E87: Neil Gresham - Training, grading, the social media landscape and the most physical form of climbing
Mar 6, 2024
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Discussion on training, social media impact, grading stresses, and the most physical form of climbing with Neil Gresham. Exploring the nuances of climbing disciplines, balancing solitude and social interaction, evolving climbing abilities, and sustaining motivation in climbing.
Professional climbers face challenges managing their online presence and dealing with online abuse in the social media age.
Training methods in climbing have evolved to include structured approaches emphasizing endurance, strength, and injury prevention.
Climbing performance goes beyond physical strength, requiring skill, mental fortitude, tactical adjustments, and years of experience.
Experienced climbers excel due to tactical knowledge, adaptability, injury prevention, and strategic decision-making honed over years of climbing.
Balancing performance-focused training phases with intrinsic enjoyment and switching between climbing disciplines can sustain long-term motivation.
Deep dives
The Evolution of Climbing Culture
Climbing culture has evolved significantly over the years, from a focus on climbing achievements being highlighted in magazines to the rise of social media where climbers now have the opportunity to showcase their climbing and personalities. The shift has led to a different landscape for professional climbers, with a new generation of climbing-themed entertainers emerging alongside the top climbers.
Navigating the Impact of Social Media and Online Abuse
The advent of social media has brought both positive and negative aspects to climbing, including issues around self-promotion, dealing with online abuse, and the pressures of maintaining a certain image online. Professional climbers now face challenges in balancing their climbing achievements with public personas and the impacts of online criticism.
Challenges Faced by Professional Climbers
Professional climbers now deal with a different set of challenges compared to the past, including the need to manage their online presence, cope with online abuse, and navigate the evolving expectations of climbers in the social media age. The role of a professional climber has expanded beyond climbing achievements to include content creation, engagement with followers, and representation in the digital space.
The Intersection of Climbing and Social Media
The dynamics between climbing and social media have created a new paradigm for professional climbers, where visibility, engagement, and content creation play a crucial role in their careers. The impact of social media on climbing culture has reshaped the definition of what it means to be a professional climber, blending climbing achievements with online presence and entertainment value.
Evolution of Climbing Training Practices
Climbing training methods have evolved significantly, with a shift towards more structured and varied approaches. Training now includes a broader range of holds, emphasizing endurance, strength, and different training protocols. The importance of cycling training phases to avoid injury and burnout is recognized. Climbers are more aware of nutrition's impact on performance, with proper diet enhancing recovery and energy levels.
Balancing Training and Climbing
Maintaining a balance between structured training and actual climbing is crucial to avoid overtraining and maintain spontaneity in climbing. While training plans are valuable, climbers should also prioritize climbing outdoors and tuning their skills on the rock. Silver bullets in climbing often involve smaller refinements and tailored adjustments for individual climbers.
The Unique Nature of Climbing Performance
Climbers can continually push their limits due to a combination of factors beyond raw physical strength. Climbing involves a significant skill component, mental fortitude, tactical adjustments, and years of experience that contribute to sustained high performance levels. The nuanced nature of climbing performance sets it apart from other sports, allowing climbers to excel over extended periods.
The Value of Experienced Climbers
Experienced climbers possess a wealth of tactical knowledge, adaptability, and injury-preventive practices that contribute to sustained climbing success. Climbing's focus on skill, mental resilience, and strategic decision-making enables older climbers to excel as they accumulate years of climbing experience, avoid common injuries, and make informed tactical choices while on the rock.
Training for Injury Prevention
By incorporating extensor training using power fingers, the podcaster has managed to prevent finger injuries for 15 years. This method not only strengthened their extensors but also improved overall finger strength. Additionally, integrating pushing exercises, like those using rings, contributed to injury prevention and enhanced climbing prowess.
Motivation and Discipline in Climbing
Maintaining long-term motivation involves balancing performance-focused phases with periods of climbing for intrinsic reasons. Switching between different climbing disciplines, such as lead climbing, bouldering, and winter climbing, can keep motivation high. The podcaster emphasizes the importance of finding joy in climbing beyond performance metrics and adapting to different styles to sustain long-term motivation.
Neil is one of the original performance coaches in rock climbing, known for his elite level trad ascents as well as his efforts to demystify the obscure and hazy world of climbing training and his ability to deliver it in a way that makes sense. We chatted about a wide range of topics from social media, the online trad climbing mob, the stresses of grading and training for climbing. Perhaps one day I'll go through the whole thing and give links to every topic we discussed.... but not this day.
He also tells us which discipline of climbing is the most physical, so stay tuned for that!
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