EP 109: Martin Keller — How to Train on Rock, Your Subconscious Brain, and Lessons from 150+ Days on a Boulder

Martin Keller is a Swiss boulderer, climbing coach, and teacher, and is known for his long-term dedication to his bouldering projects. We talked about spending 150+ days projecting his FA of ‘Ninja Skills Sit’ V15/16, how to change our brain chemistry, how Martin trains on his outdoor projects, and how changing his mindset unlocked his hardest climbs.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/martin-keller

Nuggets:

0:08:13 – Martin’s “mini-epic” on ‘Ninja Skills Sit’ V15/16

0:14:02 – Finding inspiration in a project

0:17:55 – Martin’s first bouldering trip, and being a slow learner

0:23:28 – Preferring really cool projects to just sending another random climb, and asking what people like most about climbing

0:25:34 – Being able to jump up a grade when you find something that fits you

0:28:13 – Turning something ugly into something gracefully, and turning the impossible into something possible

0:35:03 – Do whatever resonates with you, and climbing lots of new things on trips

0:38:13 – Why willpower isn’t enough, and making your brain like what you do

0:41:28 – Your brain wants you to do easy things, and how to trick your unconscious into wanting to train

0:46:00 – How to get rid of cognitive friction, and tricks to make your brain want to go training

0:51:39 – How to use breathwork to ramp up the nervous system for training

0:54:20 – Long term vs short term stress

0:58:16 – Using light to upregulate the nervous system, and dimming lights before sleep

1:02:23 – How body temperature affects sleep, and avoiding screen time in the evening

1:03:59 – Food before bed, and including carbs with dinner to help with sleep

1:06:15 – What Martin does on his project when the conditions are bad, how he “trains” on his projects, and setting mini-goals

1:16:40 – The Russian mindset, why more isn’t always better, and the difference between us and the pros

1:20:52 – Why active rest days are important, why you should get a dog, and why doing good things for your climbing is also good for your life

1:26:13 – Opportunity costs, choosing priorities, and being flexible with your training

1:29:04 – Martin’s strategy for hard power endurance boulders, and bringing the sections of the boulder down to 80% effort (or 8 RPE)

1:36:13 – Martin’s latest project on the Highlander boulder

1:37:41 – Key Takeaway: Ask yourself what you really like about climbing and bouldering, and being proud of yourself for building a life around climbing

1:39:48 – Letting out the steam

1:42:32 – Why collecting excuses (explanations) can be helpful

1:45:13 – Martin’s story about berating himself on Ninja Skills Sit, and learning how to speak more kindly to yourself

1:51:13 – The example of spilling water on your laptop, and talking to yourself like you would talk to a friend

1:55:43 – Martin’s hamstring injury, sunk costs, and how irrational our brains actually are

2:02:01 – Figuring out what is important for yourself, and magic bullets

2:05:43 – Being the first one to bring a battery-powered van to the boulders

2:07:23 – How changing his mindset has helped Martin climb all of his hardest boulders after age 40

2:13:13 – The benefits of cold showers, and connecting dopamine to actions

2:20:16 – Patron question from Nicole: How does Martin deal with making negative progress on projects? When does he walk away?

2:36:05 – The pressure we create for ourselves

2:41:07 – How to connect with Martin

2:43:18 – Final words