How to Be a Successful Professional Athlete

This is an interview with 25 year-old Mathilde Becerra, who's on the French National Climbing team. In 2015, Mathilde ended up in the top 10 overall in lead climbing, and even though she doesn't have much time for outdoor climbing, she has climbed up to 5.14a and V11 outside.

You may have heard Mathilde's name in my last interview with Sean McColl because she's his long-time girlfriend. I thought it'd be really interesting to hear from a European lady crusher. She started climbing when she was a kid, and excelled very quickly.

In this interview, we talked about what it's like being on the French team (as opposed to the US or Canadian team), how she makes it work financially as a full-time pro climber, and how she trains physically and mentally to perform so well at comps.

• What her training cycles look like
• How she trains for route climbing and bouldering
• Aerobic conditioning
• How she trains to be more dynamic as a short climber
• Her strong opinions on bodyweight and climbing performance
• Her diet

• Mathilde's website: www.mathildebecerra.com
• Mathilde on Facebook
• Mathilde's Instagram: @mathilde_becerra
• Mathilde in Bishop in 2015 (Video)

• Check out our Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities.
• Our other training programs: Training Programs Page.