EP 111: Jerry Moffatt — Being a “Crag Rat”, Developing Your Mental Game, and What the Top Climbers Have in Common

This is part 2 of my conversation with Tom Herbert. Tom shared some clarifications about part 1, we talked about the nervous system and the mind-body connection, how to relax before a session to improve your performance and power, how to turn off in the evenings to optimize recovery, and Tom shared about his childhood and ongoing struggle with anxiety from a chronic bladder issue.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportWe are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Bryan FastBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tom-herbert-part-2Nuggets:4:35 – Tom’s anxiety about this conversation, my bleached hair, and red bush tea7:30 – Clarifications from Part 1, more carb considerations, and keeping a training journal18:12 – What Tom is currently working on with Aiden Roberts, and reducing fiber to drop water weight24:45 – Alpha GBC supplementation for vegetarians and vegans, Tom’s experiment with climbing 30 days in a row, and lessons about hydration29:44 – The mind-body connection33:21 – Anxiety, butterflies in your stomach, falling in love, and the physical pain of heartbreak36:27 – Examples of working with clients with fear of specific foods, the mathematics of fat gain, and intellectual vs. emotional conversations39:49 – Phobias, catastrophizing, pain research, and looking upstream44:21 – Referring clients out to therapy48:31 – The hamstring test, and the connection between breathing and relaxation51:35 – “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, belly breathing, and the significance of climbing in a defensive (tight) state55:18 – Reset send, and how to relax before your climbing session to increase your passat reserve59:32 – “You have control over your mental state through your body”, the bidirectional influence of the nervous system, and heart rate variability1:03:05 – How the parasympathetic state opens up opportunity, and the effect of imitating different postures (the Shawshank pose)1:08:48 – Belly breathing for more passat1:11:23 – Bracing vs creating tension1:15:09 – Practicing turning tension on and off1:17:31 – Strong First and creating inter abdominal pressure1:18:43 – Sending the appropriate signal for your session, and how to prepare for powerful climbing1:24:41 – Replenishing the creatine phosphate system1:26:40 – How to turn off at the end of the day, and improve recovery1:31:07 – Tricks for sleep, sleeping posture, and self-massage (knuckling)1:35:15 – Tom’s foam roller ab stretch1:37:37 – Where your mind should be during the evening breathing practice, and rewiring your brain patterns1:40:35 – EMDR and brain spotting, and moving your eyes during your climbing session1:49:39 – Opening our field of vision, and why we feel relaxed in nature or at the ocean1:51:26 – How to increase power by marching in place, and climbing open1:53:09 – My plans to try EMDR on Eternia 1:55:05 – Tom’s childhood2:00:21 – Moving to the UK to become a techno DJ, and  getting into debt2:02:31 – Living off of milk and protein powder, getting kidney stones, and urinary urgency2:04:52 – Trapped in a small world2:08:20 – Empathy and patience for others2:10:50 – Life is chaos, losing his sister, and turning 402:15:35 – Causing ripples and creating freedom for other people2:19:10 – Doing things just because they are fun2:21:07 – Going back to pole dance2:22:54 – Good days and bad days, and moving in a better direction2:24:45 – Hoping to start working with people in person again, and 2022 plans for usefulcoach

1 Marras 20212h 32min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of my second Follow-Up with Natasha Barnes. We talked about how each of us has changed as climbers from gaining muscle mass, how Natasha balances training for climbing with powerlifting, how powerlifting has made her a more patient athlete, encouraging vs. forcing adaptation, separating performing and training, and each of our climbing goals.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:16:25.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingNatasha's other episodes:EP 32: Natasha BarnesFollow-Up: Natasha Barnes (our first one from April 2021)

28 Loka 202122min

Tom Herbert is known as the usefulcoach, and is a leader in climbing sports nutrition. We talked about common themes in clients he works with, his philosophy of getting climbers to eat more calories to support a higher training volume, muscle protein synthesis, carbohydrate recommendations and timing, food quality, leucine supplementation, and much more. Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportWe are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Bryan Fast (he's the first one!)Become a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tom-herbert-part-1Nuggets:5:37 – The ambiance of Boulder, CO6:41 – Tom’s night at an outdoor club8:39 – The ClimbSci podcast (Tom’s old podcast project)10:23 – How Tom’s nutrition approach has changed since the ClimbSci podcast days, and seeking critique on Reddit12:30 – How I connected with Tom via Hazel Findlay, and my goal for this conversation15:04 – Who is Tom Herbert (@usefulcoach), and getting climbers to eat more to get more out of life19:45 – Common themes in the clients Tom works with22:56 – How climbers tend to eat the least amount of food they can get away with, and the weight of food and water 27:36 – Book recommendations are not real life, and Tom’s experiment with a cycling diet of very high carb30:56 – Michael Phelps, and Tom’s central message of eating more so we can do more training38:34 – Weight vs. lean mass and body composition44:53 – Gaining lean body mass while training47:45 – Progress in your training plan as a prime metric50:53 – My experience with being stronger and lean but “fluffy around the middle”, Tom’s experience working with physique athletes, and breaking down the ideals we have in our heads as climbers55:47 – The disconnect between looking badass and being badass, and “we tend to want to look like we climb harder than we actually climb.”58:35 – “Is this everything I can do with my body?”, “Am I doing everything I can do to be healthy?”, and excepting our bodies1:01:33 – Fat loss is not a linear process1:02:24 – Aidan Roberts’ DEXA scan, and the cost of dieting1:06:34 – Accounting for different bodies looking different at the same body fat percentage, and the selection bias of naturally lean people in pro climbing1:10:42 – Tracking absolute strength, and focusing on improving the quality and the volume of your training over time1:14:57 – Staying the same weight at higher calories, and reaching a new homeostasis if you do increase weight1:17:44 – My experience with gaining weight, finding a new homeostasis, and getting stronger than ever before1:20:20 – Energy availability, and how many calories Tom has his athletes eat on a rest day and training day (using me as an example)1:29:17 – Protein, muscle-protein synthesis, and eating protein 4-5 times per day1:37:57 – Tom’s thoughts on my daily protein intake1:40:29 – Waving carb amounts, and Tom’s recommendations for me for daily carbs1:44:21 – Saturating the climbing/training session with glucose, and the benefits of a low carb dinner1:51:28 – Tom’s thoughts on carb backloading1:57:08 – Two questions about carbs, and the main 2 reasons why Tom likes to wave carb amounts2:04:20 – Summary of Tom’s carb strategy, and thoughts on skipping breakfast 2:06:28 – Food quality2:08:12 – Patron question from Tyler: Thoughts on protein powders and artificial flavoring?2:13:19 – Why Tom doesn’t like BCAA’s2:15:51 – More on food quality and nutrient density2:20:49 – Seed oils2:22:19 – Tom’s stance on meat and animal products2:24:34 – Beans, legumes, and anti-nutrients2:27:06 – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)2:31:34 – Gratitude

25 Loka 20212h 35min

Craig DeMartino is a rock climber, motivational speaker, and teacher. His life changed in 2002 when he took a 100-foot ground fall. We talked about Craig’s accident and recovery, the decision to amputate his leg, climbing harder than ever after the accident, doing El Cap in a day, dealing with chronic pain, teaching adaptive climbing, and embracing a new normal.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/craig-demartinoNuggets:3:28 – El Cap, Craig’s son, and owning what you like6:09 – His kids catching the climbing bug, and watching sports from the sidelines8:12 – Adaptive sports, ball sports, and exploring sports outside the box9:30 – Bouldering with a prosthetic leg11:30 – Craig’s recent broken foot15:23 – Trauma, avoiding getting hurt gain, and the hardware in his foot17:00 – Being in Estes, relistening to EP 11 of the Enormocast, and sitting down in person20:30 – Craig’s accident36:05 – Waking up in the hospital, moving to an assisted living home, and eventually returning home42:52 – The human body is amazing43:51 – “Fuck it. I’m gonna cut my leg off and see what happens.” -Craig DeMartino54:40 – “Who am I in this new form?”56:04 – The barking dog, and the human barometer58:42 – Pain and visualization1:02:05 – Being honest about the ups and downs, and moving away from the accident1:05:03 – New identities, and Hugh Herr1:06:00 – “I would never change it”, and finding purpose in teaching adaptive sports1:11:06 – Craig’s life before the accident, helping people now, and inclusivity1:15:22 – Being a climber first, and the first all-adaptive ascent of El Cap1:16:40 – Helping trauma patients find flow state through climbing1:19:56 – Working through triggers and PTSD1:22:56 – Craig’s recovery status1:24:55 – How to hack the perspective without the injury, and how Will’s (Craig’s son’s) coach Mikey influenced him1:29:15 – Question from Chris Kalous: “Why do you swear so much, Craig?”1:31:54 – Patron question from Tyler: What made your story so captivating when you shared it on the Enormocast?1:35:35 – Talking with Steve and remembering the accident, and going back to ‘White Man’1:38:52 – Rannveig’s story, self-blame, and moving forward1:41:48 – Patron question from Graham: How can people in the helping professions provide better opportunities for empowerment for people with disabilities?1:47:23 – Patron question from Levi: How could we go about making a centralized group for adaptive climbers?1:51:07 – How to connect with Craig1:52:00 – Patron question from Andrew: Have you tried custom prosthetics for a specific move or route?1:55:54 – Craig’s quiver of legs, and our amazing feet1:58:24 – Patron question from Eli: What have been some of the hardest lessons, and best and encouraging ones since your fall?2:00:40 – “When you get up there, don’t take no for an answer.” - HK2:01:56 – Rock climbing is hard, and explaining rock climbing to your Grandma2:04:04 – Patron question from Eli: What advice might you have for other climbers with kids?2:09:09 – Most meaningful climbs since the injury, speed climbing El Cap with Hans Florine, and sport climbing with Cindy (Craig’s wife)2:16:30 – Climbing his hardest after the accident2:19:18 – Sending ‘Dirty Smelly Hippie’, soft grades, and feeling confident at 12d2:23:16 – The steep style of the Red, climbing with one leg, and Tommy Caldwell as the most famous amputee2:26:55 – Patron question from Ken Klein: Moving to Puerto Rico, what will you miss most about the Fort Collins scene? How has it evolved in your time there?2:28:53 – Continuing the work in Puerto Rico, and chasing shorts weather2:32:54 – Why Craig hates pants2:34:44 – What Craig hopes to still accomplish in his climbing2:36:48 – How the experience of climbing scales2:37:58 – Grateful for opportunities2:39:00 – We are all struggling with something2:41:38 – Life is fluid

18 Loka 20212h 43min

Josh Wharton is one of the most badass climbers you’ve never heard of. He does it all at an elite level. We talked about tips for hard flashing and onsighting, how alpine climbing relates to rock climbing, training to flash El Cap, the value of taking risks in life, being a climbing parent, climbing in Pakistan, how to find an adventure without flying overseas, and the benefits of stiff shoes.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/josh-whartonNuggets:3:55 – Josh’s age, and physical vs. technical/tactical progression5:40 – How Josh manages to be such a good all-arounder and still climb 5.149:13 – Trying to do every route in the Black Canyon and Rifle 11:42 – Uber loc(al)s, and using obscure easy routes to prepare for big mountains13:02 – Josh’s flash and onsight ability, tips and tricks, and climbing with a lot of confidence17:01 – How to get better at onsighting and flashing18:49 – Why Josh made the decision to stop redpointing routes he knows he can do20:11 – Overlapping flashing or onsighting22:30 – Josh’s go-to schedule for combining onsighting with projecting on a trip24:22 – How being a parent has changes Josh’s climbing priorities, rock climbing and alpine climbing as different sports, and the rewards of alpine climbing30:53 – “Everything is training, and nothing is training”, and alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies35:43 – Having dinner with Barry Blanchard37:03 – A message from Jonah, and what Josh has learned from each type of climbing40:26 – Variety as a source of motivation42:20 – A glimpse into Josh’s experience climbing Wheeler Peak48:04 – Patron question from Timothy: Why did Josh climb in the Black Canyon so much? What routes had the biggest impact on him? 54:03 – Latok and Ogar56:21 – The cost of a trip to Pakistan59:48 – What a trip to Pakistan looks like, and “Expectations often define an experience.”1:01:17 – More about Latok1:03:50 – How Josh would prepare for another attempt on Latok1:09:02 – Sport dry tooling, and winning the Ouray Ice Fest three years in a row1:12:48 – Learned about training from dry tooling competitions1:16:27 – The evolution of Josh’s training, and principles of training1:22:05 – The secret sauce1:25:02 – Josh’s training staples, and working with Lattice1:29:54 – Getting away from having to perform well every time you go climbing1:32:24 – Prioritizing climbing vs. training1:33:24 – Josh’s 60-degree campus board (joke), and how the Lattice training is going1:37:04 – Josh’s goal for 2021 (try to flash Freerider)1:39:55 – How Josh set the boulder problem on Freerider to spec1:41:37 – Preparing for the Monster Offwidth1:43:50 – Yuji’s article about trying to onsight El Cap1:45:14 – Patron questions from Henry: How much has parenthood reduced your tolerance for risk?1:50:55 – Hera, and Josh’s parallel universe in the NBA1:52:40 – Using climbing as a tool for travel, and more about climbing as a parent1:55:26 – Josh’s early climbing with his dad1:57:16 – Patron question from Garret: Any CO areas that don’t get the respect they deserve?1:59:12 – Patron question from Randall: Favorite zone or route in Montana? Other favorites in the States?2:02:10 – Patron question from Benjamin: Thoughts on the new Scarpa Boostic?2:05:35 – Shoe stiffness for Rifle, and analyzing the soft shoe trend2:07:42 – Shoe sizes, and Josh’s shoe plan for Freerider2:10:03 – Patron question from Benjamin: If Josh could only climb in one discipline for the rest of his life, what would he choose?2:10:41 – What’s next for Josh?2:14:55 – Gratitude

11 Loka 20212h 16min

In Q&A 3, I tackle patron questions about my two most successful winters of training on my home wall back in Bend, how my training has evolved and what it looks like now, how to maintain strength while living on the road and climbing full-time, advice for nomadic living, life mottos, try-hard mindset, hair dye, M&Ms, singalong jams, and much more.Become a Patron:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing One-On-One Consultations:thenuggetclimbing.com/coachingShow Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/qa-3Nuggets:0:00 – Q&A 3 overview, and info about Patreon and one-on-one consultations5:05 – Faelan’s Question: Lessons from two winters of training on my (Steven’s) home wall, and my best week of climbing ever16:20 – Andrew K’s Question: Have you ever visited The New or other east coast crags? What areas do you dream of visiting?17:44 – Jimmy’s Question: How much running should someone do for sport climbing to build cardio?20:39 – Joe’s Question: Am I limiting myself by only climbing near home in Tahoe? Which areas should I travel to in order to grow the most as a climber?25:03 – Joe’s Question: Any advice for me as I pursue a new video project and start creating content?28:19 – Andrew W’s Question: Why have you struggled to make gains in your training in the past? How has your training evolved? How do you train now?35:30 – Andrew W’s Question: Tips for building and maintaining community while living on the road?38:08 – Andrew W’s Question: Do you have a quote or motto that best describes your approach to living?41:26 – Casey’s Question: Any advice for training/maintaining strength while living on the road?48:42 – Clay’s Question: How do you think about the question, “How do you think about that?”51:19 – Casey M’s Question: Did you really dye your hair blonde? Why not purple?52:44 – Casey M’s Question: Any person totally non-climbing-related that you would love to have on the podcast?55:52 – Casey M’s Question: Have you ever absentmindedly picked all of the M&Ms out of someone else's trail mix? 56:19 – Casey M’s Question: You are riding in the car with a friend and you are the DJ: what do you pick to sing along to?57:23 – Casey M’s Question: What mindset do you try to channel when trying hard?59:00 – Casey M’s Question: When will you start trying to do stunts in videos? Can we send you skateboard tricks?

4 Loka 20211h 3min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Allison Vest. We talked about her sends of ‘Throwin’ the Houlihan’ and ‘Rodeo Free Europe’ (both 5.14a) at the Wild Iris, how she trained her fingers for the savage monos, stories and laughs from her road trip with Alex Johnson, rapping, reciting the Periodic Table of Elements in under 45 seconds, music collaborations, and much more.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 53:16.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

30 Syys 202115min

Ben Ditto is a professional climber and photographer from Bishop, California. We talked about Ben’s upbringing and early climbing, competing against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell, falling in love with the mountains, Dynafit dangling and near-death experiences, advice for aspiring photographers, The Adventures of the Dodo, and climbing ‘Father Time’ with his wife Katie Lambert. You can learn more about Ben at bendittophoto.comSupport the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ben-dittoNuggets:3:26 – Filming a car commercial4:54 – Ben’s studio, and staying interested in learning new things6:58 – Ben’s photography, Instagram captions, and visual storytelling9:18 – Getting started in photography, Ben’s first camera, and photography as a ticket to freedom11:42 – Pursuing a life that doesn’t fit in a box, growing up in Chattanooga TN, and Ben’s dad16:01 – Early climbing19:34 – ‘Scared guy’24:18 – Hunter S Thomson quote, “the edge is still out there.”25:05 – Belaying his dad, improving, getting into competition climbing, and flying to San Francisco34:54 – Failing to perform well on a national stage, and competing at Mission Cliffs against Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell39:09 – Early sponsorships42:28 – Moving to Salt Lake, working at the Patagonia store, and falling in love with mountains44:46 – Climbing in the Wasatch, climbing with heroes, American Fork, and finding a different crew50:28 – Career choices, going with what feels natural, and delaying big decisions53:38 – Making stuff, trade booths, getting back into photography, noticing the impact we have on the planet, studying photojournalism, and learning by managing other photographers1:01:30 – Ben’s advice for aspiring photographers1:05:22 – Patron Question from Elliot: How to take photos while alpine climbing? 1:08:01 – Behind the scenes of great alpine photography1:10:40 – Climbing and photography as separate things1:13:38 – Patron Question from Tim: What location or climber are you most proud of photographing?1:18:55 – ‘Dynafit dangler’1:32:48 – Processing risk and death, and “You owe it to your climbing partners to really want to be there.”1:38:01 – Stacking the odds in your favor, and being involved in search and rescue1:44:17 – Driving as a pet peeve, and environmental considerations1:47:17 – The Wild Bunch1:57:11 – Harmonica, traveling solo in Patagonia, and sailing to Greenland2:04:20 – ‘The Adventures of the Doto’2:10:32 – The group’s current adventures2:13:29 – Climbing ‘Father Time’ with Katie, and the strategy vs. ethics of big wall free climbing2:30:16 – Relaxing after the climb, and difficulty of the route2:34:08 – Beefing up the resume, and jumping into the commercial world2:38:11 – Gratitude, and plans for a trip to the South2:40:24 – Update on my climbing, Ben’s website, and working on accident reports

27 Syys 20212h 49min