Inner Fire Climbing Podcast

Ryan Frecka is a strength and conditioning coach and multi-sport athlete based in Alberta, Canada. I have personally trained as a client of Ryan and consider him a friend. On today's podcast, we discuss Ryan's personal climbing journey, how to get the most out of a remote coach as a client, and the value of training plyometrics for climbing.

Thanks patrons for the questions this month!  Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/innerfireclimbing 00:00:00 Intro and personal updates 00:03:00 Anthony - Balancing try-hard and being present 00:10:42 Anthony - Flagging techniques 00:14:15 Sam - Thoughts on "flashing" 00:19:25 Lorraine - Drills for power endurance 00:24:10 Joe - Predestination and free will 00:28:35 Joe - Heel-toe cams on vert terrain 00:31:18 Jantina - Why is Janja so dominant? 00:36:05 Kenzie - What counts as a "move"? 00:38:15 Dennis - How to get psyched on climbs not in your style

Collin McGee is a coach with Camp 4 Human Performance and the Fitness Director at the Alliance Fitness Center in Reading, PA. Collin has coached a wide range of athletes in multiple sports and fitness disciplines. On today's podcast, we discuss the importance of strength training for climbers, which fitness trends are overrated and underrated for climbers, and the keys to building physical resiliency.

Thanks patrons for the questions this month!  Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/innerfireclimbing 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:52 Joshua - Session capacity for projecting 00:05:31 Jantina - Yoga for climbing 00:08:26 Foo - Climbing books 00:12:17 Foo - Business advice (lol. Run away, people. Run away) 00:15:55 Eric - Squat DOMS impacting performance 00:19:45 Simon - Zooming in on single hard moves 00:24:58 Miles - Breathing while bouldering 00:28:50 Instagram question of the month - Dealing with grade-obsessed climbing buddies on a trip 00:33:39 Sam - Sport climbing partners

Flo Tilley is a mindset coach with Lattice and has a Master's degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology. On today's episode we talk about flow, overcoming fear, and the power of self talk.

Michael Hauss is a friend and client of mine. Michael is a former D1 athlete and the founder of ROQ Climbing, a new kind of climbing gym coming to Seattle. On today's episode, we talk about modern climbing gyms, starting a business, and why group coaching might be the future of climbing.

Thanks patrons for the questions this month! Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/innerfireclimbing 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:42 Update on fatherhood 00:04:12 Simon - Practical resources on Stoicism 00:08:53 Rose - Exercises for hypermobile shoulders 00:14:07 Alexander - Utility of ARCing and 4x4s 00:17:27 Andrew - Hamstring rehab and heel hook training 00:22:08 Max 1 - Approach to projecting as a dad 00:28:44 Jantina - Sport climbing with someone who climbs at a different level 00:35:49 Max 2 - Managing climbing alongside major life changes  

Fallon Rowe is a climber, coach, photographer, and writer. On today's episode we talk about climbing with chronic illnesses, being kind to yourself and your body, finding passions outside of climbing, and writing a memoir.

Skyler Mavor is an accomplished climber and geologist. We discuss basic geology, understanding rock types, tools you can use to find rocks and understand rock types, and how understanding the natural world can help you enjoy it.

Thanks patrons for the questions this month! Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/innerfireclimbing 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:19 Kyle - Visualization strategies, especially for better flashing 00:05:53 Sam - What does it mean to be a better climber? 00:13:26 Jake - Project shopping advice for overstokers 00:15:53 Ethan - Using a sport climbing trip for pre-season endurance boost 00:19:42 Jantina - Brushing holds 00:24:41 Adit - "Stepping stone" pyramids for boulders/routes 00:28:47 nadaladacourt - Home wall considerations  00:31:56 Foo - Testing & metrics 00:37:21 Stephanie - What is dry firing? 00:42:07 Brian - Expanding on my "V10 is closer to V5 than it is to V15" concept 00:46:41 Nico - Longer term maintenance / thoughts on periodization 00:51:12 Outro ramble 

Brian Antheunisse is a climber, dad, Hueco guide, and a few other things. We talk about his history in climbing, Hueco Tanks but especially the problem Esperanza, what his life looks like now, and how to keep finding the joy in climbing. I'll be back next week with the September AMA episode!

Ollie Torr is one of the founders of Lattice Training and a thought leader in climbing coaching. We discuss coaching philosophy, identity, lots of high-minded stuff but also lots of practical things. This was a fun and diverse chat!

Thanks Collin for joining me for a question this month! Questions:  00:00:00 Intro and updates 00:03:44 Kenz - Training while on a sport climbing trip 00:07:40 Kyle - Different headspaces for different risk levels 00:13:52 Daniel - What to do when climbing with better climbers 00:18:19 Kes - Shoe quiver 00:23:39 Simon - Sequencing on climbs with multiple methods 00:29:57 Jantina - Does climbing chalk matter? 00:36:13 Jake - Can you train hard and climb hard at the same time?  00:40:31 Foo - Should a boulder or route last forever? 00:45:16 Brian - How does resting work? feat. Collin McGee  

Marisa Michael is a credentialed and prominent figure in the climbing nutrition science space. We discuss the state of climbing nutrition science, and some recommendations for improved performance & progression.

Questions:  00:00:00 Intro & updates 00:03:22 Stephanie - Training for sport and bouldering simultaneously? 00:07:53 Duncan - Anti-flow flow state 00:12:31 Jantina - How much do climbing shoes matter? 00:19:47 Nico - Crimp capacity on redpoint attempts & how to train it 00:25:27 Ting - When are you not strong enough? 00:29:25 Joss - Maintaining psych & calories on trips 00:34:30 Sam - Purity in the modern climbing world

Madeeha Drissi is a board-certified dermatologist and climber. We talk about all things skin – anatomy, wound healing, moisturizers, drying agents, and lots and lots of other stuff. A very geeky couple hours but there's not much surface contact between you and the rock – gotta make it count!

Questions:  0:00:00 Intro 0:00:56 Nico - Solo bouldering 0:05:25 Simon Pearson - What to do while watching climbing media 0:11:00 Jantina - Should people of different sexes or sizes be coached differently? 0:24:38 Briana - Free will and, also, donuts 0:28:02 Daniel - Feeling lost in limit bouldering sessions 0:33:28 Jeffrey - Programming low gear 0:35:24 Angel Gonzalez - Caffeine for early morning sessions 0:38:02 Sam - When is a problem worth your time? 0:44:05 Jishnu - How to practice skills with a low density in your facility/area 0:47:32 Jishnu - Toe training?

Tom Herbert is a nutrition coach and all around swell Brit. He joined me on the pod to talk about dance, flow, and climbing, and we took many (unsurprisingly) philosophical side quests. 

Questions from my Patrons and clients for April 2025. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jfireclimbing Questions:   00:00:00 Intro   00:01:01 Daniel - Skills I’m working on    00:03:17 Daniel - What am I excited about this year?   00:05:17 Daniel - How long to rest for different kinds of boulders   00:08:02 Jake, Briana & others - Kingslayer takeaways, maintaining motivation   00:14:32 More Kingslayer takeaways, personal growth, social stuff   00:18:07 Briana - donuts in Leavy?? (pure disappointment)   00:19:02 Robin - circadian rhythm and projecting   00:22:20 Robin - Advice for setting circuits, cognitive strain   00:25:30 Olga - Making friends   00:28:14 Olga - Gaston training   00:30:56 Olga - One-movers, love em or hate em?   00:33:02 Sam - Youtube?   00:34:58 Jishnu - Skill training: improving focus   00:38:52 Skill training: measuring success/feedback (related to above question but separate answer)    00:40:53 Jishnu - Using rings/TRX for strength training  

Ethan Salvo is a Squamish-based climber. He's been climbing just over 7 years and has climbed some of the hardest boulders in North America. Last summer he broke out of his boulderer shell and climbed the Cobra Crack, a notorious 5.14 gear climb.   I had the chance to write some training for him late last year, and we reconnected to talk about his experience trying one of the hardest boulders in Bishop over the winter.   We talked about:   - Personal growth and trying Lucid Dreaming V15 - Doing all the best and hardest climbs in Squamish - Future projects in Squamish - Skin management & tactics - Northwest climbing conditions (kind of a Squamish conditions masterclass) - Why Ethan doesn't practice flashing - The ups and downs of dirtbagging - My general training advice for someone at Ethan's level   0:00:00 Intro 0:03:34 Ethan's trip to Bishop to try Lucid Dreaming 0:15:15 Summoning the try-hard in Bishop vs Squamish 0:23:24 Was Ethan "strong enough" to do Lucid right off the bat? 0:29:01 Is Ethan a physical outlier? (I put my foot in my mouth) 0:34:23 Penrose Step & the insane minutiae of hard grips 0:40:22 Skin management 0:45:09 Living in a 2002 Subaru for months (tips for unwelcome mouse friends) 0:53:00 Ethan's current climbing and upcoming plans 1:05:10 Weather 1:13:51 Maximizing time vs other variables 1:17:25 What to look for on the weather forecast & learning micro-climates 1:22:52 Ethan's flash of Mad Bush V12 (nuts) 1:26:40 Discussion on flashing/onsighting in general 1:34:00 Squamish weather details 1:36:10 Return to Lucid, skin management details 1:45:18 Manufactured condies and bouldering ethics 1:54:43 Strength training suggestions for Ethan 2:02:22 What do good genes get you? 2:03:37 Wrap up