performance

 You may have heard me say that I’ve been doing some mental training coaching with Hazel Findlay this year to help with some fears and mental “blocks.” Well, it’s been so valuable working with her that I wanted to have her on the show to talk about some of the same things we’ve talked about in our sessions together. Hazel is a 33-year-old professional climber and mental training coach. She made a name for herself at a young age for her bold trad ascents, having been the first British female to send E9 (basically 5.13d but with death fall potential). She went on to be become the first British female to send 5.14b, and this year she did her first 5.14d (9a). She’s also done a lot of big wall climbing, having done the 3rd ascent of Magic Line (5.14c R, 8c+, E10). About 7 years ago, she began coaching after completing 2 coaching programs, and she’s been seeing clients ever since. This year she created an online program for climbers, which I took and highly recommend, called Strong Mind. And now, she’s offering the Strong Mind Community, which is an ongoing learning experience for climbers all about mental training. I wanted to have her on the show to talk about some of the most common things she sees that are holding climbers back mentally. We discuss the ins and outs of fear of falling, fear of failure, and social fears, and how she helps people work through all of them. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.   Show Links Hazel’s Strong Mind Course Hazel’s Strong Mind Community Hazels Instagram @hazel_findlay Skills and Drills Workshop with Alex Stiger 

TBP 216 :: Hazel Findlay on Overcoming the Most Common Fears in Climbing

 In the episode, I sit down with Coaches Matt Pincus and Alex Stiger to discuss how our coaching styles, confidence levels, and tactics with clients have changed over the years. Matt and Alex talk about their practices as climbing coaches and I discuss my practice as a nutrition professional. Some things we all have in common are that we’re less perfectionistic and rigid in our coaching now than when we first started, and that we focus on different facets of climbing or nutrition now than in years past. We also go over what we believe to be the most important values of coaching, like professionalism, honesty, and compassion. We also do a check-in about all of our big fall climbing projects, and some of us are doing better than others… ?   Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt Work with Matt as your coach Do Alex’s new workshop on Skills and Drills Work with Alex as your coach Work with Neely as your nutritionist Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com, alex@trainingbeta.com, or neely@trainingbeta.com       

TBP 215: How We’ve Grown as Coaches Over the Years (Matt, Alex, Neely)

 In this episode, Coach Matt Pincus talks about the most common advice he gives to his climbing coaching clients. He finds that he has really similar converations with many of his clients, so over the years he’s come up with 4 sayings that he elaborates on during client calls. We’re not going to get into the nitty gritty of sets and reps or specific ways to train in this episode, but you will likely find some nuggets that will help you Occam’s razor your climbing and training days. Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt Work with Matt as your coach Do Matt’s Bouldering Training Program Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com Train with Matt Coach Matt Pincus provides training plans to climbers of all levels from anywhere in the world. If you need help with your climbing strength, power, mental game, skills, or tactics, Matt can help you. He will sit down with you over zoom to find out your goals, your available equipment, and time restrictions and then create a month-long plan for you on the True Coach app. You’ll have access to Matt via email and the app for however long you work with him. He also offers one-hour consultations if you just want a few questions answered or to help you build your own training program. Find out more at the link below. TRAIN WITH MATT   

TBP 214: Matt Pincus’s 4 Most Common Pieces of Advice to Climbers

 In this episode, I talk all about what to eat at the crag and the couple days before going to the crag so that you can have all-day energy and climb hard. I know it’s tempting to just not eat all day at the crag so you can feel “light” and climb hard, but the truth is that we need food at regular intervals every day, especially when we’re trying to perform athletically at a high level. So I’ll tell you what foods to pack in with you, what kinds of nutrients to focus on, and how to structure your day so it feels doable to get all the food you need. Not only will this help your performance on that day, but it’ll also help you recover better so you don’t feel like you got hit by a truck the next day. This is a recording taken from a 5-day nutrition challenge I did in 2020 in front of a live zoom audience. I talked for about 15 minutes on the topic and then took a bunch of questions from the audience (very common questions, so they’re quite relevant). Nutrition Podcast Episodes in This Series TBP 209 :: Calories for Climbing Performance and Body Composition TBP 190 :: Meal Timing for Climbing Performance and Recovery TBP 184 :: Carbs for Climbers – How Much, What Kind, Timing, and Why TBP 175 :: Protein for Climbers 101 – How Much, What Kind, Timing, and Why   A Little about Me After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, I did a 4-year nutrition certificate program at Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment, and Healing. I graduated in 2007 as a Certified Integrative Clinical Nutrition Therapist. During those 4 years, I learned about not only nutrition, but herbs, homeopathy, and other alternative practices. I’ve been seeing clients since 2007 and I’ve worked exclusively with climbers since 2013. Nutrition Coaching with Me If you’re looking for help with your own nutrition and you feel like you need personalized coaching, I’m taking new clients right now. I also have a program that is self-paced with 4+ hours of video from me, PDF’s, and meal plans laid out for you. LEARN MORE ABOUT MY NUTRITION OFFERINGS   

What to Eat at the Crag for Optimal Climbing Performance

   In this episode, Dr. Tyler Nelson talks about his new insights about the longstanding use of the fingerboard to train finger strength in climbing. Once again, Tyler pored over the research and wants us all to know that there are limitations to how fingerboard training translates to actual rock climbing. He talks about the physiology of hangboarding and two potentially better ways to train finger strength. Tyler also wrote an article about this topic, which you can find here.   About Tyler Tyler owns and operates Camp 4 Human Performance, a chiropractic sports medicine clinic and strength & conditioning business in Salt Lake City. While earning his doctoral degree, he completed a dual program Master’s degree in exercise science at the University Of Missouri. While in graduate school he worked with the University of Missouri athletics department and currently is employed through two colleges in Utah. He is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and spends any extra time in his life with his wife and 4 kids or trad climbing or bouldering. You can find Tyler in Salt Lake City at his clinic, Camp 4 Human Performance, where he tests athletes, creates training programs, and treats all kinds of athletes for injuries.   Other Episodes with Tyler TBP 168: New Insights on Finger Training TBP 162: Dr. Tyler Nelson on Endurance Training for Fingers TBP 155: Dr. Tyler Nelson on High Volume Power Training TBP 149: The Different Roles of Stretching for Climbing TBP 133: The Simplest Finger Training Protocol with Dr. Tyler Nelson TBP 084: Injury Rehab and Blood Flow Restriction Training TBP 098: Isometric Movements to Prime and Test Your Body TBP 108: Bood Flow Restriction for Injury Healing and Performance TBP 118: Latest Technology for Finger Training and Performance Testing TBP 128: Surprising Methods for Healing Tendon Injuries TBP 186 :: Dr. Tyler Nelson’s New Injury Prevention and Warm-Up Protocol TBP 202: Dr. Tyler Nelson on Finger Injuries in Youth Climbers     Episode Links Article on this same topic Personal website: camp4humanperformance.com Take an online class with Tyler: camp4humanperformance.com/store Do a consultation with Tyler Instagram: @c4hp Facebook: @camp4chiropractic Learn More from Tyler: If you want to work with Dr. Tyler Nelson on an individual basis for injuries or strength training, he offers remote consultations to people all over the world. He also teaches online classes on strength training and injuries. Learn more.     Training Programs for You Do you want a well-laid-out, easy-to-follow training program that will get you stronger quickly? Here’s what we have to offer on TrainingBeta. Something for everyone… At-Home Training Program: trainingbeta.com/covid Personal Training Online:  www.trainingbeta.com/coaching For Boulderers: Bouldering Training Program for boulderers of all abilities For Route Climbers: Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities Finger Strength : www.trainingbeta.com/fingers All of our training programs: Training Programs Page 

TBP 212 :: Dr. Tyler Nelson’s New Insights on the Limits of Fingerboard Training

 In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus talks about the different kinds of “endurance” in climbing, and how to train each of them. We go over the anaerobic lactic system (power endurance), the aerobic system (long-form endurance), and the anaerobic alactic system (power) and the differences between them. Then Matt goes through some different training methods for each and how to incorporate those into your training program. I also selfishly ask Matt about what I’m doing to train endurance to get his opinions on it, which was super helpful for me.   Show Links Do an hour coaching session with Matt Work with Matt as your coach Do Matt’s Bouldering Training Program Have topics you want us to cover? Email matt@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com 

TBP 211: Matt Pincus Talks Endurance Training for Climbing

 This episode is a LITTLE bit different than all my others in that we’re going to be talking about training, but for a different species: dogs! So many climbers have dogs, and because climbing has gotten so popular in the past couple decades, there are more and more dogs at crags and boulders. Sometimes this is an amazing thing and sometimes dogs can be a little out of control. So I asked my dog trainer, Jenna Teti, to come on the show to shed a little light on some things we can do to get our dogs to behave better at the crag and boulders (and all the time). Jenna is the owner and Head Trainer & Behavior Consultant at Think Smart Dog Training out of Longmont, Colorado, where I live. She has a LOT of certifications in dog behavior, and here is her description of what she does from her website: As a behavior consultant, my goal is to go beyond teaching you and your dog skills. I work with the human client to help them better understand their dog and their behavior in a way that is informative and fun! With this deeper understanding of not just the individual dog but dogs as a whole, we can address behavior and approach it from a place of compassion and understanding that builds a stronger relationship with your canine companion as you work through the behavior modification process. Jenna has helped me a ton with our young heeler mix, Willa, by changing the way we approach training. We talk about that in this episode, along with crag behaviors such as being able to just chill while we’re climbing, not being reactive to people and dogs, coming when called, and more. I hope this helps you have a better experience outside climbing with your dog! Here’s my dog, Willa, trying to be a good girl at the crag ? More Details How she works compared to other famous dog trainers Difference between positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punitive training styles How to get your dog to chill at the crag and at home How to get your dog to relax without overexercising them Why she thinks it's fascinating that so many climbers have herding dogs How to improve the all-important recall ("come") with your dog How to train "leave it" for when your dog gets into something it shouldn't What to do instead of punishing a dog How much time to spend training each day Setting up an environment at the crag for success Her thoughts on e-collars Show Links Reach Program: www.trainingbeta.com/reach Reach Program Discount: Code “Reach” for $50 off the program Work with Jenna in person or online Email Jenna at hello@thinksmartdog.com Instagram @thinksmartdogtraining 

TBP 210 :: Crag Dog Training with Jenna Teti

 New Nutrition and Training Program: Reach Coach Alex Stiger and Neely Quinn are hosting an integrated climbing training and nutrition program starting on August 8th, 2022 for 4 weeks! If you want to up your game in nutrition and in climbing training (and learn more about what Alex talks about in this article), you can check it out in the link below. In the program, you’ll get a 4-week training program from Alex, a comprehensive nutrition course + one-on-one time with Neely, plus weekly live meetings with Alex and Neely and a lot more. As a podcast listener, you get $50 off the program using the code “Reach” at checkout. Use Code “Reach” at Checkout for $50 Off of Reach Calories for Climbing Performance and Body Composition In this episode, I talk all about how to figure out how many calories–how much food–you should be eating in your meals, snacks, and throughout each day in order to feel energized, climb well, and have the body composition that’s right for you. We’ll talk about how to objectively and mathematically determine what is a good calorie amount for YOUR body to help you be your best all day every day. As for the body composition portion of this episode, yes, I’m going there. This is a difficult subject because there’s so much anti-diet rhetoric out there that it’s almost sinful to talk about weight or fat loss at all. But MOST of my clients come to me wanting to lose weight, and they’ve been taught their whole lives how to do it all wrong. So my goal is to give people the same advice I give my clients: measured, sustainable methods for changing your body composition at a reasonable rate. I get pretty real in this episode and it’s not something I’ve really talked about much on this podcast before. I hope this real talk is helpful for you! This is a recording taken from a 5-day nutrition challenge I did in 2020 in front of a live zoom audience and I added some bits to the beginning and end about the topic. A Little about Me After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, I did a 4-year nutrition certificate program at Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment, and Healing. I graduated in 2007 as a Certified Integrative Clinical Nutrition Therapist. I’ve worked exclusively with climbers since 2013.   Show Links Reach Program: www.trainingbeta.com/reach Reach Program Discount: Code “Reach” for $50 off the program Episode on Carbohydrates Episode on Protein Episode on Meal Timing   Please Review The Podcast on iTunes Please give the podcast an honest review on iTunes here to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world.     

TBP 209: Calories for Climbing Performance and Body Composition

 Free Masterclass on the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Training and Climbing Next Tuesday we’re doing a free, live masterclass on zoom to talk about the 5 most common training and nutrition mistakes climbers make and how to avoid them. When: Tuesday, July 26th at 6-7:30pm Mountain Time Where: Zoom call Hosts: Alex Stiger and Neely Quinn What: 60-minute presentation and 30 minutes of Q&A from live audience: How to avoid common training mistakes How to avoid common nutrition mistakes How to make your outdoor climbing experiences more fun and productive Efficient training and nutrition methods *Masterclass will be recorded for anyone who can not make it to the live event. ​>>>Sign up for the Free Masterclass Here     TBP 208 :: Alex and Neely’s Biggest Nutrition and Training Mistakes In this episode, I talk with Coach Alex Stiger about our own biggest mistakes in climbing, whether they’re about training, climbing tactics, or nutrition. We both picked about 6 things that stuck out in our minds as WRONG, and we talked about what we’d do differently if we could and what people can do to avoid our own mistakes. We both talk about pretty vulnerable personal eating habits we’ve overcome that did not help our climbing. But we also talk about various forms of overtraining, undertraining, being stuck in our ways, getting injured from too much training, and lots of other stuff. This episode is sort of a preamble to our free masterclass on Tuesday, July 26th about the most common nutrition and training mistakes we see our clients making. You can sign up for that free event here.   Show Links Our upcoming free masterclass on the biggest mistakes our clients make Our upcoming 4-week joint nutrition and training program called Reach Have questions? Email alex@trainingbeta.com or neely@trainingbeta.com 

TBP 208 :: Alex and Neely's Biggest Nutrition and Training Mistakes

Hosted by Neely Quinn, The TrainingBeta Podcast is a weekly conversation with rock climbing's best and brightest. Pro rock climbers, climbing trainers, and other insightful members of the climbing community offer their experiences with training for climbing, the best diet for climbing, and their personal stories with climbing. Whether you're a beginner climber or a seasoned pro, you'll learn something new from these conversations.

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The TrainingBeta Podcast: A Climbing Training Podcast

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