Training and performance podcasts by Eric Hörst, the internationally renowned author, researcher, climbing coach, and climber of 40 years. Monthly podcasts detail the latest training techniques to improve strength, power, endurance, as well as mental and technical skills. With his unique combination of veteran experience and knowledge of the cutting-edge research, Eric presents practical, effective guidelines to climb harder, reduce injury risk, and maximize the experience of moving over sto ...
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#103: Online vs. In-Person Coaching & How Training Has Changed in the Last 40 Years
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This month, I'm serving up multiple "Flash Episodes" of the T4C podcast -- released weekly -- that you can consume in less than 20 minutes. The topics covered in this first episode...include the pros/cons of online coaching...and a generalized look at how training (and nutrition) for climbers has changed over the last 40 years. Upcoming Flash Episo…
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#102: The Road to 5.13a - Part 4: Closing the Deal!
1:29:58
1:29:58
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What does it take to climb your first 5.13a? In this episode, you'll hear my recommendations for Ryan Devlin as he closes in on completing his first 5.13a, a Red River Gorge classic named "The Force". This is a follow-up to episodes #86, #91, and #94, in which I coach Ryan through the long process of training for and working on his first-ever 5.13.…
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#101: EXPERT: Optimizing Training, Health, and Performance with Functional Medicine
1:04:14
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Many enthusiastic climbers work hard to level up their performance year over year, and some of us invest great time, effort, and resources into pursuing our climbing goals. One powerful tool for gaining a performance edge is the use of a functional medicine approach to blood testing…which is the focus of this episode of the T4C podcast. My expert g…
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#100: The 10 Secrets to Climbing Harder!
1:04:55
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To celebrate the 100th episode of the T4C podcast, I wanted to serve up a powerful, comprehensive, yet easily digestible and actionable list of things you can do today to break through a performance plateau...and begin a journey towards being the best climber you can be! No matter your current experience or level of climbing, I guarantee that you w…
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#99: EXPERT: How Climbing Shoes Affect Your Performance. Big time!
56:24
56:24
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When it comes to climbing, no single piece of gear is more influential on your performance than your shoes. Getting the right shoe fit and feel for a given boulder or route is critical to climbing your best! However, there are dozens of climbing shoes on the market with widely varying designs, looks, and prices. What's the right shoe(s) for your gy…
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#98: Training for Bouldering with Drew Ruana vs. Training for Route Climbing
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In this episode, Coach Hörst shares his recent unique training day in the Front Range of Colorado. Eric will contrast the remarkable late-afternoon workout of one of the world's top boulderers, Drew Ruana, with his own route-climbing workout a few hours earlier. You will learn the fundamental differences between training for bouldering and route cl…
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#97: EXPERT: Grip Better! All About Chalk Use and Skin Performance
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The quality of your contact with the rock is paramount when it comes to climbing performance. Strong muscles, on-point technique, and a confident mindset won’t get you up a climb if you can’t hang onto the holds! Many things affect the quality of your grip and the perceived “stickiness” of the holds – to begin with, there’s the texture of the rock …
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#96: Training for Gains in 2024 (and my venture into Kilter Boarding!)
1:20:45
1:20:45
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Lean in dear listener...and enjoy the most transparent Training For Climbing podcast ever! In this engaging episode, Coach Eric Hörst shares an in-depth analysis of his climbing weaknesses...and he reveals the specifics of his program to train for gains in 2024. Eric presents 4 primary action items of his winter training program, and he provides an…
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#95: Mental Wings Strategies for Uncommon Success and Happiness
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43:45
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Do you want to level up in climbing...and across the board in your life? Many folks use the fresh start of a new year to set some goals and make course corrections in important life areas. I'm one of those people...and since you're listening to this podcast, you probably are too! Towards this end, this episode transcends climbing performance...and …
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What does it take to climb your first 5.13a? In this episode, you'll hear my recommendations for a training client of mine (Ryan Devlin) as he closes in on completing his first 5.13a, a Red River Gorge classic named "The Force". This is a follow-up to episodes #86 and #91, in which I coach Ryan through the process of training for and working on his…
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#93: 7 Common Training and Performance Mistakes Among Climbers
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In this episode, I detail 7 Training, Performance, and Nutrition Mistakes Common Among Climbers. I’ll admit that I've been guilty of a couple of these mistakes in the past…and chances are that you are too. But by recognizing our flawed approaches we are empowered to make course corrections that can improve the effectiveness of our training in the s…
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#92: Research Update: Finger Injuries, RED-S, and More from the Canadian Climbing Medicine Symposium
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In this episode, I'll share some insider insights from the Canadian Climbing Medicine (CCM) Symposium held in Squamish, BC this past August. I'll give you some of the conference highlights on topics such as recent climbing injury trends, new technology for diagnosing A2 pulley injuries, growth plate injuries among youth climbers, commentary on the …
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#91: The Road to 5.13a - PART 2 - Working to SEND the Project!
58:28
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What does it take to climb your first 5.13a? In this episode, you'll hear my recommendations (for Ryan Devlin) as he projects his first 5.13a....with the goal of sending it by the end of this year. This is a follow-up to episode #86, in which I presented to Ryan a three-season program for achieving his first 5.13 send. You will hear where Ryan is a…
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#90. Six Weeks until Autumn Send Season -- Training Smart to Perform Your Best!
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For many climbers, Autumn is the season of sending. With the start of "send season" just 6 weeks away, this episode will describe a few keys for dialing in your training now to climb your best in October and November. Lean into this podcast...and let's prepare to SEND! RUNDOWN 0:14 - Welcome message. 00:50 - Introduction to...6 weeks to send season…
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#89. How Often Should You "Rest Day" While on a Climbing Roadtrip
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For many of us, Summer is the season of climbing roadtrips. Whether you're venturing across North America, Europe, or Asia, visiting new climbing areas is a wonderful skill- and experience-building endeavor...and it will likely enrich your life and expand your brain in a number of other ways as well. In terms of climbing performance, however, one o…
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#88: The Physical Differences Between Bouldering and Sport Climbing (and the Training Implications for Pursuiting Peak Performance in Each)
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The topic for this Flash edition can be summarized in this simple, but powerful concept: You can NOT train optimally for peak performance in bouldering and sport climbing at the same time! Obviously, bouldering and sport climbing are much different tactically and emotionally, and they are remarkably different in terms of the mental game, safety sys…
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#87: The Making of a "Surprise" Hardest-Ever Send! (and the question "Why do we climb?)
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Imagine going from having no project climb...to sending perhaps your hardest-ever route in just a few short weeks. That's the unusual story I will share with you in this episode. The route is Kaleidoscope, the Red River Gorge king line, which checks in at 5.13c. The climber is....yours truly, 50-something coach Hörst. Despite beginning the Spring 2…
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#86: The Road to 5.13a - A Personalized Training Strategy with Ryan Devlin
1:18:25
1:18:25
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What's it take to climb your first 5.13a? In this episode, you'll hear my prescription for one 5.12 climber looking to project -- and send -- his first 5.13a before year's end. In an interesting and entertaining departure from the typical T4C podcast, you get to listen in on a 70-minute training consult with Ryan Devlin, a client for whom I first w…
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It's a question I get asked all the time: "Will doing some running (or other cardio) help my climbing performance?" Giving a proper answer demands some nuance based on the individual's phenotype as well as their current level of climbing experience and fitness, and time available for training. (But in many cases, the answer is "yes".) This fast-pac…
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#84: The Role of Genetics in Climbing Performance & What It Means for You
45:17
45:17
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In this fascinating episode, Eric Hörst provides a deep and thoughtful overview of the research on the role genetics plays in sports prowess and climbing performance. Leveraging his decades of experience as a climbing coach and 30 years engaging with climbing researchers, Eric tells an empowering story of how the average climber can pursue peak cli…
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#83: Training (and Life) “Edits” to Climb Better & Achieve Greatly
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51:43
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If you're passionate about improving your training, elevating your climbing, and advancing in other important life areas....then this is a must-listen podcast! With the perspective of a new year's renewal, Coach Hörst explains the power of making occasional training, climbing, and life “edits” in the quest for peak performance and a deeper sense of…
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#82: 7 End-of-Climbing-Season Mistakes You Don't Want to Make (by Dwight Schrute, kind of!)
33:07
33:07
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In this fast-paced episode, Eric details 7 end-of-climbing-season mistakes that you don't want to make! Becoming aware of common training mistakes, seasonal traps, and/or counterproductive behaviors that climbers commonly succumb to can save you a lot of time and energy, elude setbacks and unintended consequences, and perhaps even avoid injury. Lau…
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#81: Boulder & Crag Day Nutrition for Peak Performance (FLASH Edition #2)
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17:59
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You have been waiting all week to get out to get outside and climb! You've been training hard and your stoke is high to top some great boulders and/or take the sharp end up a few killer routes. Now that it's "game day", what can you do nutritionally to support—and perhaps enhance—your performance? This content-dense FLASH edition of the T4C podcast…
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#80: Weekday Training for Weekend Sending! (FLASH edition #1)
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Do you work or school full-time during the week, then on the weekends set off on a mission to climb your hardest? If so, then you've surely considered how to train most effectively during the workweek...to set yourself up for success on the rocks over the weekend. It is this situation that is the focus of this episode, in which I'll arm you with so…
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Episode #79 - 13 Send Tips That Can Make All The Difference In The World!
1:02:50
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In this episode, coach Hörst shares 13 little things that can make a BIG difference when it comes to sending your near limit—or, perhaps, beyond limit!—project boulder or route. Quite often it's the tiniest of things that can make or break your ascent. Eric covers a lot of territories including the power of proper breathing, the best time of the da…
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