FEATURED BLOG POST COLLECTIONS
Power Company Climbing started as a blog, and will remain a place for us to share our insights (and rants) with you. The articles we've written, and information we've compiled is still at the heart of what we do, and we aren't stopping any time soon. Below are our favorite collections, or you can explore the entire blog archive HERE.
Some more nerdy talk for all of you training nerds out there. This time we go deep into the world of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) with Dr. Shannon O'Grady, Ph.D., Director of Product at Gnarly Nutrition.
Fresh off of his audacious free solo of Freerider, Alex Honnold sat down with Arno Ilgner and Jeff Lodas from The Warriors Way to discuss his mental preparation.
One of the guests most requested by our listeners, Steve Maisch is a Salt Lake City climber/coach/economics professor who, much like myself, uses himself as a guinea pig to test new approaches to training.
I'm not often intimidated by people, but Hazel Findlay's reputation is much larger than her 5'2" frame, so I was a bit anxious about this conversation. Mental training can be a pretty nebulous topic to begin with, so if I was going to be stumbling over my words, it could end up being a rough conversation.
If you've been around climbing long enough, you know someone who has or has had an eating disorder. While it's not a secret, it's certainly a topic that is generally shamed and then ignored. As a coach, friend, and partner, I wanted to know more about it, how to recognize it, and what to do when confronted with it.
If you want to be physically prepared for rock climbing, you need to concern yourself with the following components.
We can all agree that core strength is an incredibly important part of your preparation for climbing, but possibly more important is how you apply that strength. Applied Body Tension is a system of progressions that will teach you to apply your core strength through your entire body, toes to fingertip.
Because of the overwhelming response, we've been battling over the best way to ship the journal internationally, so that it's the best and easiest way for everyone.
Now it's done, finally.
Here in Lander there is a very strong contingent of powerful women. I'm lucky to have become friends with many of them, and I'm extremely fortunate to be able to count Emily Tilden among those friends.
Shelma Jun is an unapologetic force to be reckoned with, and she's put more thought than most of us into this feminist movement that is rocking the climbing world. To be honest, while I've put a ton of thought into it myself, much of it was in the form of denial.
The Process Journal is the simplest way to ensure that your climbing practice is producing the results that you're looking for.
In today's episode I sit down with Kerry Scott, an unassuming, but very badass young lady from North Carolina. Besides coaching a youth team at Triangle Rock Club, Kerry is a crusher. And she's not ashamed to "spray" a little. You all know that I'm definitely not afraid to spray, and I appreciate it when others buck the norm.
n this episode Nate and I sit down with Allison Stowers, a Chattanooga climber and physical therapist. We discuss the climber injuries that Allison most often sees in her clinic... shoulders and hip region injuries.
Fingers are pretty important to us. At some point, all of us will have a tweak, twinge, or injury, and we'll need to know how to deal with that. In this episode I sit down with Dr. Lisa Erickson, and we dive deep into the methods behind dealing with finger injuries.
Lantien Chu is a smiling fountain of wisdom. She's also coach of a high school swim team who has won 21 consecutive state titles. Most important, she's an exceptional human.
Tension Climbing makes wood climbing holds. Why wood? That's exactly what I wanted to know. I've long known that I'm a fan of climbing on wood, and I have my reasons, but I've never put even remotely close to as much thought into it as the guys at Tension have.
Pressure. No matter if it's a comp, a project outdoors, self inflicted or external, we all feel it. In these 3 episodes I sit down with good friend Angie Payne and discuss the pressure cooker situation of a World Cup comp.
We all like to call climbing an art form, but very few of us take it to the high degree that Jason Kehl does. From his haircut to his hold lines, his videos to his gym designs, Jason is anything but conventional, and that's exactly why he's so compelling.
In this episode, Paul, Blake, Nate and I discuss the top 2 ways we break through plateaus. Whether it's mental or physical, unless you're a mutant, you've gotten stuck. That upward trajectory has slowed to a grinding halt, and you don't know what to do. Well, we have some advice.
Jonah Durham has been very aptly described as "the sweetest kid ever". You could also call him a crusher. Either way, nobody that has spent time with Jonah will argue.
t's no secret that my experience with music and audio has played a key part in ensuring the high audio quality of the Power Company Podcast. You've come to expect it. I obsess over it.
If there is a polar opposite of "nutrionist", I'm it. I blank out immediately when talking the details of nutrition. Not so with our guest today, Neely Quinn.
Another example of the extras that we'll be giving to the patrons! Nate and I noticed a trending topic online that was causing waves. Jon Glassberg recently wrote a blog for La Sportiva titled "How To Climb V15". He begins the article with this statement:
BONUS EPISODE! We're giving this one to you free as an example of what you could get as a patron of the podcast. In a month or so we'll be creating 1 or 2 "patron only" episodes per month as a bonus for our patrons. If you were thinking about becoming a patron, now is the time!
Honorary Cohost Steve Bechtel has a new book out. Logical Progression: Using Non Linear Periodization for Year Round Climbing Performance. If you write your own training plans, and still have a hard time sticking to your plan, this is the book for you.
Let's face it, there are some really bad ideas out there. Myths that people cling to. New methods of "training" that just aren't thought through. Trends that are fun to jump into, but really aren't helping you.
For this episode we sat down in the Red River Gorge with coach and trainer Dan Mirsky to talk about the redpoint process on his route Solid Gold, but the conversation went elsewhere, and we uncovered something interesting. What resulted is a conversation that essentially boils down to: Do what you're motivated and inspired to do, even if it doesn't make sense.
Today we're officially releasing our new Proven Plans... an option that lands between our simple eBooks and our completely customized plans. These Proven Plans allow you to work with us in our mobile app, and they allow us to give you customizations and drills that aren't available in our eBooks.
Tanner Wilson is a 22 year old climber from the middle of Ohio who just went on his first extended road trip of over 5 weeks. Originally he had planned on one big goal, but just before the trip he made a mature decision and changed his mind about what he wanted to accomplish. Because of the new goals, Tanner learned several important lessons... ones that take most of us many trips and seasons to absorb.
If you want to be physically prepared for rock climbing, you need to concern yourself with the following components.
A lot of us feel like we know the right answers, but aren’t sure which of the seamlessly endless stream of right answers we should be using.
We love being surrounded by the naturally gifted, the people who have been climbing all their lives, and the genetic freaks.
What if wanting to be a better climber is the reason you aren’t improving?
What do you value in good climbing? What does being a ‘better’ climber look like?
I’ve tried, and failed, to complete more hangboard programs than most people have heard of. I’m not a training machine. I can’t just shut my brain off, sacrifice the enjoyment I get from climbing, and put in the work. I wish I could, but I can’t.
Believe me, I understand the urge. You want to help. Or you want to show off. Or you want to be an Exspurt. It could be that you have every great intention, and you really want to see that person succeed and see progression in their climbing. I doubt it, but it's possible.
Problem is, progress is about learning, but because of your spray, they likely didn't learn a damned thing.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." -Theodore Roosevelt
Around here, we like to use the hashtag #webuildmachines.
However, I'm acutely aware that you could just as often substitute with the hashtag #webuildmonsters, and I don't mean that in a positive way.
It's the new buzzword that's been around forever. Sandbagged.
"That 10c is definitely more like 11b!"
"That CAN'T be 12a... I NEVER fall off of 12a!"
Do as I say, not as I do. I wish those instructions actually worked, but they never do. Fact is, I train hard. I train smart. Most of the people I work with do the same, and I'm not shy about telling them that if they are taking shortcuts, they are only hurting themselves. But here's where it goes wrong...
Recently Rock and Ice posted This Video, from Daniel Woods and The North Face to their Facebook feed, and like everyone else, I watched. At first I just dismissed it, but the more I thought about it, the more I needed to rant a little to you guys (and whoever else will listen).
Here at The Power Company, we don't often talk about the differences between climbers who choose to mostly climb on routes and those who choose boulders. I'll go ahead and call that neglectful on my part, because there are some fundamental things that are different about the two.
It's the new buzzword... "Training". Everybody and their mom wants to train, has training advice, and can give you a 3 minute video depicting their training. This may sound like a plus, particularly for someone who sells training programs, but that isn't necessarily the case.
We've been building a Power Company training room, complete with new toys that you'll be seeing in reviews, including Eva Lopez's Transgression hangboard, and the system holds from Atomik Climbing.
There's more to life than climbing. It's true. Some are willing to forego nearly all else for the singular pursuit of living a life on the rocks. Some aren't. None of us are right or wrong, we just make our choices and do the best we can with them.
Danger is everywhere. I’m not talking about the kind of danger that we as rock climbers put ourselves into. That’s a calculated risk. I’m talking about the kind of parasitic danger that searches you out. Unbeknownst to you, it attaches to your promise so that it might reap the glory.
There are three components you must have if you expect to improve your climbing. There are lots more you could use, but without these three, none of the others will mean a damned thing.
This winter I've written about 20 training programs for climbers of a wide range of skill levels. One comment I often get in my initial interviews is that they want to train hard and be dedicated to climbing while remaining healthy and injury free.
I feel your pain. It's easy to get discouraged by how quickly the pros seem to put down the hardest projects, when for 2 seasons you've worked on the same 12c, and still haven't been able to clip the chains. Maybe you're just in too far over your head? Maybe those guys and girls you read about just aren't trying things that are hard enough for them.
It's a common excuse. "But Sharma doesn't train." Frankly, I could list hundreds of reasons why you aren't Chris Sharma, will never climb like Chris Sharma, and certainly can't afford to "not train" like Chris Sharma, but instead, I'll just focus on the excuse at hand.
A kid at the crag wanted to try and flash a steep, cruxy 12b, which would have been his hardest flash by far. The hardest moves are right off the ground and ease up considerably after the 2nd bolt, leading to a mostly juggy pumpfest to the chains. Standard protocol is to stick clip the 2nd bolt, where blowing the tough clip would certainly be disastrous. I gave the kid, who boulders stronger than I do, beta. Good beta. He climbed through the crux, and the very moment the 2nd bolt was at his waist, he said "Take!".
Through many conversations about training with friends and other climbers, I've discovered one common thread... you can almost always find a reason to continue training the short sighted way that you have been.
At the gym recently I've noticed a phenomenon that I've seen a number of times over the years. Call it what you want, "Social Abs", "Core With Friends", "Ab Circle", "Club Core", .... whatever. I call it a "Fairy Ring".
The Magic Bullet.
I get this question all the time. ALL the time. Mostly from beginners and climbers who can't seem to break out of the plateau they hit after doing what they always do stopped working.
Disclaimer: I don't rant much on here. Today I will. After the rant I'll go back to putting together a great interview with Angie Payne concerning the mental space required to perform at such a high level. That will be posted up in the next week, possibly in two parts. For now...
I hear them coming from every corner of the gym. From the mats beneath the boulder. From 30 feet up the lead wall. I hear them in the lobby before I even make it into the gym. No, not the voices in my head. Those are mostly quiet these days. What I hear are excuses. Tons of them. Never ending.
Several years ago I came off of a hiatus to rediscover rock climbing, in the form of clipping bolts. After embarrassingly realizing complete failure on an 11a (and an incredibly painful pump that lasted about 6 hours) it was obvious that I lacked endurance, specifically when the rock was even slightly steeper than vertical. Like any good boy, I got my ass into the gym asap, and ran laps like a madman.
This fall and winter as I've traveled from the Red River Gorge for steep, pumpy routes, to Chattanooga for delicately thuggy sloper squeezing, and finally to Hueco Tanks for powerful steep roofs and incut edges, I've heard the same question over and over while I'm foam rolling in the evening.
"Whoa! Why didn't I think of that?"
When it comes to training, and training for climbing in particular, it's incredibly rare that a product hits the market that I really feel is a game changer. On average, most products are just a reshaping of another, equally useful (or useless) product. Many of these "NEW!", "AMAZING!!", "GUARANTEED!!!" products quickly end up as toys for circus tricks or drunken contests.
Chalk is chalk, right?
I've long known this statement to be false. As a gymnast, I entered climbing with a preconceived notion of what chalk should feel like. That makes me something of a chalk diva.
Give me a choice between two equally useful items, and I'll always opt for the simpler version over the one with all the bells, whistles, and embellishments. Of course, give me something with elegant, clean lines that out performs the over complicated, and I will sing it's praises.
While I've not had the opportunity to read either of these books, I definitely plan to (and review them both), and wanted to let you all know of their existence, so you can check them out HERE.
Out of nowhere, my brief break from climbing and training is over, and I'm back in The Engine Room.
By now you've seen it. It's unmistakable. The Transgression hangboard (and it's little brother, the Progression) is the first commercially available hangboard in some time to depart from the "little bit of every grip type" design.
Now that we know how and why to use a System setup, we need to put together a board. I’ve been through this process, so I realize how difficult it can be.
I love pinches. Generally speaking, I’m abnormally strong on them. Not Steven Jeffries kind of strong, but stronger than the average climber. I often honestly refer to good pinches as jugs, only to have a climber who just fell off the same hold look at me like I’m speaking in a foreign language.
Shortly after it was available in the U.S., I eagerly got my hands on this new book from Patrick Matros and Dicki Korb, trainers and coaches of German wunderkind Alex Megos. I'm naturally a skeptic, particularly when it comes to a training program that any uber-strong climber uses. I mean, who's to say that said training program had anything to do with getting them there?
By now you've all seen them somewhere. The first time I remember seeing anyone using hanging "balls" for training was Patxi Usobiaga in the BigUp film Progression. While the way Patxi's training was portrayed struck me as not only uninformed but possibly dangerous, the image of those free hanging orbs stuck with me.
If you've seen, or been lucky enough to climb on any of the dual textured holds created by the DRCC, then you're already aware that they serve two important functions.
One of the guests most requested by our listeners, Steve Maisch is a Salt Lake City climber/coach/economics professor who, much like myself, uses himself as a guinea pig to test new approaches to training.
We can all agree that core strength is an incredibly important part of your preparation for climbing, but possibly more important is how you apply that strength. Applied Body Tension is a system of progressions that will teach you to apply your core strength through your entire body, toes to fingertip.
Today we're talking to our Strength and Conditioning Coach, Paul Corsaro, about a topic that is extremely important to all of us.... Why Form Matters. Whether it be strength training, climbing, or just sitting at a desk chair. Regardless of what you're doing, form matters.
Honorary Co-Host Steve Bechtel is back, this time talking about his concept of Integrated Strength Training. What is that, you ask? Well, lucky for you, we discuss it at length. So listen. Then apply. Then get stronger. It's that simple, right?
LEGEND! Not much more needs to be said about this weeks guest, Stevie Haston, but I'll say a few more things anyway. How does "flashed 14a trad" grab you? Or "14d in his mid fifties"? I figured that would be enough to get your attention. Simply put, Stevie Haston is a machine. A simple, hard working, sensible machine.
In this episode I sit down with strength coach, climber, and multisport athlete Charlie Manganiello, from ClimbStrong, to find out how we can all perform in multiple sports.
In my own experience, as well as in my experience with clients, Limit (or Max) Bouldering is a tough exercise for many people to connect with, and is probably the most misunderstood exercise in your training plan. Ironically, for most of us, it is also the most important.
We measure our sport in numbers. A silly concept, really, but it's what we've got, and I've come to accept that. However, as an individual I can reserve the right to measure my own progressions however the hell I want to, and often times, the numbers don't quite reflect what I know to be the truth.
In this episode we talk with honorary co-host Steve Bechtel and his co-author Charlie Manganiello about their new resource "The Climb Strong Deadlifting Manual".
It's alive! Both Episode 4 AND the new Kettlebells for Climbers training plan!
In this episode I sit down for a podversation with strength coach and kettlebell instructor Paul Corsaro. We talk about why we like kettlebells as a strength tool for climbers, some of the limitations of the kettlebell, and the training plan that we co authored.
In Episode 2 I sit down with Steve Bechtel at his gym in Lander, Wyoming, to talk resistance training for climbers. Yes, lifting weights. No, you won't get swole. Yes, you should do it. But enough of that. Just listen. We've already recorded two more hours with Steve, so you'll hear more from him in the coming months!
Many of you have seen the video of Daniel Woods sending the infamous "Bubble Wrap" project at CATS in Boulder, Colorado. If you haven't, you should. But prepare yourself... this isn't the typical bouldering video.
When I was just starting my love affair with athletics and moving heavy weights, the science of how to train for sport hadn't trickled down to the teenage set. Despite how clueless we were, we inadvertently got one thing right... we were doing all 4 basic movements.
Squat. Hinge. Push. Pull.
Deadlifting for climbing. It's all the rage, there is no denying that. Climbers everywhere are doing it. I've done it. I've had my athletes do it. But why? Is it really relevant? Should everyone be doing it?
While I've not had the opportunity to read either of these books, I definitely plan to (and review them both), and wanted to let you all know of their existence, so you can check them out HERE.
Some time ago I received a reader question about System Boarding for Power. At the time my experience with a system board was limited to the most basic, bare bones, old school version of a system board, containing HIT strips, a few pinches, and maybe a few other holds in random spots.
With this post I'm starting a new, regular section at The Power Company. "The Specialist" will ask questions of climbers we can stand to learn alot from. I don't have all the answers... but we can sure as hell try and find someone who does.
Yesterday I posted up Part 1 on "Hypertrophy for Climbing", forgot to title it Part 1 (which has since been changed), and was instantly called out. I'm glad people are reading closely enough to want more, or at the least, to be confused by my ramblings.
For the final push into the autumn season, I realized that my gains from "technique" power training are diminishing, and that maybe its time to focus on real, honest to goodness POWER.
In my own experience, as well as in my experience with clients, Limit (or Max) Bouldering is a tough exercise for many people to connect with, and is probably the most misunderstood exercise in your training plan. Ironically, for most of us, it is also the most important.
Oh shit, it actually happened... Episode 1.
In this, our inaugural episode, we talk with pro climber Carlo Traversi, exploring the merits of being dynamic in your climbing.
So in Parts 1 thru 3 we learned why we should campus, the basics of how to do it, and when to use the plyometric approach to campusing. Still, that doesn't tell you much about how to actually implement it, now does it?
Many of you have seen the video of Daniel Woods sending the infamous "Bubble Wrap" project at CATS in Boulder, Colorado. If you haven't, you should. But prepare yourself... this isn't the typical bouldering video.
As far as I can tell, and I've looked pretty extensively, not many people who are campusingunderstand exactly what plyometrics are. More often than not, I see articles or videos labeled with "plyometrics" that contain little or no actual plyometric work.
When I was just starting my love affair with athletics and moving heavy weights, the science of how to train for sport hadn't trickled down to the teenage set. Despite how clueless we were, we inadvertently got one thing right... we were doing all 4 basic movements.
Squat. Hinge. Push. Pull.
In the previous post we discussed at length why you spend most of your time on the campus board on the larger rungs, gaining power. But those smaller rungs are there... and you really want to use them. So let's talk about when and why you might want to make the switch.
I've been meaning to write this post for quite some time, so to those of you whom I've told "Coming Soon", I now say "Finally!". I've recently been designing training protocols for our mobile app, and while building campus plans for several types of climber, it reoccurred to me how misunderstood campusing is. In this post, I'm simply going to go over the basics, and then I'll get into more detail soon. Promise.
Some time ago I received a reader question about System Boarding for Power. At the time my experience with a system board was limited to the most basic, bare bones, old school version of a system board, containing HIT strips, a few pinches, and maybe a few other holds in random spots.
With this post I'm starting a new, regular section at The Power Company. "The Specialist" will ask questions of climbers we can stand to learn alot from. I don't have all the answers... but we can sure as hell try and find someone who does.
Yesterday I posted up Part 1 on "Hypertrophy for Climbing", forgot to title it Part 1 (which has since been changed), and was instantly called out. I'm glad people are reading closely enough to want more, or at the least, to be confused by my ramblings.
For the final push into the autumn season, I realized that my gains from "technique" power training are diminishing, and that maybe its time to focus on real, honest to goodness POWER.
I'm sitting in Lander, Wyoming and doctoring a sick daughter while nursing a sore finger (damned monos!). While I think my finger will be ready to climb again tomorrow, today it's mostly useful for blogging, so I figured I might take the time to answer a reader question.
Ok, obviously it's important to be able to see, though some would rightfully argue that idea. Regardless, that isn't at all the type of vision I'm speaking of. What I'm referencing is having the ability to "see" moves that you can't even imagine. To attempt sequences that you couldn't possibly dream up.
Years ago, lying in the floor of my grandparents house, and reading an article about Alex Huber, I was taken aback by a seemingly audacious statement he made. "I have power to waste". Really?
While sitting in the gym staring down the orange problem, and examining the love/hate relationship that I share with it, I can't help but notice the frustration bubbling up all around. I watch several climbers, good climbers, who I consider to have more natural power than I have, quickly giving up on moves they can't yet comprehend. Rather than learn a new body position or movement, they instantly release a familiar barrage of excuses...
If it weren't for the fact that it's 70 degrees outside today, it'd be easy to know that winter is fast approaching. How? Simple. Just go to your local climbing gym and see how many people are "preparing" for bouldering season.
This fall and winter as I've traveled from the Red River Gorge for steep, pumpy routes, to Chattanooga for delicately thuggy sloper squeezing, and finally to Hueco Tanks for powerful steep roofs and incut edges, I've heard the same question over and over while I'm foam rolling in the evening.
"Whoa! Why didn't I think of that?"
I won't bore you with the details of why I haven't posted in two months. Instead, I'll just say that it's been an action packed start to the season and I'll update you shortly. For now, I'm going to hand over the writing reins to a lovely young lady by the name of Aicacia Young.
Like so many of us, my time is very much monopolized by parts of life that have nothing to do with climbing up rocks. Between building a house, work, fathering, and boyfriending, I had already come to grips with the fact that my fall 2011 season would be a short one. Rather than get into any big projects I had decided to just consolidate my climbing where it already is, send a few more 13c's, and get back to building the house before winter hit.
Part 2! In this episode Dr. Shannon O'Grady and I discuss the hot button topic of protein. Why do we need it, how much we need, and what's the best way to get it. Gnarly has both Vegan and Whey protein powders, and you can get 20% off by using the code POWERUP20 at checkout at www.gognarly.com