The Testpiece Podcast

Natalia Grossman is one of the top female competitors of all time. She has won an astounding 11 World Cups and 4 World Cup seasons in a row! She also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA.Even though Natalia won the WC season in 2024, it was a tough year for her. She suffered a serious injury during the semi finals in the first World Cup competition of the year. Somehow she pushed through it to win the competition, but afterwards it was clear that the injury was a major one. The worst part? This was just a few months before the Olympic Games.Hear from Natalia about what it was like dealing with her injury through the Olympics as well as the entire season where she ultimately still pulled off multiple World Cup wins and won the all around title. Natalia also goes into the ups and downs of the pressures she has felt over her career. Both when she was the underdog and then the top dog. Natalia also shares how she knows when she’s ready for a competition. And here’s a hint — it’s not when she sends a no-handed slab boulder!SHOW NOTES:Natalias Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalia_grossman/Natalias Board Climbing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalia_boardclimbs/Natalia and Brook Climbing in RMNP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-mvzn_QjAQKilter Climbs Natalia Mentioned:Miami Vice Grips: https://www.instagram.com/p/ChYAAl1FlLI/ Death Touch: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaLdEd6JtMr/Support the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

This is a follow-up episode to the last Melina Costanza podcast, #119. That episode was one of the fan favorites, josh favorites, and even favorites of other professional climbers. Go listen to that one first, because it was amazing and will set the stage for this follow-up episode.It’s only been a month since Melina last came on, but in that month she won US Nationals, both in Lead and Bouldering, and did so for the second year in a row. Yes, in 2023 she won Lead and Bouldering and in 2024 she AGAIN won Lead and Bouldering! On top of that she won multiple high level local comps this month and found the time to go outside and do a slew of double digit boulders. One of which was a near flash of a V13 (she still sent 2nd go)!Melina is incredibly articulate and insightful on the intricacies of performing at the highest level of competition. In the last episode she detailed her training leading into Nationals, and since she had such a stellar performance we wanted to sit down and explore exactly how that training turned into perfect execution.Don’t miss this one… These two pods together are not just a 2x, it’s squared. (Ya, that's a lame joke, but it's true.)SHOW NOTES:Melina Costanza’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinacostanza/Melina’s previous Testpiece Podcast, #1192024 Double Gold ChampV13 Second GoSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

This episode is brought to you by Mad Rock! Mad Rock is run by REAL climbers, and that’s why they supported Ross Fulkerson and Testpiece to go on an awesome trip to Mallorca where they recorded this podcast.Ross is back on the pod after a multi year hiatus. Ross was actually the very first guest back on episode #3 and #4! Since then Ross has won tons of comps, competed in tons of world cups, climbed hard boulders, hard sport, even hard trad! In the last few months Ross has been on tear doing all of those disciplines at a high level. Josh went out to Mallorca to join Ross and they sat down for a chat about the thread that connects all of these disciplines together and how Ross manages to perform at such a high level in each of them.Ross also shares what it’s like to test new and updated shoes by Mad Rock. How does he make sure they can handle all the things he throws at them? How does he figure out what to suggest to make them even better? How does Mad Rock actually take that feedback and turn it into a better product? This is a cool behind the scenes look at how pro’s actually interact with their shoe companies to make the shoes the best they can be.SHOW NOTES:Ross Fulkerson’s InstagramRoss Fulkerson’s YouTubeAl Rangel Testpiece PodcastRoss’ Previous Testpiece Episodes:Podcast #3Podcast #4Mind to Motion Clinics: https://www.mind-to-motion.com/Flair Manual Espresso MakerMad RockSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

Adam Shahar is the name that keeps coming up when I ask who is an up and coming star. At 18 he had a breakout year where he won bouldering nationals, climbed V15 in a few sessions while he was on the road doing WC’s, and then became IFSC’s Athlete of the Week when he narrowly missed finals with a 7th place finish at the Prague WC. He also had perhaps the most incredible board climbing session of all time where he did 5 V13’s on the Tension TB2, flashing 1 of them and doing 2 of them second try… Adam is known to be one of the physically strongest climbers in the world, and in this episode he shares his ‘hot take’ on how to train for World Cups.Adam also dives into how he’s leveled up his mental game recently which he credits a lot of his recent success to. This is an awesome episode with someone you need to keep an eye on!SHOW NOTES:Adam's InstagramAdam climbing The Understanding (V15)Adam’s epic Tension TB2 SessionIFSC Athlete of the WeekTransience (V14)Support the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

If you watched the Paris Olympics then you remember Hamish McArthur’s stand out performance to secure an incredible 5th place finish.Hamish had already stood atop World Cup podiums and won Youth Worlds, but his Olympic showing was a clear level up.In this episode Hamish shares what changed for him in the year leading up to the Olympics and how it ultimately led him to having one of the best competitions in his life.Don’t miss this incredibly inspiring and thought provoking chat with the inimitable, Hamish McArthur!SHOW NOTES:Hamish’s InstagramLife Is LimboMichael Gardner Arcteryx PostSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

You’ve heard of Matt Fultz, but you may not realize just how amazing Matt is. He’s climbed eight V16’s. 8. Eight! By the way, two of them are rarely repeated and recognized as some of the hardest in the world (Hypnotized Minds and Big Z). He’s FA’d 7 climbs V15 and up, including 2 V15’s in one day!! We’re pretty sure that’s a world’s first, but who’s counting…Matt has also been coaching for well over a decade and founded Off The Ground coaching (“OTG”), which is one of the most highly respected remote coaching services. Matt is just as passionate about being a coach as he is a climber.In this episode Matt shares some of his tactics for climbing harder right NOW, how to manage long term projects, how he uses video analysis, what the hardest board climbs in the world are and much much more.SHOW NOTES:Matt Fultz InstagramOff The Ground Coaching with MattWheeler Brothers Testpiece PodcastSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

Alvaro Rangel, Al, is back on the podcast after 2+ years! Al was one of the first guests and one of the best. The last podcast we did was incredible, but somehow Al managed to top it with today’s episode.He is the founder and head coach of Team Class 5 in San Diego, CA. Al is also part of the Team USA coaching staff and supports the team at World Cups as well as at the recent Paris Olympics.Al’s insight into what makes climbers the best in the world is rare. He shares his thoughts on what mastery in climbing looks like, the most important skill for a competitor to develop, and even his case studies on the top climbers in our sport.SHOW NOTES:Team Class 5Al’s InstagramTestpiece Podcast #7 with AlThe Art of LearningTestpiece Podcast with Garrett GregorMevo CameraSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

Melina Costanza is an 8x US National Champion. Sometimes as a youth, sometimes as a collegiate, sometimes in Open, sometimes in bouldering, sometimes in lead, sometimes both. Yes, last year at Open Nationals (2023) she won both Bouldering and Lead.  She is set to compete in the 2024 Open Nationals coming up in a week, so after you listen to this podcast make sure to mark your calendars for October 14th and 15th and cheer her on!In this podcast, Melina shares her extremely deep dive into mental training and how she translates that to her incredible performances in competition. It is an absolute masterclass on this topic that cannot be missed.She also talks about her views on indoor vs outdoor climbing and how that’s recently changed and why.Finally, Melina covers a sensitive, but important, topic. Eating as an elite athlete. Melina struggled with an eating disorder at one point and suffered a serious injury as a result. She has returned to sport since then, and done so successfully (see above, Nationals 2023 double gold). Melina shares how to best frame eating when you are an athlete. Because let’s face it, weight management will always be part of the equation in sports. But it needs to be done the right way. It is not a simple black and white topic, even though media often makes it out to be, which is a disservice to those trying to figure out their path forward. Melina is making a huge contribution to the community by sharing how she navigates the nuances so that she can perform at her best in a sustainable way.SHOW NOTES:Melina's InstagramMelina’s Favorite Hype Song, RunninMelina’s Favorite Chill Songs, Taylor SwiftDay One Journaling App Alex Johnson’s Testpiece Podcast EpisodeSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE

Ward Byrum, Director of Routesetting for Movement gyms, shares his extensive knowledge of indoor climbing. He discusses the art and science of route setting, emphasizing its role in shaping climbers' experiences. Ward reflects on the evolution of climbing gyms and culture, contrasting U.S. and Japanese approaches. He covers the complexities of grading climbs, highlighting inclusivity and the importance of tailored experiences. The conversation also explores the balance between aesthetics, functionality, and the transformative impact of climbing on beginners.

Tom Randall is an iconic climber and founder. You might know him as one of the Wide Boyz, as one of the founders of Lattice Training, as a high level coach, or for his 5.14 Trad FA’s or even his FA of the worlds hardest crack boulder, aptly named “The Kraken” [V13]. Ya, Tom’s done it all, and has helped the best in the world do it even better.In this chat, Tom gives a masterclass on what actually gets climbers better. He also shares how to best use data from metrics, how the testing for metrics have evolved, and why Lattice started capturing these metrics in the first place!SHOW NOTES:Lattice TrainingQuantifying Technique Video by LatticeAidan and Bosi on Burden Of Dreams ReplicaTom’s InstagramWide Boyz YouTubeMagnus Midtbo Testing with LatticeSupport the showSupport us on Patreon: HEREVisit our podcast page: HERESign-up with one of our coaches: HEREFollow us on Instagram: HERE