Inner Fire Climbing Podcast

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

In this episode I chat with Juliet Hammer and her dog Addy. Juliet is a climbing coach and an experienced boulderer and sport climber. She has a degree in biology and she's a certified strength and conditioning specialist. We talked about: Juliet's climbing history Differences between bouldering and sport in terms of preparation, mindset and tactics Being a short climber Board climbing Coaching philosophy and shop talk Personal grades Social media, content creation and voluntary hardship Value capture as both a coach and climber Dangers of focusing on dopamine hits 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:43 Juliet's sport/bouldering identity & seasonality 00:16:02 Proper introduction, comp/cordo climbing, coaching indoors vs outdoor clients 00:25:27 Board climbing & being a short climber 00:30:31 Strength training 00:37:27 Coaching philosophy and shop talk 00:48:07 More short climber tips, self-comparison 00:54:43 Personal grades and the toxic wasteland of 8a.nu 01:00:41 Motivations 01:02:38 Jesse is ignorant about the southeast and complains about summer 01:05:51 More seasonality / sport & boulder logistics questions 01:08:08 Hot take 1, is climbing harder always more fun? 01:12:28 Hot take 2, are sport climbers better climbers? 01:13:56 Sport climbing vs bouldering popularity and value for progression 01:16:37 Content strategy and value capture as a content creator and coach 01:26:33 Dopamine hits, voluntary hardship, video beta and availability bias 01:42:55 Addy 01:45:09 Work with Juliet  

Questions from my Patrons and clients for April 2025. Thanks to Ryan Frecka for joining me for the weight management questions. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jfireclimbing Questions: 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:45 Jishnu - What is good footwork? 00:09:35 Jishnu - Modern classics 00:11:01 Nico & Giancarlo - Returning to a project after a tweak/injury 00:16:28 Briana - Managing detraining on a long trip 00:20:37 Victor - Indoor vs outdoor technique 00:25:32 Caleb - Cycling between bouldering & sport climbing 00:29:54 Jeffrey - Podcast update 00:31:11 Brian - Motivation behind doing first ascents 00:35:33 Stephanie - Strength to weight ratio (w/ Ryan Frecka) 00:43:01 Stephanie - Body composition (w/ Ryan Frecka) 00:47:46 Stephanie - When to put on more muscle (w/ Ryan Frecka) 00:53:07 Stephanie - Signs of a strength deficit (w/ Ryan Frecka) 00:58:42 Stephanie - Nutritional approach (w/ Ryan Frecka) 01:06:02 Ryan's additional comments on set point theory 01:09:02 Outro

In this solo episode, I do my best to explain the rules of bouldering: what some of them are, why they're arbitrary, how they're changing over time, and how we should all proceed. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jfireclimbing

I sit down with Ethan Pringle to catch up with him and his cat Snowflake. We talk about: Balancing stability and freedom Crag development in South Africa (AKA how to pivot when things don’t go your way) Not training Much discussion of highball strategy Risk perception, risk tolerance and age Jumbo Love, Realization, and self-doubt Advice for his younger self