Climbing Tips - 12 Tips to Help You Climb the Critical Holds

In this episode, coach Hörst shares 13 little things that can make a BIG difference when it comes to sending your near limit—or, perhaps, beyond limit!—project boulder or route.

Quite often it's the tiniest of things that can make or break your ascent. Eric covers a lot of territories including the power of proper breathing, the best time of the day to send, the effects of food and drink on energy and focus, how to get the perfect warm-up, how long to rest between attempts, how to win the skin game, the importance of the shoes you wear, how your thinking can make or break a send go, and so much more.

RUNDOWN

3:40 - 13 Little Things That Make a BIG Difference When Limit Climbing

4:15 - 1. The first “little, big thing” is to breathe more intentionally. Learn how to do it...to save energy, accelerate recovery, and help maintain focus and confidence.

10:30 - 2. Climb during the optimal time of the day. Learn how to plan your send goes for your strongest (and the stickiest) time of day.

14:17 - 3. Eat & drink appropriately. Learn how much you should drink and eat for a short session--or a full day--at the boulders or crags.

20:00 - 4. Empty bladder and bowels beforehand. Learn how to deal with golf ball bladder...and lighten the load before your send go. Click here for information about the benefits of MAG-ATP supplement from PhysiVantage.

26:30 - 5. Get a perfect warm-up! Learn the 7 steps of doing a perfect pre-send warm-up. Also, listen to Podcast #67 for a comprehensive discussion of the physiology of getting properly warmed up for hard climbing.

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32:45 - 6. Don’t Take Any Wasted Any Goes! AKA make every go count! Don't start up the climb with any uncertainty in beta. If needed, take a practice go (with hangs) to sure-up your beta.

39:15 - 7. If needed, take a practice go (with hangs) to sure up your beta.

41:13 - 8. Rest appropriately between goes. How minutes (or hours) should you rest between boulder problem and sport climb attempts?

44:35 - 9. Rest optimally on the route. Climb fast and rest well! Know how to use optimally whatever rests the boulder or route offers you!

45:45 - 10. Win the skin game! Learn how to make your skin last longer...

50:45 - 11.  Brush the most critical holds! This is critical for increasing friction on small, slopey holds. Brush liberally.

52:00 - 12. Make sure you’re wearing the right shoes for the boulder or route at hand. If you're not packing in two different pairs of shoes, you should consider it!

54:45 - 13. Believe in a positive outcome, but let go of the need to succeed. Accept that the send will happen when it's meant to happen. Enjoy climbing the piece of rock in front of you...and take it one move at a time.

58:15 - Bonus Tip: Have a great belayer you can trust…AND a stoked and supportive ground crew that knows when to yell encouragements at you…and when to shut up and let you take care of business.

1:00:10 - Do YOU have a favor send tip? Share your "little, big" send tip to Eric and perhaps he'll feature it on a future podcast. You can leave your tip on Eric's Twitter @Train4Climbing or on the Training for Climbing Instagram @Training4Climbing or T4C Facebook page.

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SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price items with checkout code: PODCAST15. European climbers can get PhysiVantage from the EPIC-TV shop and BananaFingers.com

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music by Misty Murphy

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