The Nugget Climbing Podcast

EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns — Moving the Needle on Your Climbing, the Value of Daydreaming, & How to Thrive in Your 40s

Jan 13, 2025

Dave MacLeod, one of the world’s top climbers and author of "Moving the Needle," shares insights on enhancing climbing performance after 40. He emphasizes the critical role of curiosity and consistency in personal growth. MacLeod discusses dietary impacts on mood, including ketogenic and carnivore diets, while challenging traditional views on LDL cholesterol. He also highlights the importance of balancing passion and productivity, the benefits of daydreaming, and the significance of lifestyle adjustments for climbers at any age.

03:55:26

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Episode guests

Dave MacLeod

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Dave MacLeod emphasizes the importance of curiosity and exploration in improving climbing techniques over time.

A strong diet, particularly focusing on whole foods and experimenting with approaches like carnivore and ketogenic, boosts climbing performance.

Balancing climbing with family and work commitments requires effective time management and structuring routines to prioritize climbing.

McLeod highlights the importance of psychological factors, such as confidence and mental state, in enhancing climbing performance.

Understanding individual health profiles and dietary practices, especially regarding LDL cholesterol, is crucial for climbers' overall well-being.

Deep dives

Dave McLeod's Climbing Journey

Dave McLeod discusses his extensive climbing journey, emphasizing simple decisions that have contributed to his success. He attributes significant progress in his climbing to his curiosity about movement and technique, which developed over years of practice. Instead of seeking shortcuts, he values the slow, incremental gains that come from thorough exploration of climbing techniques. This philosophy is encapsulated in his new book, 'Moving the Needle,' which reveals how an average climber can tackle some of the hardest routes in the world.

Intro

5min

The Ascent of Curiosity and Commitment

24min

Trust, Recovery, and Growth in Climbing

26min

Balancing Endurance and Bouldering Training

2min

Exploring the Drone 2.1: A Climber's Perfect Hybrid Shoe

5min

Optimizing Climbing Training: Balancing Intensity and Recovery

23min

Finger Training Fundamentals

11min

The Challenges of 'Bultitude' and Climbers' Journeys

2min

Climbing Strength and Performance Insights

7min

10.

Climbing Through the Ages

13min

11.

Balancing Passion and Productivity in Climbing

4min

12.

Balancing Rest and Passion

20min

13.

Reflections on Climbing and Writing

18min

14.

Exploring Training Tools and Dietary Impact on Mood

4min

15.

Dieting for Skin: Eczema and Experiments

17min

16.

Monitoring Health: Liver Enzymes and Waist Circumference Insights

2min

17.

Navigating Dietary Choices in America

24min

18.

Rethinking LDL Cholesterol

23min

19.

Citizen Science in Health Research

7min

Dave MacLeod is one of the best all-around climbers in the world. He returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Moving the Needle. We discuss the simple decisions that led to his success, getting the basics right, how to climb harder in your 40s, the value of daydreaming, writing books, how diet affects mood, Paul Saladino’s meat and fruit approach, how to thrive on a keto diet, metabolic health, LCL cholesterol, seed oils, alcohol, the state of scientific research, and much more.

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Show Notes:

thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/dave-macleod-returns

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:34) – Themes for the today’s podcast

(00:04:59) – ‘Moving the Needle’

(00:10:54) – How curiosity feeds consistency

(00:17:44) – Simple decisions that move the needle

(00:21:55) – Time x mileage x variety

(00:34:09) – Balancing projecting & volume

(00:41:08) – Tree crimping

(00:43:50) – Almost daily training

(00:49:08) – The basics

(01:00:38) – When to end bouldering sessions

(01:06:38) – Rolling with the punches

(01:13:31) – Managing training load & staying in the game

(01:24:43) – Finger training

(01:30:09) – An unlikely breakthrough (FA of ‘Bultitude’ V14)

(01:37:09) – Finger strength PRs

(01:43:42) – How to climb harder in your 40s

(01:59:54) – Taking short breaks

(02:02:56) – Daydreaming

(02:05:30) – Making it hard to fail

(02:13:27) – One thing at a time

(02:17:19) – Writing books

(02:25:25) – Factors that led to sending ‘Rhapsody’ E11

(02:32:16) – Books vs. podcasts

(02:34:35) – Confidence & conflict

(02:42:06) – Dave’s experiment with a Western Diet

(02:46:48) – How our diet can affect mood

(02:52:26) – Paul Saladino, keto, fruit, & metabolic health

(03:10:37) – Why Dave keeps coming back to keto

(03:15:52) – How much protein Dave eats on keto

(03:19:36) – Energy & weight management

(03:26:40) – LDL Cholesterol

(03:40:25) – Kitavan Islanders, heart disease, & lifestyle factors

(03:46:51) – Seed oils & alcohol

(03:49:25) – A need for unbiased scientific research

(03:54:50) Where to buy Dave’s book

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The Nugget Climbing Podcast

EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns — Moving the Needle on Your Climbing, the Value of Daydreaming, & How to Thrive in Your 40s

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Dave McLeod's Climbing Journey

The Role of Diet in Climbing

Balancing Climbing, Work, and Family Life

Training Methodologies and Their Evolution

The Impact of Psychological Factors on Performance

Experiments with Fasting and Metabolic Health

The Debate Around LDL Cholesterol

Navigating Injury and Recovery as a Climber

Long-term Dedication to Climbing

Insights on the Future of Climbing and Health

Get the Snipd
podcast app

AI-powered
podcast player

Discover
highlights

Save any
moment

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highlights

The Nugget Climbing Podcast

EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns — Moving the Needle on Your Climbing, the Value of Daydreaming, & How to Thrive in Your 40s

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Dave McLeod's Climbing Journey

The Role of Diet in Climbing

Balancing Climbing, Work, and Family Life

Training Methodologies and Their Evolution

The Impact of Psychological Factors on Performance

Experiments with Fasting and Metabolic Health

The Debate Around LDL Cholesterol

Navigating Injury and Recovery as a Climber

Long-term Dedication to Climbing

Insights on the Future of Climbing and Health

Get the Snipdpodcast app

AI-poweredpodcast player

Discoverhighlights

Save anymoment

Share& Export

AI-poweredpodcast player

Discoverhighlights

Get the Snipd
podcast app

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highlights

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moment

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