Episodes

285
Nov. 5, 2025

Weekend Warrior: Breaking into V7 and 5.12 on Just 3 Hrs per Week at the Gym

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this episode of the Weekend Warrior series, busy-dad climber Joey Churchman joins to discuss: How he broke into new grades on just 3 hours per week at the gym Tall-climber struggles (he's 6' 6.5") Big gains using a training app to stay focused and efficient From avoiding system ...
283
Oct. 31, 2025

My Training Plog: October 2025

Casually reflecting on my training, performance, and experimentation for the month, including: Recap of October goals (hits and misses) Learnings from sending my second 12d How I'm adjusting my training as I get into outdoor season Why general goals don't seem to be working for me Climbing fast like Hamish McArthur How I structure my week to fit in work, family, and climbing Patron questions November goals Thank you so much for supporting me. I love hearing what you're up to, so feel fr...
282
Oct. 29, 2025

Pro Clinic: Dr. David Spiegel on Self-Hypnosis to Access Flow, Manage Fear, and Improve Performance (FREE)

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this Pro Clinic, Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford University School of Medicine and founder of Reveri discusses: What hypnosis is and isn't How to access flow state more often Using self-hypnosis to manage fear of falling How to reduce the pain response on and off route Breaking b...
280
Oct. 22, 2025

Road to V8: Bouldering vs. Route Climbing, Can We Excel at Both?

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this latest installment of the Road To series, Coach Nate Drolet joins to explore: Are bouldering and route climbing goals at odds? Why having endurance can help with board climbing and bouldering What he recommends for my training schedule this season The risk of trying to peak...
278
Oct. 15, 2025

LIVE from Rocktoberfest with Emily Harrington, Kai Lightner, and Anna Hazelnutt

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - Emily Harrington, Kai Lightner, and Anna Hazelnutt team up for a live podcast from iconic Miguel's Pizza to kick off Rocktoberfest! We grab a slice and a beer, then dive into: Memories from first trip to the Red How to work through the mental discomfort of pump Fear of falling and...
275
Oct. 8, 2025

Hamish McArthur: Sending V17 Fast, Breakthrough Finger Training, One-Touch Technique, and a Burden Flash Attempt

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - In this interview, elite climber Hamish McArthur shares: Why he now seeks to avoid struggle How he got better when he stopped training The new grip position he learned from Daniel woods that took his performance to new levels Boards vs spray walls for his training An argument ag...
273
Oct. 1, 2025

A Climber's Guide to the Red River Gorge

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this Climber's Guide to the Red River Gorge, Eric Hörst and Kris Hampton explore: When to visit Where to stay (on all budgets) Where to eat (on all budgets) How to train for the pump Tactics to perform at your best How to 'protect the send' Favorite routes from 5.9 to 5.14 H...
271
Sept. 24, 2025

Fallon Rowe: Escaping an Abusive Climbing Relationship, Finding Freedom, and Rekindling the Stoke

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - In this episode Fallon Rowe, climber and author of Pay No Mind, explores: How she fell into a charismatic climbing relationship that turned very dark, controlling, and abusive The manipulative tricks her partner used to keep her under his control Power imbalances that can occur in...
269
Sept. 17, 2025

Weekend Warrior: Shorty Bouldering Skills, Drills, and Mindset

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow Weekend Warrior Gentil Nguyen shares insights including: How she sent ten V10s in her first two years outside Challenges (and advantages!) of being 4'11" Why indoor climbs can be harder than outdoors for short climbers Climbing 3 days per week and doing very little other training ...
267
Sept. 10, 2025

Pro Clinic: Top 10 Bouldering Questions with Coach Jesse Firestone (FREE)

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this Pro Clinic, coach Jesse Firestone answers lisnters' top bouldering questions in his characteristic thoughtful manner. Topics include: How to access maximal effort and power on the first move Visualization techniques to get amped The value of limiting attempts on a boulder A...
265
Sept. 3, 2025

Road to V8: My Climbing Assessment, Strengths, Weaknesses, and Plan

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow Coach Kevin Cuckovich from Kilter joins to go over my recent climbing assessment on the board, including: What my assessment entailed My strengths and weaknesses The two main things I need to work on right now Specific drills and exercises for me to implement Why he doesn’t want m...
262
Aug. 27, 2025

Chris Sharma: His 5.16 Project, Offering Cash for Hard Sends, and How He Balances Power Vs. Endurance

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - Elite climber Chris Sharma explores: A wild idea to offer cash incentives for sending hard outdoor climbs What happens when comp climbers get psyched on rock Why being a busy dad has improved certain aspects of his climbing Details on his super steep next level 5.16 (??) project ...
259
Aug. 20, 2025

Neely Quinn: How to Deal with Perfectionism and our Inner Critic as Climbers (and Humans)

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - Mindset coach Neely Quinn explores: Pros and cons of being a perfectionist as a climber How to embrace perfectionism (and keep it from ruining our climbing experience) How to quantify the amount of "suffering" we are willing to go through to improve as climbers Examining my "fail...
257
Aug. 13, 2025

Weekend Warrior: Breaking into 5.13 Sport, Rising thru Yosemite Grades, and Beginner Crack School

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow Weekend Warrior, Doug Hartman, joins the show to share: How to schedule workouts as a busy dad and ER doctor What worked (and didn't) on his road to 5.13a Comparing his hangboard numbers to mine What to do when a plateau hits How he broke through a hangboard plateau Why climbing ...
255
Aug. 6, 2025

Jonathan Hörst: Training Tips for Sport Performance and Unlocking Higher Potential through Nutrition

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - Elite climber Jonathan Hörst explores: How to train hard when your gym lacks options His favorite way to build bulletproof endurance The undervalued skill of learning on to rest on route To run or not to run Was his the heaviest 9a send ever? Bodyweight and composition for vari...
253
July 30, 2025

Pro Clinic: Dr. Lindsay Shaw (Olympic Sport Psychologist) on Optimizing Sleep for Improved Performance and Recovery for Climbers

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this Pro Clinic, Dr. Lindsay Shaw explores: How to up- and down-regulate the nervous system to perform when it counts Dealing with the inner critic Music, breath work, and movie clips to control your stimulation level The massive connection between sleep and performance How to ...
251
July 23, 2025

Eric Hörst, Kris Hampton, & Chris Kalous: Climbing Pet Peeves and Community, Live from ICF

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - It's a podcast of podcasters! Live from Climber's Fest in Lander, WY, we crack a beer with the stoked festival goers and explore: What makes ICF and Wild Iris so special How a noob (like me) can best enjoy the festival and local climbing Climbing pet peeves The "blah blah blah" ...
249
July 16, 2025

Coach Be Fuller: Mastering the Basics, Vertical Dance Theory, and Climbing Out Of Depression

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this episode, climbing coach Be Fuller explores: Vertical Dance theory Why climbing is not about the hands Unlocking rock overs, drop-knees, and flags Mastering the mysterious inside-edge flag Specific drills to help you get better TODAY The brain-body connection How to incre...
247
July 9, 2025

Weekend Warrior: V9 at 200 lbs, Not Finger Training, and How to Improve Without Getting Stronger

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this episode, we connect with Weekend Warrior Stephen Conti to explore: Going from beginner to V9 Transitioning from gym to crag Climbing hard at 200 lbs The key to steady progress Specific technique drills that yielded fast improvements Why finger training wasn't producing re...
244
July 2, 2025

Sonnie Trotter: Training for 5.15, Movement Mastery, and Reflecting on a Life of Adventures

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - In this episode, elite climber Sonnie Trotter explores: The 5.15a he’s training for, and what he’s specifically doing The visualization trick he uses to get better at climbing (while at home) Climbers who can do V14 on a board but not 5.10a outside Training power vs endurance Dr...
242
June 25, 2025

Road to V8: Why I'm Putting In a Kilter Board at Home

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow Jackie Hueftle and Kevin Cuckovich from Kilter join the pod to chat through our exciting partnership, including: The history and current landscape of system boards Where Kilter fits compared to the Moon Board and others Why adjustability and a dense variety of hold types matters Ke...
239
June 18, 2025

Alan Watts: Cheater, Pariah, Hero. Following Your Heart and Tuning Out the Haters

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - Meet me at ICF this year, July 10-13! https://www.climbersfestival.org/ - In this episode, legendary climber and developer Alan Watts explores: How he inadvertently hazed me on my first Smith climb The joy and fallout of being the father of sport climbing in the U.S. The stunning...
237
June 11, 2025

Weekend Warrior: Breaking Into 5.12 with Simple Strength Training, Mindset Hacks, and Spreadsheet Nerdery

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow - In this episode, we connect with Weekend Warrior Annette Guo to explore: How she went from struggling on 5.11 to sending twelve 5.12s in a year Simple strength training that resulted in less injuries and her biggest sending spree ever How she sent her first V5, V6, and V7 in a mat...
234
June 4, 2025

Pro Clinic: Dr. Tyler Nelson Answers Top 10 Listener Questions on Finger Training, Strength Training, and Optimizing for Performance

Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available! https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow In this special Q&A episode, Dr. Tyler Nelson from Camp 4 Human Performance answers YOUR questions, which yielded amazing insights including: Which grip type is the best to train? How to rotate finger training methodologies for optimal results Which finger training to do pre season ...