Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast

New Year's is a great time to think deeply about your goals, re-evaluate your course and strategy, and perhaps even reinvent yourself! Taking your performance to the next level—in climbing or anything—demands CHANGE, courage and commitment, and consistent goal-focused action. In this episode, Eric takes you through a series of thought-provoking exercises and, along the way, he will arm you with powerful techniques and tips to make massive progress toward your climbing and non-climbing goals! Rundown 0:15 – Introduction and New Year's best wishes! 1:30 – "Climbing performance" and "human performance" are the same thing…so this episode will be wide-ranging. 2:25 – Setting goals isn't enough—you need a SYSTEM to get you to your goals. 3:15 – This podcast has 5 parts, each with a drill down into a topic that will improve your performance in climbing and beyond. 5:23 – PART 1: Decide that CHANGE is a must! Improving at climbing—or anything—comes no other way. 8:10 – Exercise (pause the podcast): Write down your top 5 to 10 high-value goals/endeavors. Climbing can be one item, but write down your other important life goals (in the next 3 to 10 years). 9:45 – Exercise: Rank your goals in order of importance. Now divide your list into three tiers—the top tier (2 or 3 items) defines your MISSION! 12:50 – Exercise: Now write down 1 or 2 things that MUST give up or change in order to liberate yourself to achieve greatly. What person, activity, or thing is weighing you down…making you miserable and/or consuming your time? 14:45 – Learn how to create massive leverage for change...and supercharge your motivation and progress toward your goals! 17:15 – PART 2: Build Stronger Mental Muscle. Essential for progress, since all performance begins with your thoughts. 18:45 – What we can learn from pro climbers…most of whom exhibit incredible mental muscle, day in and day out. 20:30 – Learn about Eric's "CHHOM gang" of climbers. What is CHHOM? Who are CHHOM? Strive to be like CHHOM! 22:00 – 4 mental training tips and techniques… 23:20 – a.) Supercharge your visualization. 27:25 – b.) Take control of your self-talk. Keep it 90%+ positive! 31:00 – c.) Act the part. Your posture, facial expression, and attitude create an aura that brings magical energy and synchronicity to you! 33:09 – d.) Surround yourself with positive, goal-oriented, successful people. Also, bathe your mind with positive media, books, images, etc. 35:49 – Side note: Eric's most powerful book—bet you haven't read it yet, but you should—is called Maximum Climbing: Mental Training for Peak Performance. A must-read for every serious climber! 36:35 – PART 3: Learn how to Optimize Your Training Program 37:20 – The best training program for you…is one you're not doing! 38:30 – Advice for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced climbers. 40:05 – Access to new technology, the latest sports-science, and novel training techniques is essential for Elite climbers to improve. 41:45 – The difference between "copycat" training and "modeling"—the former is bad, the latter is good! 42: 28 – Access to a good veteran coach is extremely helpful…but you can study and learn to be an effective self-coach. 43:45 – PART 4: Simplify your training—simplify your life! Learn how to apply the 80-20 Rule to improve your effectiveness and advance more quickly toward your goals. 45:05 – Eric reveals one of his weaknesses…and his decade-long battle of passions! 49:05 – Eliminate trivial pursuits, trolls, critics, and naysayers...and you'll be happier and more effective—just like CHHOM! 50:36 – Learn how to use Pareto's Principle ("the 80-20 Rule") to act more effectively in climbing, training, and other important life aspects. 53:10 – Eric comments on the advantages of occasional two-a-day training for advanced/elite climbers. 54:55 – PART 5: Strong shoulders beget stronger fingers! Make this a mantra in developing your finger training program. 57:50 – Your fingers are only as strong as your brain allows! A strong, stable foundation (rotator cuff and scapular stabilizer muscles) is essential for high-end finger training. 1:00:50 – Horst principle: "Develop stability before strength, and strength before power." This conceptual model will support long-term strength gains and reduce risk. Eric's book Training For Climbing (3rd edition) has a fully chapter (Ch. 6) on exercises for developing comprehensive shoulder stabilizer strength. 1:02:50 – Summary comments about seeing the big picture for motivation and guidance, but narrowing your daily focus on important steps you can take toward your goal. Making meaningful progress towards a goal is the simplest, yet richest source of happiness. 1:05:55 – Check out Eric's T4C Youtube channel for a short video on how to increase your effectiveness—and accelerate movement towards your goals—in any important life area. If you enjoyed this podcast, PLEASE SHARE it with your friends via Social Media or an embed on your climbing blog. And please write an iTunes revie

This episode provides critical framework and guidelines for effective hangboard training. Based on 30+ years of hangboard training experience--and the latest research--you'll learn the importance of a proper warm up, why you must train different finger grip positions, how to maintain forearm muscle balance and lower injury risk, as well as valuable tips on organizing your hangboard training for optimal results and continued gains in the long-term! Rundown 0:22 - Introduction 2:00 - Who should hangboard train? Guidelines for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and elite climbers. 8:30 - The value of hangboard training for intermittent year-round...and the importance of finding your "best" personalized program. 9:45 - Get compliant! Learn the "120-move" rule for warming up. 15:45 - Why elite level climbers need to do some two-a-day workouts. 16:55 - Beginner guidelines. To hang or not to hang? 17:35 - How proper training (and rest) can make your tendons stronger, stiffer, and slightly thicker given long-term, prudent hangboard training. 18:10 - Which grip positions you should train? How grip position effects forces placed on the flexor tendons and pulleys. Important stuff! 21:00 - Biomechanics of the full crimp grip. 23:12 - Biomechanics of the open-hand grip. 23:30- What about the "open-crimp" grip? 25:15 - Importance of targeting a specific grip position. 26:50 - Research findings on the forces places on the FDP and FDS flexor tendons with different grip positions. 31:50 - Forces placed on A2 and A4 pulleys...and how to train around a minor annular pulley injury. 33:32 - Finger extensor muscle imbalances...and how to train to combat them. 39:45 - Pinch grip training--Eric's "two birds with one stone" training recommendation. 42:08 - Why every serious climbing much do two brief antagonist exercise sessions per week. 43:55 - Reminder that specific hangboard training protocols are detailed in Podcast #10. 45:08 - Tips on exercise programming. 46:50 - Tips for advanced climbers. 48:00 - Elite climber advice: The importance of doing periods of high volume training for Central Governor recalibration--one of the keys to breaking new performance barriers! Learn more on this in my book, Training for Climbing. 50:30 - Keys to long-term gains over decades. Yes, you can do it with dedicated & smart training--if you stay uninjured! 51:35 - Teaser on the next few podcasts...which will break some new ground. Don't miss them! 52:40 - Closing comments about the transcending spirit of climbing...and Eric's good wishes to you for the holidays and New Year! If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE SHARE it with your friends via Social Media or an embed on your climbing blog. Thank you! For a comprehensive study of Training for Climbing, check out the 3rd edition of Hörst's best-selling book! Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! Music by: Misty Murphy Subscribe on iTunes (or other podcast player) to "Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing" podcast. You can also listen to the T4C podcast on Spotify! Please write a review on iTunes!

0:25 – Preview of this and upcoming podcasts. 5:55 - Overview of this summer's International Rock Climbing Researchers Association 4th Congress in Chamonix, France. 10:40 - Research highlight #1: 3-D motion analysis of speed climbing performance, and interpretation of hip mechanical energy in official speed climbing route. (Lionel Reveret - France). 14:45 - Research highlight #2: Effect of climbing hold depth on biomechanical arm action during pull-ups. (Laurent Vigouroux - France) 22:55 - Research highlight #3: PIP joint contact incongruency in different grip positions as a trigger for epiphyseal fatigue fracture in adolescent climbers. (Andreas Schweizer - Switzerland) 31:20 - Research highlights #4 & 5: Association between different Rate of Force Development-measurements and climbing performance (Vegard Vereide - Norway), and the Rate of Force Development: a new biomechanical key factor in climbing (Guillaume Levernier - France). 40:45 - Research highlight #6: The effects of weighted dead-hang training program on grip strength and endurance in experienced climbers with different levels of strength (Eva Lopez-Rivera - Spain). 52:52 - Research highlight #7: Qualitative analysis of two of 2017's greatest ascents and a proposed conceptual model for maximum-difficulty sport climbing and energy system requirements (Eric Hörst - USA) 1:05:08 - The ultimate lesson from Hayes' and Ondra's ascents—climb quickly, accurately, and efficiently, and pause to rest only at effective rest positions. In short, the Hörst rule for lead climbing peak performance: Climb fast and rest well! 1:07:24 - My shout out to a few of the numerous coaches now bringing climbing science to their work as trainers! If you enjoy this podcast, PLEASE SHARE it with your friends via Social Media or an embed on your climbing blog. Thank you! For a comprehensive study of Training for Climbing, check out the 3rd edition of Hörst's best-selling book! Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! Music by: Misty Murphy Subscribe on iTunes (or other podcast player) to "Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing" podcast. You can also listen to the T4C podcast on Spotify! Please write a review on iTunes! Photo: Eric Hörst presenting at the IRCRA conference in Chamonix, France, July 2018.

In this episode of Ask Coach Hörst...Eric answers 7 wide-ranging questions from listeners, including in-depth coverage of effective hangboard training, the importance of developing a climbing "talent stack", details on Threshold training for climbing-specific aerobic development, training while recovering from a lower-leg injury, training for middle-aged climbers, and more! Podcast Rundown 1:35 - Question #1 - A two-part question on effective hangboard training...with a long, detailed answer offering rich guidance on developing strength and endurance using a hangboard. Part 1: Is it better to train on small edges with body weight or larger holds with added weight? Part 2: How does the length of rest between hangboard reps and sets effect the training adaptation? 19:15 - Question #2 - How can I find the proper training intensity when doing Threshold Intervals…to best develop my climbing-specific aerobic energy system? Consider listening to podcast #26 for a complete study of aerobic system training for climbing. 26:20 - Question #3 - I'm out of climbing for several months due to lower leg surgery...so, Eric, what kind of training do you suggest for me during this forced withdrawal from climbing? 32:37 - Question #4 - Why don't you recommend any low-rep hypertrophy training for antagonist and core muscles? 38:01 - Question #5 - I get so incredibly pump—and quickly!—on steep routes. How can I assess my energy systems and determine which energy system (Aerobic or Anaerobic) I need to train? Can you give me some training advice? For a super detailed study of anaerobic lactic training, listen to podcasts #23 and #24. 44:32 - Question #6 - Climbing is now my passion, however I previously was a serious rugby player. How might I train to reduce the size (weight) of my rather large leg muscle? Eric also explains the importance of developing a climbing "talent stack". 51:55 - Question #7 - I'm 47 years old (been climbing 28 years) and very experienced at hard multi-pitch routes...but I have also climbed 5.13a sport and V7 boulders. My goal is to climb some multi-pitch 5.12 routes, and I'd like to improve my physical fitness. What training do you recommend for someone my age? NOTE: If you'd like to submit a question for the next, please leave it as a comment to the Ask Coach Horst post on my Twitter @Train4Climbing -- include your first name, location, climbing ability level, and years climbing. Music by Misty Murphy Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

This is the fifth and final episode in our study of Energy System Training theory and application. In this 90-minute tour de force, Eric presents the art of the science via 8 key ideas and distinctions to make your energy system training optimally effective. This is powerful material—understanding and applying this cutting-edge sports science will empower you to elevate your training outcomes...and climb harder! Podcast Rundown 2:50 – Recap of the genesis of my study of energy systems more than 5 years ago. After a two-year review of the latest research and sports science, I discovered that some aspect of the old school sports science—and even some physiology textbooks—were outdated and even wrong on some important details. Therefore, what I'm trying to do with my book Training for Climbing and these podcasts is apply the latest sports science, research, and training technology to climbing. Only this way will we optimize training programs and advance the sport! 5:20 – What I'm presenting in this series of 5 podcasts is the cutting edge of training for climbing…that may open the door to 5.16a in the next 5 to 10 years...and help the mass of climbers achieve their climbing goals and beyond! 8:15 – Eric shares a brief anecdote from his week at the International Rock Climbing Researchers congress in Chamonix, France...about meeting the Japan National Climbing Team head coach Hiroshi Yasui. 10:58 – The focus of this podcast is the art of the science…via 8 key ideas and distinctions to make energy system training optimally effective. This is important and powerful summary material that will pull together the key concepts from the 4 previous podcasts…and empower you to get the most out of your training both in the short and long term. 13:08 – How advanced training is like playing 3-D chess. 14:20 – Key Idea #1: Though we talk about (and train) them separately, all 3 energy systems contribute toward power in almost every climbing move and training exercise. It's vitally important to understand how the three energy pathways influence, support, and even inhibit each other. 17:10 – Key Idea #2: Effective energy system training must target a specific pathway as much as possible. To optimally trigger training adaptations, the goal is to maximize the flux through a single energy pathway. You can't train intuitively…or go to the gym and "just climb"—this approach is too imprecise for an advanced climber to make meaning gains. 21:30 – Key Idea #3: Working on your project is not effective energy system training. Listen and learn why… 24:55 – A quick side story about Alex Megos working on the "Bibliography" project at Céüse…quite possibly a 9c/5.15d route. 27:54 - Key Idea #4: Energy system training for short-term adaptations and long-term gains are two very different things. While the former may help you send your current project, it's a commitment to the latter that will help you reach your genetic potential. 31:54 – Learn the secrets to long-term gains—which energy system(s) will advance your climbing…and what novel training adaptations you are after. This is brand new material to the climbing world—listen closely! (I first introduced this cutting-edge sport science in the first energy system training podcast in March 2018.) 36:40 – A brief, but important tangent on long-term development and mastery. As exemplified by Chris Sharma and Tommy Caldwell, you too can build-up strength, power, and endurance for 15 or 20 years (perhaps longer)….if you stay uninjured! 43:00 – Key Idea #5: Genetics do play a roll in determining your training gains and absolute climbing potential. Like it or not, genetics does play a role in training adaptations and how hard you may someday climb. That said, you can exert significant influence over your gene expression via the epigenetic effects of your day-to-day diet, training, and lifestyle. Energy System Training is one way to exert influence over your genes! 54:06 – Key Idea #6: A two-a-day workout schedule can be very beneficial for advanced/elite climbers, but the two sessions should be separated by 6 to 8 hours to optimize workout quality and minimize interference (of adaptation signaling). Intense strength/power workouts are best done in the afternoon or evening, so other forms of training—aerobic climbing, generalized aerobic activity, and similar—are best done early in the day (based on science). Of course, everyone is different (genetics, time available, other life issues)...and so your "best schedule" might require a different approach. #Nuance 1:00:30 – Bonus tip: Reduce or eliminate your antagonist training during your climbing performance season. Learn why this will help a well-trained, non-injured climber perform a bit better. 1:03:00 – Key Idea #7: You can learn and benefit a lot by keeping records of your workouts, subjective feelings, key performance indicators, and your climbing achievements. Digital and other online records, like 8a.nu and Vertical-Life.info, are a good place

Welcome to Round #3 of "Ask Coach Hörst"...where I will answer 6 listener questions that I believe you will find interesting and informative. This episode covers wide-ranging topics from the pros/cons of calorie restriction vs. surplus, the possible unintended consequences of a vegan diet or vegetarianism, training while on business trips, training during long spells between climbing trips, the type of training program that's best for an intermediate (~5.10 climber), and more! 4:58 - Question #1 - How can I train effectively given my business travel (as a pilot) that typically lasts 8 days...followed by 6 days at home? 12:28 - Question #2 - My girlfriend and I are avid climbers of 5.10 ability...and we're wondering what the best training program is for us to progress into the higher grades? 17:54 - Question #3 - My outdoor "climbing season" comes down to a 2-week trips in the summer and winter. How can I best train as an indoor climber during the 5+ months between trips? Also, given my schedule, how often should I train the anaerobic lactic energy system? 24:18 - Question #4 - I seem to have reached a plateau at my current ability level of V8 boulders and 5.12d (sport climbs)...and I'm wonder which of your books would be best to guide me in training effectively for further improvement? 28:44 - Question #5 - I struggle with undercling and side-pull moves on steep terrain. How can I train to improve on these moves? 34:09 - Question #6 - I have a 3-part question relating to diet and specifically my vegan diet. Is there an advantage to consuming a calorie surplus while training? [42:00] As a hard-training climber (V10/5.13+), what are the possible cons of being a vegetarian or vegan? [46:50] How much difference does a few pounds of bodyweight make in climbing performance? NOTE: If you'd like to submit a question for the next, please leave it as a comment to the Ask Coach Horst post on my Twitter @Train4Climbing -- include your first name, location, climbing ability level, and years climbing. Music by Misty Murphy Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing