The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Dylan Barks is an elite-level boulder and sport climber, and a dark horse in the climbing scene. He sent ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, his first V16, just two weeks after this interview. We talked about how Dylan uses a spray wall for 95% of his training, how he prepares for both bouldering and sport climbing trips, and about recovering from an eating disorder to climb his hardest ever.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dylan-barksNuggets:4:00 – Vanlife pipedreams, Dylan’s work and school, and finding his groove climbing outside 7:05 – Being in both the competition and outdoor worlds8:30 – Bad haircut timing, and the alpine as a harsh and special place11:32 – How Dylan prepared for his trip to RMNP, and spray wall training for both bouldering and sport climbing14:11 – Dylan’s training philosophy, and why he uses the spray wall16:24 – The value of benchmarks, and mixing limit bouldering with perfect repeats17:58 – ‘A Day in Boone’, how Dylan has trained his capacity, and session format21:40 – The line between capacity training vs. junk mileage23:45 – Deep dive: spray wall session format26:32 – 60 move circuits, running, and pushing through vs. resting31:23 – Watching Dylan on ‘Wild Cat’, and his story about competing against Daniel Woods37:00 – Internalizing the feeling of a move, and bringing intention to all of your climbing39:17 – Sending ‘White Noise’, and finding another gear on this trip40:20 – Taking the lower grade, and being his own harshest critic41:32 – Where Dylan sees a lot of climbers going wrong in their training and improvement43:44 – Coaching Jon, and coaching the team in MI45:43 – Starting climbing at summer camp46:33 – ‘Southern Smoke Direct’, taking a hiatus due to an eating disorder, and the light at the end of a dark tunnel48:52 – Sharing about an eating disorder, and how Dylan’s struggle started 51:51 – Dysmorphia, and “Your body’s got it.”56:00 – A couple of paragraphs from ‘Weighing In’ 1:01:13 – Trusting the process, seeing things working, and the tricks our mind can play on us1:04:57 – Looking at old pictures1:06:04 – What 18-year-old Dylan needed to hear1:08:28 – Going to the hospital, rebuilding relationships, and turning things around1:10:48 – Mike, and “feed the beast”1:12:14 – Untapped potential for strength, and thoughts vs. actions1:15:08 – Navigating negative thoughts1:17:00 – Using your climbing and training as the main driver for body composition1:20:19 – Climbing ‘Arrested Development’ second try1:24:15 – Mindful climbing, and being in the present moment1:25:52 – Practicing mindfulness1:26:52 – If you could only do one more hard rock climb…1:28:35 – That “click”1:30:14 – Southern sandstone1:31:21 – Go-to climbing shoes1:33:02 – Warming up your technique1:34:35 – Trying ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’1:36:04 – School, and getting out his “ya yas”1:37:25 – Aspirations to be a pro-climber?1:39:01 – Vulnerability and the gift of sharing 1:40:10 – Gratitude, and meaningful connections

13 Sep 20211h 41min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Steve Maisch. We talked about the aerobic system and oxygen testing with Tyler Nelson, how to maintain climbing fitness during mountain biking season, my summer training program and my plan for the fall and winter, how Steve is preparing for his own trip to Hueco this winter, and we did a listener Q&A from our last episode.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 2:45:31.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing

9 Sep 202142min

Emil Abrahamsson is an elite boulderer, route setter, and YouTuber from Sweden. We talked about goal setting and projecting his first V15 as a V9 climber, the importance of psych and inspiration, experimenting with hangboarding two times per day, how to do one-arm pullups, sharing the experience of outdoor climbing through films, and making a living through his YouTube channel.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/emil-abrahamssonNuggets:3:11 – Building a van and planning a bouldering trip around Europe6:01 – My bouldering goals, Emil’s progression, and setting goals9:27 – Trying a V15 as a V9 climber, and how a lot of climbers stay “comfortable” at a specific level12:53 – ‘The Big Island’ 17:17 – Emil’s first day of climbing, struggling early on, and getting hooked19:38 – Alternating difficulty and volume goals21:32 – ‘The Queen Mother’ (Emil’s first 8B/V13 project in Stockholm), and the limiting power of expectations29:21 – Reflecting on ‘The Queen Mother’, and prioritizing psych and motivation32:00 – Felix37:13 – “Swiss Recruitment”, or the Swiss style of projecting41:00 – How Emil got into YouTubing, capturing the experience of outdoor climbing, and my impression as a viewer44:27 – Forgetting to charge the batteries, and the stress vs. fun of filming47:42 – Work-life balance when you love your work, and turning YouTubing into a career49:34 – How to balance capturing footage with training or performing, and capturing the good and the bad51:15 – Emil’s “No Hangs” hangboard video, and his caveat for training advice56:00 – Quick overview of the “No Hang” hangboard protocol, and Emil’s theory of why his fingers got stronger1:00:16 – We get most of our strength through climbing1:01:41 – 4x4s and other climbing games 1:04:10 – Training your strengths, and practicing weaknesses through climbing1:06:59 – How Emil structures his training, and embracing the stretching “pain game”1:11:49 – Turning challenges into positives, and the benefits Emil has noticed from stretching1:14:46 – Patron question from Florian about avoiding crimping early on in his climbing, and how Emil worked to improve his crimp strength later1:18:34 – How Emil rewired his brain to think, “Full crimps are comfortable. I can enjoy these.”1:19:32 – Emil’s crimp progression and current level1:21:53 – One-arm pull-ups, 4mm crimps, front levers, and getting weaker on purpose to get better at technique1:28:55 – Emil’s recommendations for progressing to a one-arm pullup1:33:41 – How Emil pronounces his name, and a Patron question from Flynn about training for indoors vs. outdoors and competing in World Cups1:41:12 – Flash training 1:43:44 – World Cup goals, and the flame of competition1:47:34 – What is one of the weirdest/worst training experiments that you’ve tried?1:50:24 – Favorite films, the critical eye, and the need for consistent content1:54:48 – Recommendations for new viewers1:56:35 – Emil’s dream collaboration1:58:17 – Gratitude2:01:03 – Finishing the van, and plans for Switzerland and Italy

6 Sep 20212h 2min

Boone Speed is a photographer, innovator, and was the first American to climb 5.14b with his route ‘Super Tweak’ in Logan Canyon, UT. We talked about Boone’s upbringing, discovering climbing in American Fork, most memorable routes and trips, bolting and training in the Hell Cave, creating the Grasshopper Board, and his vision for the future of artificial climbing.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/boone-speedNuggets:2:17 – The Paleo Diet, and Boone’s lunchables4:51 – Twitching on airplanes, and cutting out sugar6:09 – Being a picky eater as a kid6:47 – Growing up in Lindon UT, and the development of Silicon Slope8:11 – Working at the bronze foundry as a teenager, and Boone’s dad 12:48 – The expectations Boone’s parents had for him, and being proud of how he’s lived his life14:42 – Thriving in the chaos, and Boone’s beautiful and art-filled house15:35 – Boone’s sister, ‘Frequent Flyers’, and advice from his mom about raising his son21:07 – Ignoring bad behavior and praising good behavior22:20 – His son being surrounded by art, and getting into product design24:34 – How Boone got “bitten” by climbing, Smith Rock, and early “sport climbing” in 198627:17 – Ice climbing and telemark skiing29:32 – Climbing his first 5.13 in 1987, getting the power drill, and developing sport routes at Red Rocks33:33 – Studying photography and design at BYU33:59 – Hanging out in American Fork as a kid, and discovering climbing there37:04 – The Hell Cave44:37 – Milestones in The Hell Cave for Boone47:33 – The steepest crag in the world49:35 – Establishing the rest of Hell50:44 – The first snowbird comp, and getting validation from the guys in the magazines52:49 – Getting recognition, developing the VRG, and texting Ondra after he did ‘Necessary Evil’56:23 – Boone’s first climbing gym in a storage unit in 1987, and training by climbing every single day58:55 – Working at IME, Boone’s mom, and the structure of a photograph 1:03:12 – Climbing as a healthy addiction, and blending climbing with art1:06:31 – The photography Boone has in his house1:08:28 – The throughline of innovation, and creating stuff for themselves1:10:37 – The first crash pads, and climbing ‘Midnight Lightning’ with The Spot1:14:12 – The “need” that lead to starting Grasshopper1:19:14 – How I could train for ‘Just Do It’ on the Grasshopper board1:21:03 – My experience with training on a home woody, repetition as a path to mastery, and running laps in the Hell Cave1:23:18 – A day in the Hell Cave 1:25:17 – ‘Ice Cream’ in Hell1:27:57 – The two moments in climbing that have blown Boone away1:29:09 – The responsibility of pushing climbing forward, and passing the torch to Chris Sharma1:34:47 – Memories from a trip to China with Sharma and MC, and other favorite memories1:36:31 – Watching old climbing films with his wife Bailey1:37:23 – Working on Grasshopper with MC and Bailey1:43:45 – Addressing the climbing need, and installing a Grasshopper at a brand new HOA1:47:38 – Training on ergonomic vs. sharp and tweaky holds1:52:24 – What products Grasshopper is currently offering 1:56:21 – Creating products as an excuse “to make good photos again”, and finding product-market fit with the Grasshopper board2:02:06 – The route function2:10:12 – ‘Necessary Evil’, yoga, and strengthening2:12:57 – Tequila, surfing, wanting to perform, and using the board to stay within striking distance2:19:03 – What is standing between Boone and ‘Necessary Evil’, and Boone’s pandemic routine2:21:37 – How to be a fit 56-year-old2:24:20 – Yoga2:25:56 – Gratitude2:26:29 – Good things take time2:28:42 – How Boone and I met

30 Aug 20212h 31min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Nathan Hadley. We talked about his recent 10-day trip to RMNP, in which he sent ‘The Honeymoon is Over’ and flashed the ‘Gambler’s Fallacy’ on The Diamond. We talked about how Nathan prepared for the trip, how he and his partner Mike Kerzhner sussed ‘The Honeymoon’, and the day of the send.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:03:36.

28 Aug 202119min

Neely Quinn is the founder of TrainingBeta, and the long-time host of The TrainingBeta Podcast. We talked about Neely’s health journey and discovering paleo, not wanting a boss, why she decided to create TrainingBeta, lessons learned from hosting 160+ interviews, injuries and surgery, project piano pieces, kids vs. houses, and her new puppy named Willa.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/neely-quinnNuggets:2:30 – The other side of the mic4:11 – Singing and piano, and hating performing 7:21 – Connections between podcasting, climbing, and music10:00 – Not wanting a boss, creating TrainingBeta, and Neely’s background in the paleo world11:40 – Neely’s initial plan for TrainingBeta, and the podcast as an afterthought12:35 – Scratching her own itch, getting fired, and brainstorming16:48 – Downloads and reads, the weight loss topic, and my eating disorder story20:58 – How to talk about fat loss, and how to do that in a healthy manner24:09 – Writing a book about the paleo diet, Neely’s health journey, and the impact of food on health29:15 – Neely’s diet before paleo30:19 – Why Neely rarely recommends the paleo diet, and the individuality of nutrition coaching32:42 – Neely’s most common nutrition recommendations (carb sources, protein, and artificials)37:06 – Neely’s diet39:06 – Chocolate40:14 – Common symptoms that are often connected to food44:14 – How to think about doing an elimination diet (if you are having symptoms)47:44 – Patron question from PogoStickJoe: Efficacy from Collagen?50:34 – Probiotics53:48 – Neely’s nutrition coaching and program55:22 – Neely’s surprise at the success of the TrainingBeta podcast and blog56:56 – The early days, growing TrainingBeta, and different measures of success1:01:31 – Balancing a business with climbing1:02:27 – Commitment, and the entrepreneurial spirit1:04:46 – Top lessons that Neely has learned from hosting 160+ episodes of the TrainingBeta podcast1:07:54 – Mindset, self-improvement, and the early days of training content1:10:31 – Some of the training exercises that helped Neely get to be her strongest ever, and wrist curls1:14:02 – Injuries, handstands, and wrist surgery1:16:26 – The ebbs and flows of motivation, and learning to be kinder to ourselves 1:18:23 – Imposter syndrome, and being a conduit for information1:20:06 – ‘Tomb Raider’, and being enough1:20:53 – Depression, comparison, and putting things in perspective1:23:59 – Piano, music, and balancing passions1:27:24 – Reality TV, and the Bachelorette  1:28:36 – Children vs. house1:29:26 – Kids1:32:36 – Willa and projecting1:34:18 – Patron question from Howard: Favorite local gym and favorite front range crag?1:35:32 – Rifle and the Red River Gorge1:36:29 – Getting recognized at the crag1:37:45 – New stuff with TrainingBeta, and adult climbing teams1:39:56 – Gratitude1:40:51 – Upcoming climbing trips, and closing thoughts

23 Aug 20211h 45min

Christine Deyo is a professional route setter, and the former head route setter at the Austin Bouldering Project. We talked about Christine’s path to route setting, learning to be creative, setting challenges and games, the Fontainebleau circuit system, the responsibility of route setters, competitions, the role of diversity in setting, and the future of the climbing industry.Support the Podcast:thenuggetclimbing.com/supportBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingClimbWell Retreat:climbwell.co/retreat-rifleUse code "NUGGET10" for 10% discount!Show Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/christine-deyoNuggets:2:30 – Christine’s dad, and falling in love with bouldering4:44 – Why Oregon?6:02 – Studying biochemistry, unemployment, and discovering route setting9:38 – The Nightly Business Report on PBS11:58 – Christine’s early route setting education14:26 – How route setting qualifications have evolved, and what Christine looks for when hiring a route setter18:57 – Three notable chapters in Christine’s evolution as a route setter28:36 – What makes a good setter?34:33 – The circuit system at the Bouldering Projects36:33 – How circuits work in Fontainebleau41:22 – How grades work within circuits44:23 – Combining the circuit system with the training boards, and improving at climbing aside from strength47:10 – How Christine uses the circuit system for training purposes50:45 – Patron question from Tyler: What are your thoughts on parkour-style setting and balancing that with movement found on real rock?58:16 – Patron question from Joe: Are there ways to get setters around the world to collaborate more?1:03:17 – Patron question from Tim: Where do you draw inspiration from when setting routes? (Christine’s collection of note cards.)1:07:30 – Creativity can be learned, creating constraints, and route setting challenges/games1:13:01 – Tonde’s email, the responsibility of setters, and the role of diversity in route setting1:20:31 – Questions from Tonde: What value do female setters bring to a setting team? Why bother with diversity?1:26:28 – More questions from Tonde: Is setting art? Where is setting going? The future of setting for competitions?1:30:45 – The role route setters play in competitions1:44:52 – What is the value of route setters in the climbing industry?1:47:50 – Safety in route setting1:53:06 – Setter salaries, ages, and turnover1:56:54 – How we move setting forward as a profession2:02:03 – Christine’s tips for taking care of yourself as a route set2:09:04 – Christine’s career, and what’s next2:14:19 – Learning to set dynos2:19:55 – Gratitude

16 Aug 20212h 23min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Dru Mack. We talked about how his approach has changed since our first conversation, the process of sending ‘Life of Villains’ 14d, and how he used a hangboard to improve his power endurance for the route, intentional breathing, rest day adventures, recent books, new music, and the goal of 5.15.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 48:46.

12 Aug 202126min