The Trainingbeta Podcast | A Rock Climbing Podcast

Where to start about Bobbi Bensman?? Bobbi has been climbing since 1980 and was basically the Alex Puccio of her time. She was a professional climber for 21 years until she transitioned to a full-time job as a sales rep for outdoor companies and became a mother to two daughters. In her time as a pro climber, she helped forge the way for strong female climbing by doing one of the first 5.14a female ascents, which was quickly downgraded after her send. We talk about how controversial that – and other – downgrades of hers were and how she dealt with that at the time. We talk about how her climbing and training have changed – if at all – as she’s gotten older, and how becoming a parent changed her climbing and lifestyle. Bobbi has an unquenchable thirst for climbing and has never stopped being motivated by her goals. She does whatever it takes to follow her passions and she’ll tell you all about that in the interview. I’ve gotten a lot of requests recently for interviews with older climbers, so I hope this is he

Elyn Lytton is a 68-year-old climber from Colorado who started climbing in her early 50’s and is still regularly crushing 5.12’s (indoors and on toprope). She is also my mother-in-law and I’m constantly impressed by her. She’s a really good example of a person who does things in the name of sustainability, meaning, she LOVES climbing and will do whatever it takes to be able to do it for many more years. In this conversation, we discuss her approach to climbing and what she does to make it work for her body (with the aches and pains that come with age). We also talk about how she started lifting heavy weights in the past couple years in order to improve her bone density, and how that’s working out for her. Elyn has had setbacks with chronic migraines and arthritis/hand pain in the past, and we talk about how she’s tackled those things successfully through diet so that she can climb several days a week pretty much as hard as she wants now. Something that’s always struck me about Elyn is her ability to bend “nor

TBP 191 :: Matt Pincus on How to Navigate Training Options if You’re in a Plateau   25% Off Bouldering Program  Our Bouldering Training Program is on sale for 25% off the normal price (regularly $27/month and now $20/month) with coupon code “bouldering.” The program consists of 3 levels, depending on your training experience, and it will help you get stronger, more powerful, and have more all-day capacity. If you sign up for the program by February 2nd, you’ll be automatically entered to win a free hour-long consultation with Coach Matt. Sale Ends Friday, February 4th, 2022. USE CODE “BOULDERING” FOR 25% OFF PROGRAM     How to Navigate Climbing Training Options if You’re in a Plateau In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I talk about navigating the overwhelming number of training options that are available to us now. Matt’s noticed that a lot of his clients come to him confused about what is the best way to train, given there are SO MANY ways to train, programs to follow, and trainers to cho

In this episode, I talk all about how to time your meals and snacks to help your climbing performance, energy levels every day, overall mental well-being, and body composition. You might think that when you eat food isn’t really that important – or maybe you haven’t given it much thought. But the truth is that it can be almost as important as what you eat when it comes to performance, recovery, and overall well-being.  I’ll go over some sample meal/snack time schedules and tell you about the mistakes I see many people making with it. I’ll also go over the truth about recovery meals/snacks. Is it super important to eat right after working out? And if so, what should you eat? This is a recording taken from a 5-day nutrition challenge I did last year in front of a live zoom audience. I talked for about 15 minutes on the topic and then took a bunch of questions from the audience (very common questions, so they’re quite relevant). A Little about Me After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Zoology a

TBP 189 :: Lucie Hanes- Running and Climbing and Eating Disorder Recovery Lucie Hanes is a 27-year-old climbing coach out of Eagle, Colorado, who is pursuing her Master’s of Science in Applied Sports Psychology. I met Lucie in the Wicked Cave in Rifle last summer, and the next time I heard from her was when she reached out via email in response to the episode I did with Matt Pincus about running and climbing. In that episode, Matt and I basically conclude that running isn’t going to help your climbing, and that it may in fact hinder it. And that there are other more effective ways to train endurance for climbing. Lucie emailed me to say that she was not only a high performing climber (having sent numerous 5.13’s), but also a high performing ultra runner. She wanted to tell the story of how it’s possible to do both sports well as a counter to my episode with Matt. Lucie is incredibly passionate about both of her sports, and my conversation with her ended up being even more enlightening than I thought it would

About Matt Pincus Matt is a boulderer and a sport climber based out of Wyoming. He splits his time between training at home in Jackson and traveling to pursue his climbing goals around the world. Matt is also a coach at TrainingBeta and he’s been seeing clients from around the world since 2017. He’s currently taking new clients, so if you’d like to work with him, you can sign up here. Matt just started offering 1-hour remote coaching sessions so you can get your training questions answered and have guidance on how to build out a training program for yourself. Consider this offering as a gift for the climbers in your life, or for yourself if you’re not ready to commit to a coach full-time. >>>Get an Hour of Coaching with Matt       Rest – How Much Is Too Much and How to Navigate the Holidays In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I talk about rest. We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our clients who are scared to take off any time from climbing over the holidays for fear that they’ll lose all of the

  Matt Samet is the editor of Climbing Magazine, the author of several books, a prolific route developer, and a very strong and dedicated climber. He’s also a friend of mine and someone I respect a lot, so I’ve been wanting to interview him for a while. He’s a father of 3, works full-time, and just sent a 5.14 project a couple days before his 50th birthday, which is the same max grade he was sending 20 years ago. It’s always inspiring to me to see people just make it work in climbing, even if they have a million things going on in their lives and are at an age many climbers believe to be limiting. Another notable thing about Samet is that he battled an addiction to benzodiazapenes and other psychiatric drugs for over a decade, and he still deals with neurological consequences of that. He’s had to alter the way he trains and his expectations of himself, and yet he still gets out climbing and trains more often than most of us ever will. In this interview we talk about his dedication to route deve

Dr. Tyler Nelson’s New Injury Prevention and Warm-Up Protocol In the episode, Tyler explains how we should be warming up our youth teams (and ourselves) in order to make climbing sessions more effective, and more importantly, for injury prevention. Once again, Tyler pored over the research and came up with a very progressive way of doing things – much differently than what we’re used to. Gone are the days of just warming up for climbing by doing some easy climbing: there’s actually a better way. Tyler Nelson has a lot of qualifications, so I’m going to let his website sum those up for you: Tyler is a second generation chiropractor whose father was a leader in chiropractic sports medicine for many years. In graduate school he did a dual doctorate and masters degree program in exercise science with an emphasis on tendon loading. He completed his masters degree at BYU and was a physician for the athletics department for 4 years out of school. He currently is the owner of Camp4 Human Performance where he treats

Running for Climbing Fitness: Does It Work? And How to Avoid Common Mistakes In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I talk about running for climbing fitness. In our practices as a coach (Matt) and a nutritionist (me), we see a lot of people who run in the name of climbing training. But there are some common mistakes we see people making in their training schedules, their nutrition practices, and their reasoning behind their actions. We talk about some better choices people can be making with their running, whether it’s scientifically been shown to help with climbing fitness at all, and how to proceed with your running and climbing regimens. Enjoy!   Episode Details How common running is among our clients #1 Question to ask yourself about running if you’re a runner Running for weight loss from a nutritionist’s perspective How Matt creates training programs for people who want to run Pushback that runners give Matt and his responses to that Transitioning from one sport to another, whether it’s running, skii

TBP 184 :: Carbs for Climbers – How Much, What Kinds, Timing, and Why In this episode, I talk all about carbohydrates and how to use them properly in your diet to help your climbing performance, energy levels every day, overall mental well-being, and body composition. Carbs are a tricky topic because we’ve been taught to fear and hate them, even though in reality they’re what fuel strength and power activities. They’re also paramount to keeping your blood sugar and mood stable all day every day, as well as helping you to fall asleep and stay asleep. If you’re eating the wrong kinds of carbs in the wrong amounts at the wrong times of day, in conjunction with the wrong amount of protein and fat, you’re going to have issues. But if you know some basic guidelines around carbs, including what kinds to eat, how much of them, and when, it can make a world of difference in your life and your climbing. These changes can literally happen overnight, so listen carefully to this episode and try to make some

How to Break Into 5.13 with Alex Stiger In the episode, Coach Alex and I tackled the topic of breaking into 5.13 and what you need to do physically and mentally to do it. We both share our experiences of our first 5.13’s, which were quite different actually, and our processes of projecting things that are hard for us. We talk about how to turn the try-hard switch on and off on hard routes, and how to stay focused and calm enough to not overgrip and get super pumped. We also talk about resting tactics, and how important it is to be able to rest on hard routes, whether it’s on the route, between burns, or the days leading up to getting on your project. Alex even shares some resting drills to use to practice at the gym. We discuss how your training needs to change from generalized strength and technique to more route-specific technique and strength building. And how to do that in the gym. I talk a little bit about proper nutrition on projecting days (and the days leading up to them) and Alex shares her story of

TBP 182 :: How Brian Lichtenheld Climbs Outside 4 Days a Week With a Demanding Job Brian Lichtenheld is one of my close friends and one of my favorite climbing partners. I asked him to be on the show because I don’t know another non-professional climber who is more psyched on climbing, and I wanted to share his infectious positive attitude with you. No matter what season it is, Brian climbs outside a LOT. During the spring, summer, and fall, he’s basically outside 4 days per week, and that is on top of having a very demanding 50 hour-a-week job as a Certified Financial Planner. He’s also devoted to spending quality time with his girlfriend, as well as having regular volunteer commitments, among other interests. Despite having time commitments and life stressors like the rest of us, Brian just makes it work all the time, rain or shine, and I’m constantly inspired by him. In our conversation, we talk about why climbing is so important to him and how he manages his schedule to accommodate everything. We talk ab

Understanding and Assessing Your Injuries with Dr. Evan Ingerson Dr. Evan Ingerson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified in Orthopedics who works at his practice Mend in Colorado. Evan is a physical therapist who specializes in treating rock climbers. He uses the most up-to-date evidence in his practice to get climbers out of pain faster. Evan works to identify the underlying cause of the problem and uses a combination of manual therapy and advanced exercises to return climbers to the wall better than they were before. He treats climbers at all levels, from beginners to international competitors and has the experience and equipment to create high level exercise programs specifically catered to the unique challenges of rock climbing. In addition to being a board-certified specialist in orthopedics, Evan is a lifelong climber and 10-time national competitor. Evan is also one of Coach Alex Stiger’s physical therapists, and she recognized that his cutting edge approach to injuries was something she

About Matt Pincus Matt is a boulderer and a sport climber based out of Wyoming. He splits his time between training at home in Jackson and traveling to pursue his climbing goals around the world. Matt is also a coach at TrainingBeta and he’s been seeing clients from around the world since 2017. He’s currently taking 4 new clients, so if you’d like to work with him, you can sign up here. Matt created our Bouldering Training Program, which is a non-linear plan that will help you gain strength, power, skills, and work capacity. There’s also a maintenance block worked into the program so you can continue to train lightly during your performance phases. Learn More about the Bouldering Program Here   Grades – How to Keep Your Ego in Check and Use Them to Your Advantage In the episode, Coach Matt Pincus and I wax philosophical about climbing grades. This is a ubiquitous topic that all climbers discuss, and a topic that can derail a climbing day or motivate the heck out of a climber. We go over why there is so much

I’m Taking New Nutrition Clients I’m currently taking on 5 new nutrition clients, so if you’re looking for help on optimizing your diet for climbing, or you have some other health issues you’d like help with, I’m here for you! You can find out more about my nutrition offerings here. About Laura Schmidt My original idea for this podcast was to have a former nutrition client on the show to do a refresher session with them. I thought I’d show you how I work with clients and let you learn from their situation and how I worked with them. When my former client Laura Schmidt responded to my call for potential interviewees, she said she’d love to be on the show and that things were going really well for her. But I had no idea how well they were going until this interview happened. She basically had a life transformation since working with me a year ago, and it had a lot to do with her willingness to fully embrace the suggestions I made for her diet, sleep, and exercise habits. In the episode, Laura Schmidt talks abo

New Gymnastics Rings Workshop with Coach Alex Stiger Do you want to know more about using the gymnastics rings as a training tool for climbing?  On Tuesday, October 6th at 6-7:30pm MDT, Climbing Coach Alex Stiger will be hosting a very affordable, 90-minute workshop where you’ll learn the key considerations for using gynmastics rings in your training plan. You’ll Learn… How to properly use the rings How to scale workouts for different ability levels How to avoid common, potentially injurious, mistakes Coach Alex’s favorite exercises Recording will be sent out at the end if you can’t make it to the live event Sign up for the Rings Workshop   Making the Most Out of A Bad Gym Session with Alex Stiger  In the episode, Coach Alex and I tackled the topic of making a gym session really count, and how to stay in a positive mindset even when you’re having a bad session. It’s easy to get derailed in your climbing session if you do poorly on a route, can’t make move, or just feel tired in general and lack motivation.

About Lor Sabourin In the episode, I talk with Lor Sabourin, who is a successful climber and a mental training coach for The Warrior’s Way, where they travel to teach clinics and work one-to-one with climbers of all levels. Lor is also a graduate student on their way to becoming a counselor. I met Lor a long time ago at the base of Dinosaur Rock in the Flatirons, where I was struck by their calm demeanor and friendly smile. I’ve followed Lor on Instagram since then and have been continually impressed by their ability to talk about difficult subjects with eloquence and humility. Lor recently became the first non-binary climber to climb a 5.14 route on traditional gear when they clipped the chains of Sedona’s East Coast Fist Bump (5.14a). I wanted to talk to them about what that projecting process was like, how they improved their climbing so quickly, and what kind of response they’ve gotten from the climbing community about it. We also talked about some mental aspects of climbing, which is what they work on w

I was interviewed on the Nugget! This is a re-post of an interview with me on the Nugget Climbing Podcast with host Steven Dimmitt. I love being on the other side of an interview occasionally, and Steven is a fantastic interviewer. We had some laughs, talked about some serious stuff, and I feel a little vulnerable about how much I shared personally, honestly.  I'm an open book, but when it's recorded and put out to the world, it's a little nerve wracking! I hope you enjoy this interview and maybe get to know me a little better (than you even wanted to). Here's Steven's description of the interview from his site, and he has some other good show notes on the episode page if you're interested. 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,

New Running Class with Coach Alex Stiger Do you LOVE to run but don’t know how to fit it in with your climbing? In just a couple weeks, Climbing Coach Alex Stiger and Running Coach Sean Hopkins will be hosting a very affordable, 90-minute class where you’ll learn the key considerations for balancing training for climbing and running. You’ll Learn… Which strength training exercises are great for climbing and running How we can warm up appropriately to avoid injuries How running can help you perform better as a climber Template training plans for 3 running distances (5k and under, 10k, and 10k+) Sign up below and you’ll be the first to be notified when the class is ready for purchase. Get on the Wait List for the Running Class Here     The Art of Trying Hard in Climbing with Alex Stiger  In the episode, Coach Alex and I tackled the nebulous topic of trying hard in climbing. Like, really trying hard. A couple years ago, Alex spent some time working with Coach Hazel Findlay and realized that she needed to w

Welcome to the New Nutrition Episodes I’m not sure why I haven’t done this before, but I’ll be publishing regular episodes on nutrition for climbers. Seeing as how I’m a nutrition professional, I should’ve been talking more about this topic all along! But it’s never too late, so here’s the first of many to come. A little about me, in case you didn’t know: After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, I did a 4-year nutrition certificate program at Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment, and Healing. I graduated in 2007 as a Certified Integrative Clinical Nutrition Therapist. During those 4 years, I learned about not only nutrition, but herbs, homeopathy, and other alternative practices. I’ve been seeing clients since 2007 and I’ve worked exclusively with climbers since 2013. In this episode, I talk all about protein, which is the number one issue I see in my clients’ diets. I talk about why it’s important to get enough of it as climbers and h