EP 32: Natasha Barnes — Myths and Truths of Strength Training, Calorie Balance, and The Power Mullet

Natasha Barnes is a former professional climber, a national powerlifting champion, and a licensed chiropractor who specializes in strength training and rehabilitation for rock climbers. We talked about gaining weight to climb harder, calorie balance, common misconceptions about strength training, on and off seasons, tissue capacity, and rehabbing finger injuries.  

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  

Show Notes:  

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/natasha-barnes  

Nuggets:  

2:22 – Yosemite bouldering, ground-up ascents, and favorite boulder problems  

5:04 – Natasha’s current climbing  

6:28 – Gunning for state records in Power Lifting  

9:11 – Competing, and the mindset of practicing at meets  

11:55 – Natasha’s career as a pro climber, her  catastrophic finger injury, and struggling to find information on how to rehab  

16:44 – Rehabbing the finger in Lost Rocks  

18:47 – Shoulder injuries, trying conventional rehab, and turning to strength training  

21:25 – Bench press and overhead press for shoulder strength and health  

22:46 – Chiropractic school, and using her chiropractic license to do physiotherapy and rehab with clients  

23:54 – Strength training for climbing, “being strong is fun”, and Natasha’s path to Power Lifting  

27:16 – Gaining weight to climb harder?  

31:31 – Disordered eating, and how learning about calorie balance and tracking macros helped Natasha relax about her weight, diet, and food  

32:59 – Performance seasons and off-seasons   

37:31 – Gaining weight in the off-season, calorie balance, and a case for tracking calories and macros  

43:10 – Natasha’s thoughts on protein requirements for athletes  

46:18 – Protein, carb, and fat recommendations for boulderers, sport climbers, and trad/alpine climbers   

49:03 – Natasha’s favorite Apps for tracking  

50:21 – Trends Natasha sees with her clients (almost all are under-eating protein)  

51:25 – My (Steven’s) experience with low-carb diets, why Natasha likes the “if it fits your macros” approach, and caveats  

59:06 – Clarification about total vs. net carbs  

59:38 – Carb timing  

1:03:54 – Avoiding excessive alcohol for recovery, and why Natasha doesn’t like to label foods as “bad” or “good”  

1:05:30 – What Natasha thinks her ideal climbing weight would be now  

1:08:14 – Off-season recommendations  

1:10:03 – Addressing misconceptions about strength training, minimum effective dose, and examples of how Natasha programs strength training for climbers  

1:12:45 – Neurological strength gains, and strength as a skill  

1:14:29 – Why Natasha advocates for compound lifts, and targeting specific weaknesses through climbing practice/training  

1:19:01 – The difference between a human body vs a car  

1:24:56 – Increasing tissue capacity through training  

1:28:00 – Patron Question: What can we do to avoid recurring finger injuries?  

1:33:43 – Discomfort during rehab, pushers vs. avoiders, and finding the sweet spot  

1:36:48 – My experience with a finger injury, how much time to take off, and lower entry points  

1:40:32 – Surgery as a trauma, and better outcomes through movement  

1:41:42 – Natasha’s recommended hangboard protocol for training and/or rehab, auto-regulated training, and why you don’t need to train to failure  

1:45:28 – “Reps in reserve”, “Effort level”, and gaining autonomy in our training  

1:48:41 – Patron Question: Does Natasha have any climbing heroes/role models?  

1:51:20 – Gratitude for health  

1:52:35 – How to connect with Natasha  

1:53:27 – Natasha’s new ‘Foundational Strength for Climbing’ program  

1:55:01 – The Power Mullet