Settle down and get comfy because Dave MacLeod is in the house and you are going to want to hear this one! We were recently lucky enough to have Dave MacLeod come down to the Lattice Training HQ and dive into all things climbing and training!In this podcast Dave and Lattice coach Maddy Cope sat down and had a good old chat! Tune in to find out more about;📌Dave's approach to training and climbing📌How he applies his understanding of science to his practice📌How the mental side of climbing evolved for him📌His process on hard climbs and headpoints 📌The consideration of specificity in training for climbing goals 📌Stepping things up to 9a+ This interview covers many things in between these topics, so be sure to tune in for so much more - plus we've also split into two parts, so keep an eye out next week for part 2. The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

Today we have a true legend of finger strength - the one and only Yves Gravelle. He has some of the strongest fingers in the world, pound for pound and has demonstrated this in both the climbing and arm lifting world, whilst also holding down a full time job and the added role of parenting on top of that. In terms of his climbing, Yves is an International comp athlete, having represented Canada for a number of years, he’s bouldered V15 and repeated and established multiple problems in the double digit range. For Arm Lifting, he is 3 x APL World Champ, the lightest person the lift the Thomas inch dumbbell and has a PB of 105kg on the Rolling Thunder.If you’re someone who’s interested in the opinion, practices and methods of an athlete at the top 0.0001% of their game, when it comes to building strong fingers, then listen in hard!In this episode we cover the following topics:Yves's classic feats of strength.His early climbing years.The tools in the last 20 yrs that he's felt were most effective.How often he trains grip strength. How he balances that with normal climbing.What has been the role of arm lifting and when he got into it.Are arm lifters doing anything different to climbers?Hang vs lift tools for finger strength training.How he 'transfers' his training strength across into climbing.His balance of low intensity and high volume training.How he trains with limited time and resources. His tips for climbers getting into their first season of arm lift training.Yves' Sponsors: Bloc shop, Kailas, Tembo, Digit Climbing, Xcult USA, Coyote rock gymHis YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/yvesgravelle/videosHis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yvesgravelle/?hl=enI’m from Ottawa, CanadaBeen climbing for 22 years. Ex Canadian National Bouldering team member. 7-8 time???3 x arm lifting World Champion (APL federation)8C boulderMultiple World records and class world records order  in the sport of Armlifting. Feats Highlight - lightest person the lift the Thomas inch dumbbell- 6mm one arm pull-up and deadhang- lattice test edge + 32kg- 105kg on the rolling thunder- 1-5-9 with construction gloves The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

Tom Randall is back with another solo podcast session, following on from the recent "Common Mistake in Endurance Training" that was very popular. Like the previous format, he explores the big issues that climbers will typically have when training or preparing their power endurance.In part 1, he breaks down the critical factor of 'specificity' and why you need to address it on the three fronts of technical, psychological and physical preparation. Ignoring, or wrongly addressing almost any of these elements will significantly impact both the effect of your training and the performance outcomes. Get them right though, as you're talking about huge steps towards success! Technical:1. Rock types and associated movement patterns.2. Specific move types and efficiency within them.3. Learning how to climb fast AND slow at your project/goal gradePsychological:1. Accessing your 'try hard' zone with correct focus and frequency2. Learning to relax to the demands of the goal and not 'wasting' energy. 3. Training to rest appropriate for your project. 4. Chalking up ratios5. Terrain recognition and environmental stress/familiarity6. Fears of heights, exposure and fallingPhysical:1. Pacing for contraction and relaxation ratios.2. Hold size and types relative to muscle activation and soft tissue demands.3. Specificity of project demands on ancillary muscle groups such as core, back and legs.4. Skin and pain conditioning5. Respecting the specificity of volume, intensity and 'section' interval frequency when trainingThe Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

Today’s guest is one of the best climbers in the world right now. He’s redpointed 3 9b+’s and 7 9b’s, and won multiple IFSC world cups. Yes, it is the one and only Stefano Ghisolfi! The journey that this athlete has taken in the sport is a remarkable one, not simply because his incredible grades, but because he has so many relatable actions that many of us can also deploy in our own climbing pathway. Sure, we may not all reach 9b+ or Olympic selections in our life, but at our own personal level there are strategies that pay off ... big time. Those key strategies discussed come down to:1. Playing to your strengths and understanding how you can work on your long term (changeable) weaknesses.2. Building a solid grade pyramid of performance, experience and skill. 3. Appropriate methods for making a change in performance metrics. What strategies actually work for the thing you're trying to alter. 4. Working on your fear and mindset in a performance setting.Around these topics, we discussed - amongst other things:His first competition at 14 and how only 3 years later he’d got a podium and also competed in the Senior world champs and placed 10th in combined. What his early journey in climbing looked like. How quickly did he go through the grades?His first 9b Lapsus. His views on repeating some of the world’s hardest routes like Change, Bibliographie, Perfecto Mundo. How important is this process/goal?His repeat of Bibliography and proposed 9b+ grade vs 9c.  How much bouldering does he do compared to sport climbing? Does it change at different times of the year?How does he fit in fingerboard work and other forms of more 'basic' S&C?His fear of heights, falling and exposure. How does he identify what he wants to work on each season?The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

This episode's guest is professional climber and competition athlete Staša Gejo, who's track record is rarely matched. She has stood in every single position - gold, silver and bronze - across a variety of competitions from World Games, World Champs, European Champs and World Cups, climbed V13 and puts out consistent content on her social channels and YouTube channel which shares her thoughts and journey in climbing. Her top level track record extends way back from 2015 where as a junior competitor she won the World Junior Champs in bouldering and combined, so there is a big depth of experience and expertise here. What’s so cool about Staša is that not only is she operating at the top end, she's also really good at communicating her thoughts about her journey in the sport. The ups and downs and also what works well when it comes to performance - especially around some recent dialogue on the topic of weight.We talked about:Her experiences with weight control and early journey as a comp athlete.The repercussions of a calorie controlled diet at 1200/day. How does her healthy weight management look these days.What does her indoor vs outdoor training and performance habit look like.Her thoughts on mixing forms and disciplines for performance and training. What does her specific finger strength work look like.How much strength work she finds optimal per week. The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

On today's show we have Kejt Najman, who sits in the 'sweet spot' of training knowledge as she's both a coach and internationally acclaimed athlete. She was World Weighted Pull Up Champion in 2019 & 2022, Polish Champion four years running, has bouldered 7C and sport climbed 7c (before concentrating on her competitions in recent years) and also works as a strength and conditioning coach for climbers. At Lattice we greatly value those who have a blend of sports science and practical knowledge - it's the area where 'science' meets 'art' and 'subjectivity' in training. In another knowledge packed episode Tom explores Kejt's methods and experiences in upper body strength training, how she works on herself as an athlete and also her approach to her own clients. 1. Kejt's original journey as an athlete - couldn't do a single pull up initially! 2. How much she trained in the earlier years and what methods she used.3. Her approach to 'push' vs 'pull' gym work.4. Low specificity vs high specificity training. 5. Kejt's experiences as an elite plant-based athlete. 6. Her next steps and thoughts on training as a 40 year old athlete. The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

Part 2 of '10 Things That Matter More Than You Think'Climbing performance is fairly complex because there's so many moving parts to the equation and many of the skills take years, if not decades, to perfect. Fortunately, Tom Randall is on the podcast in this episode to give you another 'solo' session on what things really make a difference in climbing your best. In this second part, he dives into a variety of factors that probably don't get enough discussion, but make a massive difference to your climbing. Get over half of these items ticked off and perfected, and you'll probably see 1-2 grades of climbing improvement at your projecting level in a single season. Hip positionLadders and dogging tacticsOne Last GoPower trainingSupportive partnersHIPS: How close, how far left or right and how much you throw them. Get strong in the entire ROMTACTICS: Ladders, ab ropes and spotter shoulders for feeling holds, starting higher up, dogging with clip stick, clipping in tight, get a power pulls and many more...ONE LAST GO: Sticking around, trying even when you’ve given up, learning your mind-body connection when you’re at your limit, trying to be the last person to have a go every session. POWER TRAINING: Execution of strength/force with speed, efficient movement that’s sport specific, power training in 'peak' cycles, trying projects that you can’t do staticallySUPPORTIVE PARTNERS: The 'fun' factor, verbal and video feedback, accountability, absorbing your partner's practices. The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

In the words of one of Grip Sport's legends, Eric Roussin, the relative newcomer of Tanner Merkle has seriously ruffled some feathers in the Arm Lifting World. Three years running International King Kong Champion and outright holder of the Captains of Crush Silver Bullet Record, his incredible grip strength showed immediately. Unusually for an elite arm lifter, he was previously a top level US competition climber (2nd at US Boulder Nationals). Tanner transitioned away from high climbing to really explore his gift and passion for grip strength, which clearly set him apart in both climbing and grip sports. Tom sits down with Tanner to explore his early days in climbing, how he transitioned his training through the two sports and where he feels there's transfer and knowledge to be applied across both of the disciplines. This episode is the first a number of interviews we're doing with world famous grip strength athletes, diving into the methods, knowledge and strategies they've evolved over their own journeys to the top. We talk (amongst other things) about:What exactly are Grip Sports and Arm Lifting.What is different about the tools used in this sport compared to climbing?How Tanner transitioned from climbing to Grip Sports. How to train for Arm Lifting vs pulling or hanging in climbing.His CoC Silver Bullet record. How he trained for specific records.His thoughts on Cross TrainingHow he tackles training "the entire kinetic chain" in Arm LiftingIssues around weight, mass and how it relates to Grip Sports vs Climbing. The beat is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

Climbing performance is fairly complex because there's so many moving parts to the equation and many of the skills take years, if not decades, to perfect. Fortunately, Tom Randall is on the podcast in this episode to give you another 'solo' session on what things really make a difference in climbing your best. In this 2 parter, he dives into a variety of factors that probably don't get enough discussion, but make a massive difference to your climbing. Get over half of these items ticked off and perfected, and you'll probably see 1-2 grades of climbing improvement at your projecting level in a single season. Obviously, if you're already at a Dave Graham level of obsession and strategy, then this can act as a list to give yourself a big pat on the back as you'll find that he and all the rest of the pros are seriously paying attention to these factors. They are not to be taken lightly! Shoe choiceSkin qualityHumidity and wind speedFULL warm upVisualisationSHOES: Heels, toes, downturn, rubber, tightness, stiffnessSKIN: How dry, how thick, cuticle pain, smoothnessHUMIDITY & WIND: Friction and grip effect, humidity limits, glassy skin, cold vs wind. FULL WARM UP: Fingers, core (esp posterior chain), flexibility, power, knowing the demands on your goalVISUALISATION: Timescales and frequency of visualisation, how long can you sustain a visualised sequence, internal vs external, hyper-detail The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.

In this episode we take a dive into the history of climbing training and performance with Peter Beal. With over five decades of climbing and training experience under his belt, we thought there was no better person to talk about what has occurred in the training side of the sport since the 70s and how this has impacted performance at the top end. Peter has been climbing hard since 1977, with a specific focus on bouldering which is unusual given the decade in which he started - it was hardly recognised as its own 'thing' at the time! With ascents up to V12, he is also a contributor across publications like Rock & Ice, UKC, The Alpinist and  also the author of the book - Bouldering: Movement, Tactics and Problem Solving.Peter is a training and performance focused guy, having trained methodically for going on 40 yrs and also operates as a climbing coach for local climbers in Colorado operating right up to the elite end of the scale for just over 20yrs. For all the above mentioned history and background, I thought this would be the perfect person to have on the show to talk about how climbing and performance has changed over the last 5 decades. Peter Beal InstagramPeter Beal's local (amazing!) gym: 1970sJim Holloway - front levers and gymnastic strength training feats. Ascents of V12-13! Pete Livesey and training at Leeds wall, raising the standard in leading from E2-E6Tony Yaniro - FA of Grand Illusion 8a/+ in 19791980sEnter John Bachar! 2 arm pull ups at +63kg and 1 arm pull up +5.5kgMoffatt, Bachar etc, all possibly started with the first bit of fingerboard training1984 C’était Demain V11 – Fontainebleau, by Godoffe 1988 - The campus board & Wolfgang Güllich 1990s1990 Hubble - 8c+ but maybe the world’s first 9a?Action Directe 9a 1991The Sheffield Schoolroom -  built in 1993 by Gavin Ellis, Ben Tye and Andy CoishReplicas, system board climbing, systematic endurance training, campus boards, and early fingerboarding all find their ground.1996 - Open Air by Huber as the first 9a+ (upgraded later from 9a)2000s2000-2002 for long and shorter V15s (Hollow Mountain Cave and Monkey Wedding)2008 - 9b Jumbo LoveIndoor Walls really start to have an international impact en masse. 2010s2012-2013 3 x 9b+ all by Adam Ondra!! Early 2010-2015 massive explosion in indoor bouldering2016 - Burden of Dreams V17 – by Nalle Hukkataival 2017 - Silence 9c by OndraThe Moonboard, Kilterboard and Tension Board go big. The Lattice jingle is brought to you by Devin Dabney, music producer of the outdoor industry who also hosts the American Climbing Project.