#98: Training for Bouldering with Drew Ruana vs. Training for Route Climbing
04/11/24 • 35 min
In this episode, Coach Hörst shares his recent unique training day in the Front Range of Colorado. Eric will contrast the remarkable late-afternoon workout of one of the world's top boulderers, Drew Ruana, with his own route-climbing workout a few hours earlier.
You will learn the fundamental differences between training for bouldering and route climbing, particularly concerning the energy systems that power climbing movements. Eric with detail his climbing-specific aerobic system route training session at the G1 gym.
Eric will then describe Drew's unique limit boulder training methodology that's elevated him to being one of the very best boulderers on the planet. Learn how Drew puts his home woodie to work for maximum gains!
Whether your climbing focus is boulders or routes, this pithy reductionist analysis of training for climbing will engage and enlighten passionate climbers of all ability levels.
*** Support the TFC podcast sponsor, PhysiVantage Nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). ***
In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
Music by Misty Murphy
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.
In this episode, Coach Hörst shares his recent unique training day in the Front Range of Colorado. Eric will contrast the remarkable late-afternoon workout of one of the world's top boulderers, Drew Ruana, with his own route-climbing workout a few hours earlier.
You will learn the fundamental differences between training for bouldering and route climbing, particularly concerning the energy systems that power climbing movements. Eric with detail his climbing-specific aerobic system route training session at the G1 gym.
Eric will then describe Drew's unique limit boulder training methodology that's elevated him to being one of the very best boulderers on the planet. Learn how Drew puts his home woodie to work for maximum gains!
Whether your climbing focus is boulders or routes, this pithy reductionist analysis of training for climbing will engage and enlighten passionate climbers of all ability levels.
*** Support the TFC podcast sponsor, PhysiVantage Nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). ***
In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
Music by Misty Murphy
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.
Previous Episode
#97: EXPERT: Grip Better! All About Chalk Use and Skin Performance
The quality of your contact with the rock is paramount when it comes to climbing performance. Strong muscles, on-point technique, and a confident mindset won’t get you up a climb if you can’t hang onto the holds!
Many things affect the quality of your grip and the perceived “stickiness” of the holds – to begin with, there’s the texture of the rock and the degree of incut (or slope) to the hold. Weather conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and wind play a big role in how the rock feels and your skin performs. Body position, center of gravity location, and your finger force vector are huge factors in determining how holds feel and will work for a given move. Last but not least, there’s your skin quality and the structure of your fingertips. Pulpy (fleshy) tips can deform around tiny rock rugosities to give a better grip on tiny holds and, similarly, skin that’s got adequate moisture and elasticity will stick to holds better than thick, dry, callused skin which yields a glassy and slippery grip.
It's the latter topic of skin quality and specifically chalk-use to optimize grip that we’ll explore today. To help shed some light on this topic, I've got Kevin Brown, co-founder and CEO of Friction Labs chalk, to download on us some of the science of chalk and skin performance.
So lean in and chalk up for this grip-enhancing episode of the T4C podcast!
RUNDOWN
0:15 - Intro to skin performance and grip--what things affect the quality of your grip?
3:00 - Overview of chalk and the role of "dryness".
6:00 - The effect of humidity, personal skin quality, and chalk use as it relates to skin wear and climbing performance.
8:35 - Use of Collagen powder supplements to improve skin elasticity, strength, and recovery of damaged skin.
9:20 - Importance of making quality efforts on skin-hard boulders and routes--save skin by making just a few quality attempts over many quick, low-quality attempts.
10:00 - Are all chalks basically the same? Kevin reveals the vast differences in chalk formulations!
14:00 - What's the optimal amount of chalk to have on your fingers?
16:30 - How chalk products on the market vary. Are added drying agents helpful?
19:30 - Common contaminants in chalk...and how they adversely affect grip.
21:10 - The genesis of Friction Labs...and new product development.
22:00 - The utility of liquid chalks--who will benefit from it and how to use it for optimal skin performance while climbing.
24:00 - Difference uses of alcohol-containing chalk versus alcohol-free liquid chalk.
25:00 - Is "drier always better"? What are the pros and cons of various drying agents such as Dry Hands, Carpe, AntiHydral, etc.
28:00 - The importance of developing a personalized skin-care routine... Tips on washing chalk off skin after climbing...and moisturizing skin.
31:00 - How to dry out your chalk...if it gets wet from rain...or deep water soloing.
31:35 - Responsible use of chalk, tick marks, brushing practices, etc.
35:50 - Closing comments and coupon codes
*** Friction Labs special offer for T4C podcast listeners -- Save 15% at FrictionLabs.com with checkout code: T4C15 ***
Support the TFC podcast sponsor, PhysiVantage Nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
Music by Misty Murphy
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.
And on Instagram at:
Next Episode
#99: EXPERT: How Climbing Shoes Affect Your Performance. Big time!
When it comes to climbing, no single piece of gear is more influential on your performance than your shoes. Getting the right shoe fit and feel for a given boulder or route is critical to climbing your best!
However, there are dozens of climbing shoes on the market with widely varying designs, looks, and prices. What's the right shoe(s) for your gym training and outdoor rock climbing? What features should you look for? How tight should you fit your shoes?
Our shoe expert, Michael Genauer from La Sportiva NA, will answer these questions and many more in this episode. Listen and learn how to make your climbing shoes perform better for you!
Reminder: T4C episode #97 provided a look into the science of chalk and optimal chalk use. Combined with today's podcast #99, these two episodes provide a comprehensive look into the quality of your four points of contact with the rock. If you want to climb better, then you must strive to optimize your purchase with each contact point.
RUNDOWN
00:20 - Introduction
1:30 - Building on podcast #97, my interview with Kevin Brown about the science of chalk and optimal chalk use.
2:00 - Now we look at the feet! How shoe design, fit, comfort, and price affect footwork and climbing performance.
4:00 - Podcast sponsor PhysiVantage Nutrition. Save 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code PODCAST15.
7:00 - Overview of shoe design, parts, and craftsmanship.
10:00 - Heel structure and performance.
16:10 - Downpointing and asymmetric shoes for high-performance sport climbing and bouldering. Details on the La Sportiva "PD #".
18:45 - Entry-level shoes versus high-performance fit.
20:50 - Why outdoor climbers likely need 2 or more different pairs of shoes....for optimal performance on different rock types and climbing styles.
22:00 - Lace-up shoes versus slip-on shoes.
27:15 - Lined versus unlined?
29:10 - How much should you "size down" your climbing shoes (compared to your approach shoe size)?
32:05 - Shoe fit for kid crushers! Tips to optimize performance and reduce risk of toe/foot injury.
33:20 - Shoe rubber, stickiness, and temperature effect on optimal rubber performance.
38:50 - Proper care tips for maintaining your shoe's performance and extending the life of the shoe...so hopefully you can get a couple of resoles out of each pair of new shoes.
40:20 - When to resole your shoes?
46:10 - Does the country a shoe is manufactured in tell us anything about the quality and performance of a shoe?
52:00 - Closing thoughts, and discussion about La Sportiva's new retail shoe in Boulder, CO.
Support the TFC podcast sponsor, PhysiVantage Nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!
Music by Misty Murphy
SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs
Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing
Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.
And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing
Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.
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