Time for more Reader Questions! In this installment, I answer questions regarding: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) Big Picture Protein Intake Creatine Cessation and Strength/Power Question #1: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) I recently come across one of your articles about the effects of anxiety on climbing performance and […]
Read the full article...Stay Cool for Summer Performance
It’s that time of year, at least here in the northern hemisphere, when climbers start shrinking from the heat. This past weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park, at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet (about 3,000 meters), the temperature was over 75° Fahrenheit (24° Celsius)—and it was actually a “cool” day, at least down in valley […]
Read the full article...The Sports Nutrition Pyramid
Occasionally, I come across articles that try to simplify sports nutrition by dispensing with most common “good practices” as unnecessary (like nutrient timing, macro goals, etc.). Usually, their core message is that you should just follow your instincts—eat what you want, when you want, and not worry about the specifics. I get why they’ve adopted this approach—it’s hard and […]
Read the full article...Is Kombucha Actually Healthy?
I want to preface this post with a disclaimer: I enjoy kombucha. I like its acidity, its light carbonation, and its flavor. As such, this article is not meant to convince you that it’s not worth it to drink kombucha if you enjoy it—it’s just meant to ground your pleasure in reality. The reality I’m […]
Read the full article...Why You Need More Oxygen to Burn Fat than Carbohydrates (and How This Affects Your Climbing)
I’ve written before about how carbohydrates are more oxygen-efficient than fat, which is a boon for climbing of all types; what I haven’t really addressed is why. Far from being a dry, biochemical fact of interest only to physiology enthusiasts, knowing exactly how carbohydrates derive their advantage can inform everyone about their diets, as well as […]
Read the full article...Weight Loss Timing
If your goal is to “get lean” and you have only a small-to-moderate amount of weight to lose (less than 5-10% of your total weight), then you shouldn’t approach weight loss as a year-round endeavor. Rather, you should approach it as a single phase in your yearly training cycle so as to not interfere with […]
Read the full article...Help Support Climbing Nutrition with Patreon
Dear Readers, It’s officially been a year since I started Climbing Nutrition, and in this time it’s grown a lot. I’ve written sixty posts and over 100,000 words, and covered a myriad of climbing- and sports nutrition-related topics. I hope that through my articles, I’ve helped you become a better, healthier, stronger climber. Now, I’m asking for your help. […]
Read the full article...Understanding the Balance of Your Metabolism
Your metabolism is a complicated subject, and frequently misunderstood. Yet understanding how it works—at least basically—can make you feel tremendously more comfortable with your diet, because your metabolism is at the heart of whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight. Most people think of the relationship between weight loss and weight gain as dichotomous, with only a […]
Read the full article...Case Study #1: Simon (20-Year-Old Athletic Male)
Since I started this blog almost a year ago, I’ve written many articles on good practices in sports nutrition, eating for climbing performance, and also on popular myths that ought to be debunked. I hope that through these articles you have been able to make healthy changes to your diet, and as a result have seen […]
Read the full article...Clarifying Protein Intake
Protein is the hardest macronutrient to understand, and questions routinely crop up surrounding it and its intake. I’ve tried to answer every big question in my protein series (which is a great place to start if you’re clueless about how protein works!), but there are still some aspects that I routinely get queried about. If you’ve […]
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