The Nugget Climbing Podcast

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Drew Ruana. We talked about his process of sending 'Box Therapy' and 'Creature From the Black Lagoon', as well his process projecting 'The Grand Illusion', and plans for summer training.You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 18:34.

29 Okt 20208min

This is part 2 of my conversation with Tonde Katiyo. We talked about RIC (Risk, Intensity, Complexity) as a tool for communicating about difficulty, about the appropriate responses to different types of bouldering challenges, about the value and importance of route setting in a growing industry, about The Lab, and keeping training in perspective.  Support on Patreon:  patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tonde-katiyo-part-2  Nuggets:  2:18 – RIC (Risk, Intensity, Complexity) as a tool for communicating about difficulty, and athletic empathy  10:39 – More about RIC and the appropriate response/attitude for each  20:22 – “We need to do better for setters”  29:26 – Drawing comparisons between setting and the restaurant industry, and indoor climbing as a soon-to-be billion-dollar industry  37:56 – The Lab  48:40 – Gratitude for the partners who support us  51:07 – Excited about climbing  54:31 – Recent favorite music  57:44 – Climbing projects  1:04:43 – Tonde’s request, and keeping training in perspective

26 Okt 20201h 13min

Tonde Katiyo is a professional route setter, a passionate climber, a father, and a coach. His mother is French and his father is Zimbabwean. We talked about the connection between route setting and coaching, about coaching Nathan Hadley, Sean Bailey, and Margo Hayes, about his discrimination and privilege resumés, about exposing his kids to risk, and about making better climbing to make a better world.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/tonde-katiyo-part-1  Nuggets: 3:10 – The joys of parenting  4:34 – Tonde’s shitty gym session, the ratio of “good” to “bad” sessions, and collecting bad sessions  7:01 – Getting back in shape, Tonde’s “Level 1” goals, and climbing with Nathan Hadley  8:50 – Tonde’s current role at the Bouldering Project  9:56 – Getting hired, Tonde’s dream world, and the happy accident of circuit setting  15:05 – The problem with treating climbing grades as a fixed measurement  17:50 – Being talked into coaching Nathan Hadley, Sean Bailey, and Margo Hayes  22:16 – Tonde’s inside joke, emotion and intention, and speculation as to why those three athletes saught coughing from Tonde  24:42 – Learning to apply the appropriate amount of effort, the complexity of climbing, the mental and emotional boxes, and tweaking dials on the switchboard  29:34 – Learning who people are, and learning to say exactly the right thing at exactly the right time  32:13 – Tonde’s competition background, and how his experience competing and route setting has informed his coaching  36:39 – Asking competitors interesting questions through route setting, and the hand jam scandal  40:44 – Tonde’s training camps, the role of route setting in coaching, and helping athletes work through frustration and other emotions  48:03 – “How do you feel?”, and answering that question with honesty  51:34 – Working with Nathan on his footwork  56:14 – “Your climbing should resemble your personality”  58:44 – When our personalities work against us, winning competitions on your weaknesses rather than strengths, and the inconveniences of competitions vs. those of outdoor climbing  1:03:16 – Tonde’s discrimination and privilege resumes (see show notes for links to his Instagram posts)  1:13:20 – Patron Question: With the BLM protests and social change going on right now, has Tonde seen climbers trying to be more inclusive? Could we get some examples of people employing some good tact and also some bad tact?  1:18:59 – Hoping for a more tolerant world for his kids, and “better climbing makes better people, and better people will make a better world.”  1:23:14 – Patron Question: I would love to hear Tonde talk about being a dad, and also someone that participates in a potentially high consequence past time. How does he manage progression and risk of injury? How does he look at risk for himself, and how does he prepare to take on more risk to move the bar up a notch? How does he manage risk for his kids, and how does he introduce them to it in a healthy way?  1:30:55 – How Tonde thinks about introducing his kids to climbing, and hoping they find passion (even if it’s crocheting)

19 Okt 20201h 35min

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up call with Ethan Pringle. We talked about surfing, about the stories we tell ourselves about what we can and can’t do, about the biggest difference between Adam Ondra and everyone else, about Ethan’s projects in Northern California, and about my recent projects in Ten Sleep. You can support the podcast and get access to follow-up conversations for $5 per month on Patreon at patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing. The full version of this follow-up call is 51:13.

16 Okt 202018min

Matt Fultz is a professional climber who is at the top of the bouldering game right now. We talked about sending ‘Hypnotized Minds’ V16, a typical day of projecting, deadlifting for finger strength, prioritizing strength before weight, practicing like you play, Mad Rock shoes, using your build as a gift, and starting OTG Strength with his wife Hailey.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-fultz  Nuggets:  2:22 – The send McFlurry, and a well-earned “cheat day”  5:06 – ‘Hypnotized Minds’  5:41 – Matt’s active rest day before a project day, and warming up for V16  8:52 – Raising your body temp before climbing  9:39 – Splitting time between projects, active rest days in the gym, and crimping on Hypno  11:22 – What a project session looks like, and “I always go by feel”  14:01 – What the send session looked like, Matt’s send temps, and “the colder the better”  15:28 – Using your build as a gift, scrunch power, and working on weaknesses while taking advantage of strengths  18:22 – “Strength comes first”  18:52 – Balancing performance with training  21:38 – “Practice like you play”, climbing on boards, the role of weight lifting, and “the most important thing is climbing”  23:48 – Matt’s go-to weight-room exercises, and a teaser for OTG (more later in the episode)  24:03 – Deadlifting w/ Tension Blocks vs. hanging from a hangboard  26:48 – Matt’s grip selection for finger training, and grip training frequency (Off Season: every other day. Performance Season: once or twice per week)  29:07 – How Matt decides between the different boards he climbs on  30:52 – The importance of a strong support system  33:10 – Matt’s trip to Australia w/ Jimmy Webb, Paul Robinson, and Nalle Hukkataival, and bouldering with a new level of detail  35:07 – Nutrition timing, and planning meals around climbing, or vice versa  37:08 – Matt’s pre-workout meal  38:37 – The Mad Rock ‘Drones’  42:16 – Drones sizing (about 1.5 to 2 US sizes down from your street shoe)  44:50 – OTG Strength and how to train with Matt  49:24 – Balancing working/coaching with climbing  50:52 – Switching gears after ‘Hypnotized Minds’, project shopping, and climbing for fun  52:23 – Moving to CO and having access to a lot of hard boulders  53:40 – Dreams of van life  54:26 – Gratitude  55:30 – Where to connect with Matt  56:03 – Progressing every year, drawing inspiration from Jimmy Webb and Dave Graham, and goals  58:34 – The RV Moonboard  1:00:03 – “We will enjoy our Oreos today”

12 Okt 20201h 2min

Solomon Barth is a Stanford University graduate and software engineer. We talked about Solomon’s impressive two-week trip to Smith Rock, working with Alex Bridgewater to improve his footwork and bulletproof his fingers, training endurance using up-down-ups, veganism, working in tech, his desire to help make positive change in the world, and gunning for 5.15.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/solomon-barth  Nuggets:  2:29 – Solomon’s recent climbing trip, bad weather, and land hurricanes  3:49 – Back in the gym after COVID  5:11 – Solomon’s Smith Rock trip  10:56 – Tactics for flashing routes  14:29 – Being a training geek and reaching out to Climb Strong for coaching  16:54 – Working with Alex Bridgewater and bulletproofing his fingers on the hangboard  19:03 – Solomon’s experience with the Go-A-Hundred hangboard program  21:11 – Takeaways from working with Tyler Nelson on finger injury prevention, and why “active recovery is the only recovery” for pulleys and tendons  25:01 – Working on footwork with Alex  27:19 – Working on his weakness every session, and bookending sessions with slab climbing  30:37 – Solomon’s experience with alactic circuit training  35:07 – Up-down-ups with Maya Madere  39:31 – Up-down-ups specifics and clarifications  43:46 – Solomon’s thoughts on running and cardio  46:49 – Practicing pacing, and how Maya learned to climb faster  48:18 – Reigning in the volume  49:18 – Solomon’s experience and evolution with veganism  54:14 – The vegan alternative food that Solomon is most excited about right now  54:58 – Why Solomon doesn’t put much stock in nutrition, and letting go of sacrifices to perform better  57:27 – Rituals, and “climbing is just for fun”  58:41 – Book recommendation: ’Sacred Cow’ (link in show notes)  1:00:09 – Simon’s tech job, school vs. work, and studying computer science  1:02:51 – Balancing a full-time job with climbing, a desire to help make positive change, and taking time to learn more about the world  1:06:22 – Why Solomon feels that Social Media “wasn’t for him” and thoughts about the potential of becoming a professional climber  1:08:17 – Goal setting  1:10:31 – Plans to project 5.15?  1:11:19 – Margo Hayes, ‘La Rambla’, and shifting to sport climbing  1:13:54 – Jailhouse, kneebars, and projecting ‘The Green Mile’ with Conner Herson  1:17:46 – Using Jailhouse as a training ground, and kneerbar progress  1:20:48 – Plans for Maple and Rifle  1:21:29 – Gratitude  1:22:24 – Solomon’s two book recommendations (see show notes for links)  1:25:00 – “I guess I have an Instagram…”

5 Okt 20201h 26min

Simon Carter is an Australian photographer, and has been described by the editor of Rock and Ice Magazine as “arguably the greatest climbing photographer of all time”. We talked about building his first darkroom at age 15, pursuing full-time climbing in the early ’90s, action vs. landscape, camera equipment, the Taipan/Grampian closure, and Simon’s top 10 climbing photography tips.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/simon-carter  Nuggets:  1:50– The 2018 World Climbing Calendar, and the Onsight Photography business  3:14 – Early photography, and building a darkroom in the family bathroom at age 15  5:10 – Changing schools for photography and discovering climbing  6:06 – Reading mountaineering books, Simon’s childhood nickname, early outdoor adventures, and getting obsessed with rock climbing  8:19 – Working at the Australian University and losing his passion for photography  10:56 – Night school, becoming disillusioned with professional photography, and traveling around Europe for six months  12:26 – Getting a degree in outdoor education, working in gear shops, and saving up money to climb full time  15:38 – Living at Mount Arapiles and rediscovering photography  17:43 – Living on the dole, starting a business, and early work success  19:35 – Climbing ‘Serpentine’ on the Taipan Wall  22:42 – How Simon balances his climbing with his photography  25:55 – Simon’s plea for new climbing photographers to take the time to learn rope systems to be efficient and safe  28:43 – Simon’s elaborate photo rig for Nikon  30:14 – The advantages of using a chest harness  32:57 – Simon’s preferred jumar rig  35:23 – Action and landscape, capturing nature, and “the one thing”  38:32 – How Simon prepares for a specific shot, and balancing preparation with spontaneity  42:10 – Fuji Velvia, color palettes, and switching to digital  43:41 – Spiders  44:01 – Simon’s current camera (Nikon Z6), and mirrorless cameras  45:15 – Simon’s standard lens kit (see show notes for list)  46:07 – Shifting to more guidebook production  47:41 – The Red River Gorge guidebook, and a new way of presenting information  50:51 – The select and full guidebook publication dates, and why the Red is at the top of Simon’s list for climbing destinations  52:02 – Simon’s favorite international climbing areas, the Blue Mountains, a trip to Madagascar, and “what I love about climbing”  54:01 – Update on the Taipan Wall and Grampians closure and access issues  1:03:06 – The new management plan for the Grampians  1:03:40 – What we can do to help save the Grampians (see show notes for links)  1:05:28 – Why Simon is thinking about writing about about the Grampians issue, cultural surveys, and commercialization  1:08:48 – Capturing moments of people’s lives and “it’s about people”  1:11:08 – Simon’s top 10 photography tips (see show notes for a list and a link to an article)  1:15:14 – Getting the fitness back  1:15:45 – Gratitude  1:16:45 – Working on a guidebook to Sydney, putting work out there, and getting feedback  1:18:37 – Where to connect with Simon  1:19:05 – Wold Climbing Calender 2022?  1:21:37 – The real reason Chris Sharma sent ‘La Dura Dura’

28 Sep 20201h 22min

Charlie Manganiello has been coaching with Climb Strong for seven years and now heads the Elemental Strength program in Lander, WY. We talked about focusing all of your energy on one thing, misconceptions about deadlifting, maintenance strength training, Charlie’s go-to hangboard protocol, why climbing is important, and keeping things in perspective.  Support on Patreon:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  Show Notes:  http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/charlie-manganiello  Nuggets:  1:28 – Breakfast  2:32 – Early strength training, transitioning from multisport athlete to focused climber, and taking things “all the way”  10:07 – Outliers, and asking ourselves “how good could I be if I focused all my energy on one thing”  11:24 – stated goals vs. action, and the coaches role  12:24 – Cushy sport climbing  14:02 – How Charlie’s early strength training translated to climbing  15:49 – Cross pollinated athletes, the 75/25 rule, and  being “strong enough”  18:24 – The benefits of going deep into strength training, “it’s not bodybuilding”, and the myth of gaining mass  20:37 – Connective tissue adaptation, motor recruitment, and becoming a more functional human  21:26 – Balancing the pull with the push  23:07 – Deadlifting, running, and learning through experience  27:05 – Treating your recovery like a workout, and watching climbing videos  29:00 – Deadlifting 400 lbs  32:40 – Charlie’s strength maintenance routine  34:08 – Misconceptions about the deadlift, magic bullets, and the posterior chain  38:17 – Deadlift numbers to shoot for, and the line between strength training for climbing vs. becoming a strength athlete  42:13 – Using the weight room to stay in the game  44:40 – Low hanging fruit: a few simple ways to climb harder (and why strength isn’t everything)  47:45 – “Train general to improve specific.”  49:15 – Increasing the push for healthy shoulders and a stronger pull  50:50 – Mobility  51:34 – Lower body explosiveness, and foot-on campus doubles  54:43 – Unilateral lower-body training  55:35 – The Bottoms-up Turkish Getup (with a glass of water balanced on top)  58:52 – The ideal vs. working with what you have  1:00:40 – Carryover from crushing grip strength to climbing?  1:03:01 – Charlie’s go-to hangboard protocol  1:06:20 – Charlie’s thoughts on 7:13 repeaters and when to do them  1:07:21 – “You’re either training or you’re performing. You can’t do both.”  1:08:47 – Strength maintenance at the end of a performance day  1:09:33 – “Climbing is really important to people.”  1:10:59 – Keeping climbing in perspective, but not letting go of it completely  1:15:33 – Self-talk, lessons from golf, and putting our negativity away  1:17:38 – “This is where I’m at.”

25 Sep 20201h 21min