Pete Whittaker: Embracing Struggle, Building Strength, Managing Fear, and Crack School

Feb 19, 2025

Elite climber Pete Whittaker shares his journey through the challenges of climbing, discussing the art of embracing struggle for personal growth. He unveils his training strategies, focusing on intentional practice and the importance of fear management. Pete delves into climbing techniques, gear placement, and recounts his thrilling Greenland expedition. Notably, he introduces the Global Crack School, a fun platform to master crack climbing skills. Tune in for insights on balancing strength and technique while navigating the highs and lows of climbing!

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INSIGHT

Pete's Love for Struggle

Pete Whittaker embraces struggle and relishes the challenge it presents in climbing and training.
He believes the harder and longer the struggle, the sweeter the success feels.

ADVICE

Train With Intentional Focus

Train with clear intention and focus on quality rather than quantity to maximize gains.
Giving 110% effort on key reps, especially in fingerboard training, drastically improves results.

INSIGHT

Fitness Supports Crack Skill

Crack climbing fitness and jamming technique become ingrained through years of climbing rather than recent focused training.
General climbing strength and power training can enhance crack climbing performance once the foundational technique is established.

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Elite climber Pete Whittaker explores:

How to get better at struggling
Who gives up first when things get tough: him and Tom
How he's building strength and power
Improving training results by focusing on intention
His wild experiment with weight
Expedition tactics and his epic Greenland trip
How he uses technique to climb harder without being stronger
Heel hooking 101
The most scared he’s ever been on route
Tips on how to place gear and assess its quality
The launch of Global Crack School

CHAPTERS:

Struggle: (0:07:52)
Training: (0:15:44)
Nutrition: (0:49:51)
Tactics: (1:03:20)
Mental Game: (1:27:45)
Purpose: (1:44:49)

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5-Year Training and Performance Journal: The most important climbing tool I use! Takes just a few minutes each day, and yields amazing insights year after year. If you’re psyched on training and performance, this is the journal for you. Log, reflect, send.

And check out ALL the show’s awesome sponsors and exclusive deals at thestruggleclimbingshow.com/deals

Shoutout to Matt Waltereese for being a Victory Whip supporter on Patreon! So mega.

Follow along on Instagram @thestruggleclimbingshow and YouTube /@thestruggleclimbingshow

To learn more about Global Crack School, head over to https://www.wideboyz.school/opt-in

The Struggle is carbon-neutral in partnership with The Honnold Foundation, whose mission is to promote solar energy for a more equitable world.

This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin, and edited by Glen Walker. The Struggle is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

The struggle makes us stronger! I hope your training and climbing are going great.

And now here are some buzzwords to help the almighty algorithm get this show in front of people who love to climb: rock climbing, rock climber, climbing, climber, bouldering, sport climbing, gym climbing, how to rock climb, donuts are amazing. Okay, whew, that’s done. But hey, if you’re a human that’s actually reading this, and if you love this show (and love to climb) would you think about sharing this episode with a climber friend of yours? And shout it out on your socials? I’ll send you a sticker for doing it. Just shoot me a message on IG – thanks so much!