Every climber plateaus at some point in their career. It’s frustrating, especially after rapidly progressing through the lower grades, but also inevitable. To combat this, they begin to add training in—campus boarding, resistance training, 4x4s, etc.—and they begin to move along again. All is well… but then the plateau happens again. Frustration sets in. At […]
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Climbing & Crickets: A Look at the BugWall Project
This week, Meghan Curry is setting out to climb El Capitan. At the heart of her climb is one, simple idea: the viability of insects as a food source. To make her point, she is adhering to an insect-rich diet that many would call unusual, but which she has full confidence in. Indeed, as she […]
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Canola Oil Is Perfectly Safe
A short post today dedicated to debunking a popular food myth: the dangers of canola oil. For whatever reason, canola oil is subject to a great deal of internet hate—despite having an extremely healthy nutrient profile—and you’d be wise to know the truth. Let’s start by looking at the scare tactics employed: Erucic Acid Is Toxic! […]
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Is a Low-Carb Diet Protective Against Tendon Injury?
I read an article the other day entitled “Your Tendons on Cake” (you can read it here), and I thought it was a good opportunity to explore a topic close to the hearts of many climbers: their connective tissue. Specifically, the author (Dr. James Crownover, a sports medicine doctor) makes some claims about the effects of […]
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Reader Questions #2
Another month, another set of reader-submitted questions. This round we have a question on the perennially popular protein, another on recovery nutrition, and a final one on energy drinks. Here we go! Question #1, on Excessive Protein Intake I am a 5’2″, 110lb female. If I were to consume 120g of protein per day, I would be consuming 2.4g/kg […]
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Why Most Climbers Shouldn’t Focus on (Dietary) Fat
Fat is an important nutrient, and one of these days I’ll write a post on all of its virtues—but unfortunately, today isn’t that day. If I come across as anti-fat, I can understand, but there’s a good reason why I spend so little time focused on fat: I’ve never met a climber whose diet was fat-inadequate. […]
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Building Healthy & Strong Young Climbers: Part II
Fresh on the heels of Part I—which covered the major needs of a young climber including calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats—we move on to Part II: vitamins, minerals, and supplements. Unlike the major nutrients covered in the previous installment, the topics of today’s discussion are minor players—which isn’t to say they are unimportant (far from […]
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Building Healthy & Strong Young Climbers: Part I
Climbing is more popular than ever, and parents who climb are often eager to pass their beloved sport on to their children. Blessed with the many more recent innovations of climbing such as gyms, teams, and dedicated training, these children as setting new limits for what is possible. There is therefore little doubt that children are […]
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Better Nutrition with Four Foods Daily
Here at Climbing Nutrition, I spend a lot of time trying to define the edges of what makes “good nutrition” for a climber. I do this on purpose. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve never worked with a climber who didn’t “eat healthy”—but I’ve also never worked with a climber who ate “healthy for a climber”. It seems […]
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Reader Questions #1
On the final Friday of every month, I answer questions sent in by readers. If you have a question, visit this page, read the rules, and submit it! Today marks the very first “Reader Questions” column, so it seems like a bit of preamble is appropriate. I write this blog first and foremost because I want […]
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