The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Dr. Jared Vagy is a physical therapist who specializes in climbing injury rehab and prevention. We talked about freestyle rapping, the most common injuries in rock climbing, how to prevent knee, shoulder, elbow, and finger injuries as climbers, warming up your fingers at the crag, what to do to help your body recover on rest days, and much more.Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!Check out Grasshopper Climbing!grasshopperclimbing.cominstagram.com/grasshopperclimbingTell them I sent you to save $500 off a fully kitted out 8'x10' Grasshopper board! We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig LeeBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jared-vagyNuggets:0:05:00 – J-Rock the hip-hop artist0:09:58 – Running track in college and getting into climbing0:11:25 – Getting excited about physical therapy0:12:24 – Hip-hop parties with grandma, and applying physical therapy to his own climbing0:14:36 – Becoming “The Climbing Doctor” and writing for DPM0:17:22 – Overly engaging our shoulders0:20:56 – Shoulder position for hangboarding0:23:08 – How has climbing changed, and how climbing injuries have changed0:26:30 – My (Steven’s) balance of climbing and training0:28:12 – Balancing training and climbing, and seeing more injuries from training vs. climbing0:29:33 – Most common climbing injuries (shoulders, elbows, and fingers)0:31:42 – Exercises for preventing climbing-related knee injuries0:42:01 – Knee exercises for drop knees0:47:19 – How to program your knee injury prevention exercises0:49:04 – Patron question from Tyler: Compound lifts vs. accessory exercises for injury prevention?0:54:57 – Most common climbing-related shoulder injuries, and why shoulder injuries are difficult to diagnose0:59:26 – Who to go to if you get a shoulder injury, and what to look for in a physical therapist1:06:03 – Research on shoulder injuries1:07:55 – How to prevent climbing-related shoulder injuries1:11:58 – Resistance Band Rows, how difficult they should feel, and sets and reps1:16:20 – Pressing exercises for the shoulders, how to fix scapular winging, and flys for elbow pain1:24:20 – How to prevent finger injuries, hand positions on the hangboard, pockets, and finger lengths1:29:56 – Torsion on the hangboard, and gaps between fingers1:34:49 – The rubber band exercise for finger gaps1:39:26 – Hangboarding as brushing your teeth1:40:17 – Warming up your fingers for a climbing session1:45:20 – Grab your finger and shake your elbow1:48:04 – Warming up to raise the temperature in your hands and fingers1:50:23 – Warming up with a portable hangboard1:56:00 – Golfer’s Elbow, and diagnosing other sources of elbow pain2:04:32 – Patron question from Felix: How do we know when to listen to pain, vs. ignore pain? (Graded Motor Imagery)2:10:27 – How to diagnose PIP or DIP joint inflammation in the fingers, and recommendations for capsulitis2:14:45 – Advice for pulley aches2:16:21 – Patron question from Ana: Thoughts on the long-term effects of bouldering falls?2:20:55 – Motion is lotion2:23:07 – Patron question from Shawn: What exercises should we do on rest days to help with recovery? What should we avoid doing on rest days?2:26:31 – Training and educating other physical therapists, and doing more research on climbers2:30:32 – Jared’s climbing and rope soloing2:31:40 – Wrap up

Carol Simpson is a 77-year-old rock climber and yoga instructor from Lone Pine, CA. We talked about growing up in the South in the 1950s, identifying as a “tomboy”, feeling pressure to be feminine as a teenager, embracing athletics in her 30s, discovering climbing at age 42, sending her first 5.12a at age 53, yoga as the fountain of youth, and ageism in climbing. *I loved this conversation. If you enjoy exploring different perspectives from your own, and hearing about others’ lived experiences, don’t skip this episode.Check out Athletic Greens!athleticgreens.com/NUGGETUse this link to get a free year supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app! (Available for iOS and Android)Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig LeeBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/carol-simpsonNuggets:0:06:50 – A day in the life of Carol Simpson, and her home in Lone Pine0:10:27 – Moving from Vegas to Lone Pine, having different chapters in our lives, and becoming apathetic about the beauty around you0:13:23 – Being born in 19440:14:43 – Growing up in the South in the 50s as a “tomboy”, and feeling pressure to be more traditionally  feminine0:19:28 – Being raised to believe that women get married and have kids, and finding feminism0:22:08 – Our adult life begins at 300:23:46 – Not being able to get a loan for a car without a man to sign for the loan0:25:11 – Going back to school in her 30s with two kids, and starting to play tennis and running and trying other sports0:30:30 – More about being a teenager in the 50s and 60s0:32:58 – How the culture continues to change for women, and Carol’s daughters and granddaughters0:37:45 – Discovering climbing at age 42, and how climbing completely changed her life0:42:31 – Hitting the road to climb in her 40s, and early climbing training books0:46:00 – Art, studying interior design in college, and working in the big city0:52:04 – Scrambling a 4th class route, and getting a hard time for being a mountain goat0:56:04 – John0:59:58 – The book Lying by Sam Harriss, being honest with your partner, and some of Carol’s favorite climbing trips1:04:25 – How Carol and John navigate their political differences1:10:03 – What Carol appreciates most about John1:12:39 – “You can’t get off of the bus.” - Mark Twight1:16:36 – Redpoint climbing shop near Smith Rock, and redpointing Latin Lover 5.12a at age 531:24:29 – Question from Taylor: What are the things when it comes to aging as an athlete that people don’t think about?1:31:22 – Practicing yoga since 19681:34:26 – Carol’s current yoga practice, and the yin and the yang1:39:38 – The time commitment to see improvement through yoga, and taking care of your health1:44:35 – Working with Chris Heilman, and expanding her comfort zone1:53:59 – How Carol keeps her wits sharp, and how to remember names1:58:40 – 80% of life is showing up2:01:32 – Ageism, and showing respect for our elders2:08:59 – No limits

Lea Volpe is a paraclimber for Great Britain and a 2x medalist at the IFSC Paraclimbing World Championships. Lea holds down a 9-5 job working in health policy, coaches junior athletes, and is essentially a professional climber on the side. We talked about paraclimbing competitions, being diagnosed with Ataxia, how we perceive wheelchairs, empathy in coaching, and much more.Check out Grasshopper Climbing!grasshopperclimbing.cominstagram.com/grasshopperclimbingTell them I sent you to save $500 off a fully kitted out 8'x10' Grasshopper board! Check out Rhino Skin Solutions!rhinoskinsolutions.comUse code “NUGGET” at checkout for 20% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig LeeBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/lea-volpeNuggets:0:07:04 – Getting over covid0:08:06 – A normal weekday in Lea’s life0:11:32 – How Lea recharges her mental batteries0:14:14 – Balancing an intellectual and sedentary job with the physical activity of climbing0:16:54 – How most climbers feel guilty for taking downtime0:18:59 – Lea’s energy reserves, and learning to budget her energy0:21:28 – An introduction to paraclimbing, Lea’s disability of Ataxia, and strategies she uses to climb around a coordination and balance impairment0:26:32 – Why Lea uses a wheelchair day-to-day, and climbing with her disability0:31:33 – Experiencing imposter syndrome as a strong para athlete0:34:04 – How climbing levels the playing field, and how many of us start at V00:36:58 – Failure is part of climbing0:39:06 – Lea’s life as a kid and teenager, and getting diagnosed with Ataxia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in her early 20s0:44:21 – How Lea discovered climbing0:46:10 – How we perceive people in wheelchairs, and feeling self-conscious at the climbing wall0:53:00 – What we can learn from Lea in regards to how we think about disability0:58:01 – The paraclimbing competition format, and some of the different athlete categories1:02:04 – Climbing to be in the paraolympics, and classification systems1:07:03 – How athletes get assessed to determine their classification1:17:35 – How route setters influence competition outcomes, and setting guidelines in paraclimbing competitions1:20:47 – Working with a coach vs. being self-coached1:24:51 – Keeping training sustainable1:28:49 – What a “bad day” looks like for Lea1:35:48 – How Lea got into coaching1:42:24 – What Lea hopes to pass on to the kids she coaches, and the role of coach/teacher1:48:10 – Having the questions vs. asking questions, and qualities that make a good coach1:51:40 – Empathy in coaching, and how climbing brings out our deepest and darkest fears1:56:12 – Inspiration porn and how it can reduce people down to a tool, and how Lea wants to use her platform2:02:42 – The barriers involved in climbing outdoors2:13:22 – What’s next for Lea

Dr. Carrie Cooper is a former professional climber and a doctor of physical therapy. We talked about her background in gymnastics and dance, bouldering in the early 2000s, her path to physical therapy, referencing research in climbing, why climbers should think of themselves as athletes, and the most important things we are missing in our physical training.Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app! (Available for iOS and Android)We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig LeeBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/carrie-cooperNuggets:0:04:56 – Morning rituals0:07:10 – Audio setups, and presenting at the Tokyo Olympics0:13:42 – Climbers are athletes0:16:21 – A day in the life of Dr. Carrie Cooper0:18:46 – Carrie’s clinic and what she does0:23:20 – Gymnastics and dance0:26:27 – Going to school with Danny McBride, and more about dance0:28:17 – Starting to climb in Sweden, and falling in love with the culture of climbing0:31:15 – Back injury, finding pilates, and walking away from dance0:34:33 – The American bouldering scene in the early 2000s, and the small but mighty group of women bouldering in Hueco0:41:28 – Carrie’s genetics, and what she brought with her from dance and gymnastics to climbing0:45:20 – Trying to try a little harder, and sneaking up on the boulder problem0:47:52 – Carrie’s path to becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and what she specialized in0:52:17 – Patron question from Kaska: How did Carrie’s climbing and recovery compare between her two pregnancies?0:56:37 – Climbing like honey during pregnancy1:00:15 – Research that exists in climbing, and Carrie’s philosophy on basing recommendations on empirical evidence1:06:22 – Age parameters for climbing injuries, and finger injuries in kids/adolescents1:07:52 – Where do you go to find climbing research, and how relevant is it for athletes?1:10:29 – Carrie’s pulley classification schema, and applying science to what we are doing1:14:03 – Knowing what is normal for climbers by referring to research, and why you might not need to jump to getting an MRI1:17:57 – Relying on trusted practitioners, holding the loudest voices accountable to the research, and drawing inspiration from national teams1:22:31 – “The clinician is always ahead of the curve.” - Charles Poliquin1:28:10 – Taping fingers1:30:10 – My wrist injury, and when to stop using tape1:32:53 – Retraining movement patterns after a finger injury1:39:39 – Mobility and a proper warmup1:45:06 – Warming up your thoracic spine and hips1:50:21 – Patron question from Alistair: What are common prescriptions Carrie has given national-level athletes?1:54:06 – Patron question from Shawn: How does Carrie decide when and how much antagonist and mobility work  to incorporate for her athletes?1:56:30 – Undoing the doing, and recovering after climbing1:58:25 – Minimums: a connective tissue health session2:01:10 – Discussing Emil Abrahamsson’s results from his “no hangs” experiment2:07:40 – Keith Baar, and an example Minimums session2:11:45 – How to do Minimums with a Tension Block or other no hangs grip implement2:15:38 – How you should feel after Minimums, and how easy it should feel2:17:02 – Should we be doing Minimums over the long term?2:18:46 – Patron question from Chris: Compound movements vs. more specific antagonist type exercises?2:20:40 – Patron question from Katja: How has Carrie kept her psyche and strength up over two decades of climbing at such a high level?2:22:40 – How our lives dictate what we can do in our training, and “just doing something, is better than not doing something”2:24:34 – Patron question from Kaska: How did she manage to still boulder hard as a Mom of two?2:26:25 – Patron question from Kaska: Who are her inspirations in climbing now, and how has that changed over the years since she first started climbing?2:28:50 – Patron question from Katja: What are some of Carrie’s big dreams for the future (climbing and/or nonclimbing)?2:31:02 – Overcoming things in the future2:32:00 – Carrie’s passion project and wrap up

The tables are turned in this episode! Steven Dimmitt joins Chad Andrews from Clipping Chains to talk about leaving his engineering career to start the podcast, building a craft vs. pursuing a passion, reaching more than 1M downloads, monetization, outsourcing things you hate doing, the glorification of van life, and key climbing principles he has learned from hosting The Nugget.Check out Grasshopper Climbing!grasshopperclimbing.cominstagram.com/grasshopperclimbingTell them I sent you to save $500 off a fully kitted out 8'x10' Grasshopper board! Check out Crimpd!crimpd.comOr download the Crimpd app! (Available for iOS and Android)Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig LeeBecome a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/chad-andrews-interviews-steven-dimmitt

This full episode is available for Patrons right now! This is a teaser of a follow-up with Joe Kinder. I sat down with Joe in a cave in Utah to talk about his process for sending his new route ‘Mamajamma’ (5.15a?), what it felt like to send, how he would have trained this summer if he hadn’t sent, favorite workouts for power endurance, plans to try his 5.15b ‘Big Bone’ project, and what I learned from five weeks of climbing with Joe.Become a Patron to get access to the full episode! And support the podcast! *The full version is 1:21:47.patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingJoe's Original Episode:EP 96: Joe Kinder

Yves Gravelle is a V15 boulderer from Canada and a 3x APL World Champion (i.e. grip competitions). We talked about lessons from grip training that we can apply to climbing, the importance of simplicity and consistency, how to break down a bouldering project, basing your training on the demands of a specific goal, top 3 finger training methods, how to train full crimps, and much more.Check out Athletic Greens!athleticgreens.com/NUGGETUse the link above to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!Check out Grasshopper Climbing!grasshopperclimbing.cominstagram.com/grasshopperclimbingTell them I sent you to save $500 off a fully kitted out 8'x10' Grasshopper board! Check out Chalk Cartel!chalkcartel.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, and Craig Lee Become a Patron:patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingShow Notes:  thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/yves-gravelleNuggets:0:07:18 – How to pronounce Yves’ name, and living in Ottawa0:09:20 – The most legendary training montage I have ever seen, and an introduction to APL0:12:32 – Why Yves thinks climbs could represent themselves well in grip sports, and what a competition is like0:15:22 – Specializing vs. being a well-rounded athlete in grip0:18:11 – Balancing climbing goals with grip competitions0:19:28 – What Yves has learned from grip sports, and taking training ideas from powerlifting0:22:26 – How Yves bases his training around the demands of a specific boulder or goal0:24:49 – Is it possible to combine outdoor climbing with quality finger strength training?0:31:07 – An example training week with outdoor bouldering on Sunday0:35:05 – Preparing your body for the amount of training you want to do, and progressively working your way up0:36:19 – Building capacity, and learning about nutrition0:37:55 – Reading nutritional research about bouldering0:39:33 – How Yves has changed his diet0:42:28 – Maintaining finger strength during off-seasons, and pushing hard for goals0:45:51 – Finger training principles, keeping things simple, consistency, writing things down, and using RPE to measure your training0:51:38 – Training strength when you are fresh, finishing fresh, and not going to failure (adding a buffer)0:54:14 – Yves’ session load calculator spreadsheet0:57:36 – Preparation cycles, and competitive cycles1:00:45 – Jazz1:02:13 – How Yves trained for ‘So What’ V15, and building shoulder strength and mobility1:05:15 – Patron question from fdclimbs: Any tips for building climbing-specific shoulder strength?1:07:34 – Yves top 3 finger training exercises for climbing1:12:01 – Progressive warmup for finger training1:13:58 – Micro edge training1:15:39 – Contact strength training1:19:20 – Summary of Yves’ top 3 finger training methods1:21:08 – Patron question from Alan: Does Yves have a favorite way to train full crimps?1:22:39 – Yves’ full crimp story, and how he prevents finger injuries1:26:14 – Patron question from fdclimbs: Tips for training individual fingers? (And Yves’ grip positions and anatomy)1:29:53 – Patron question from Alan: How does Yves balance different methods of training fingers and grip strength?1:33:19 – Prepping for ‘Terremere’ and Hueco1:34:17 – Patron question from Daniel: Any plans to travel to world-famous bouldering areas and try the classic V15s or V16s?1:35:38 – 1-7-11 on the campus board (with slightly different spacing)1:37:00 – Patron question from Daniel: Is there such thing as “enough power”? What about finger strength?1:38:18 – Patron question from Xander: Do your finger strength gains still transfer to climbing?1:39:28 – One of Yves’ favorite coaches to learn from1:40:59 – When you are starting off almost anything will work1:41:44 – Patron question from Michael: What is the smallest edge you can hang with one hand? What about two hands?1:42:54 – Being muscular and still being strong on tiny holds, and putting on muscle mass in the right places1:44:30 – Patron question from David: How does Yves look after his skin, especially splits and tears?1:46:48 – Contributing to local bouldering areas, and winning the world championships1:47:41 – Yves’ daughters and gymnastics1:50:26 – Listen to your body, and enjoy the process1:53:10 – Be present1:54:39 – Wrap up

Paul Robinson, a top boulderer with a decade of V15 climbing experience, shares his journey through injuries and his recent autism diagnosis. He discusses the emotional aspects of recovery, comparing climbing to writing a book, and the importance of enjoying the process rather than just focusing on performance. Paul also delves into his filmmaking adventures, contrasting feature films with YouTube, and explores untapped bouldering spots in South America. With insights on minimalism in climbing attire and the evolution of gear, he inspires climbers to adapt and thrive.

"Steven's Blog" is now available for Patrons!In this blog episode, Steven shares a recap of his final weeks in Hueco, and his first two weeks trying a 14a in Utah.Become a Patron for $10/mo to hear more blog episodes! Plus, it helps out the show! patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingCheck out the "Announcing Reflections and Steven's Blog" episode to learn more!

"Reflections" are now available for Patrons!In this Reflections episode, Mina talks with Steven about an area of her climbing that she still struggles with, and about building general strength. She also talked about the different versions of ourselves we experience in life and embracing the current version of herself.Become a Patron for $10/mo to hear more Reflections episodes! Plus, it helps out The Nugget and The Curious Climber Podcast!patreon.com/thenuggetclimbingCheck out the "Announcing Reflections and Recaps" episode to learn more!