One of the ironies of climbing performance outcomes is that as hard as you've physically trained in preparation, the outcome often hinges on the quality of your mental game.

The power point, here, is that when it comes down to the final days and hours leading up to an important climb, the keys to performing your best are largely mental!

While many athletes "shoot themselves in the foot” in any number of ways in the days or hours leading up to competition — or even during the sports event itself! — a well-coached and mentally apt and experienced individual will act in deliberate ways to set the stage for peak performance.

Towards this end, I'm going to detail 8 so called "last-minute" things you can do (or not do) that will help set the stage for climbing your best when it counts most. The more of these items that you deliberately optimize, the better you’ll sort of stack the deck for performing your best when it counts.

Support the TFC podcast...and amplify your training and performance with PhysiVantage Nutrition!

This month (Rock-tober) only, get 20% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST20 (North America only). In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

Links to more Training For Climbing!

• The Power of Pre-Climb Rituals >>
• 10 Does and Don'ts of Effective Redpointing >>
• How To Develop Stronger Fingers and Tendons for Climbing >>

Music by Misty Murphy

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

This 20-minute flash episode will delve briefly into two topics:

• 1. Popular training biohacks, including sauna use, cold plunge, and intermittent fasting.
• 2. The value of getting an occasional blood work-up to monitor how your health and performance-related biometrics change as a result of diet, training, and aging.

This episode features an interview I did earlier this year with Kush Khandelwal of The Ageless Athlete podcast.

T4C Podcast sponsor ==> Visit PhysiVantage.com the leader in climbing-specific performance nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced items with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music Remix of the Police

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

This 15-minute flash episode will delve briefly into two topics:

• 1, Stretching for climbers -- learn what to do and when.
• 2. Recent injury trends...and the number #1 thing you can do to lower your injury risk.

This episode features an interview I did earlier this year with Kush Khandelwal of The Ageless Athlete podcast.

T4C Podcast sponsor ==> Visit PhysiVantage.com the leader in climbing-specific performance nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced items with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music Remix of the Police

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

In this Flash episode, I'm going to talk briefly about raising happy, healthy kids with a passion for climbing!

There's no "right" way to raise kid climbers...but I'm going to share the approach that my wife and I used to develop well-rounded kids who, today as young adults (ages 22 and 24), love climbing more than ever!

This episode features an interview I did earlier this year with Kush Khandelwal of The Ageless Athlete podcast.

T4C Podcast sponsor ==> Visit PhysiVantage.com the leader in climbing-specific performance nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced items with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music: Remix of The Police

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

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 Episodes in September (released weekly) will examine these topics:

• How to raise kid climbers...to be happy, healthy athletes...and, hopefully, pass on the gift of becoming a climber for life.
• How (and when) to stretch and train flexibility for climbing. Also, a pithy discussion of climbing injury trends.
• Potential benefits (and drawbacks) of ice baths (or cold plunges), intermittent fasting, and sauna use.

This episode features an interview I did earlier this year with Kush Khandelwal of The Ageless Athlete podcast.

T4C Podcast sponsor ==> Visit PhysiVantage.com the leader in climbing-specific performance nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced items with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music by Misty Murphy

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

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. You will hear where Ryan is at with his project--you'll learn some of his struggles along the way, including a minor finger/hand injury early this year.

We'll discuss Ryan's training plan for the next 6 to 8 weeks until the Autumn "send season" arrives. We'll also dig deep into these important topics:

• What went right and wrong on the almost-send last season

• How to carry a project over from one season to the next

• The secret to being a successful route climber

• Aerobic vs Anaerobic endurance training

• The science of building route fitness

• Why many climbers are training endurance wrong

So lean into this podcast and learn what actions, exercises, and strategies you might take and apply to your training for the next goal or grade, whatever it may be!

This episode is a collaboration of Ryan's "The Struggle" podcast and my Training For Climbing podcast. I hope you enjoy it! Listen to and subscribe to The Struggle Podcast here >>

T4C Podcast sponsor -- Visit PhysiVantage.com the leader in climbing-specific performance nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced items with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Music by Misty Murphy

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

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 will find this episode to be a tour de force of things you can do to accelerate your rate of improvement...and increase your confidence, joy, and experience while climbing.

Therefore, a more accurate title of this podcast might be..."The 10 secrets to accelerating improvement and climbing your very best!"

I've got a lot of territory to cover in the next hour, so let's get started!

Support the TFC podcast sponsor, PhysiVantage Nutrition. Get 15% off full-priced nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 (North America only). In Europe and elsewhere visit EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com to get your PhysiVantage!

Music by Misty Murphy

SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>

Thank you! La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Check out Eric’s YouTube channel.

Follow Eric on Facebook!

And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing

Copyright 2024 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.