The Nugget Climbing Podcast

Aaron Shamy has an inspiring story: he won the X Games in the ‘90s, took a 15-year hiatus from climbing, got out of shape, and then began a 6+ year comeback that culminated in sending the hardest route of his life. We talked about his early climbing and hiatus, the turning point, Project 127, living in the crescendo, balancing family life, his 33 days on Flight of the Conchords, the tactics that helped him send, and much more.

Free Masterclass (Unlock Your Full Potential in Climbing) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com

Climb Accelerator (Direct Link to Course) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com/climb-accelerator

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/aaron-shamy

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:43) – Aaron’s early climbing

(00:06:56) – The X Games in the '90s

(00:12:05) – 15-year hiatus

(00:16:08) – The turning point

(00:20:43) – Starting his comeback

(00:22:33) – Milliseconds and millimeters

(00:24:17) – The rule of thirds

(00:27:23) – Project 127

(00:41:00) – Living in the crescendo

(00:44:12) – Balancing family life

(00:50:24) – 33 days on Flight of the Conchords 5.14c (8c+)

(00:57:32) – Why different routes require different strategies

(01:01:48) – Mental strategies for reducing pressure

(01:05:29) – Day 32 (the kneebar)

(01:10:45) – Day 33 (the send)

(01:14:11) – Playfulness & tactics

(01:18:13) – Best climbing days

(01:23:48) – Transformation

(01:28:20) – Life of Villains 5.14d (9a)

(01:32:29) – Supplements

(01:34:29) – Who are you becoming?

Matt Samet is the former editor-in-chief of Climbing Magazine, a writer and author, and a sport-climbing pioneer. We talked about his decade-plus battle with benzo addiction, his advice for people who experience anxiety or depression, what Rifle was like in the early ‘90s, how Chris Sharma broke the paradigm, embracing training to send his hardest routes, his new role with the American Alpine Club, and the inaugural American Climbing Journal coming later this year. You can learn more at americanalpineclub.org

Free Masterclass (Unlock Your Full Potential in Climbing) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com

Climb Accelerator (Direct Link to Course) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com/climb-accelerator

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/matt-samet

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:02:27) – Teasing topics

(00:05:34) – Panic attacks

(00:10:19) – Benzo addiction

(00:26:45) – Setback & self-care

(00:36:32) – Matt’s biggest lesson

(00:43:48) – Matt’s advice for anxiety & depression

(00:48:36) – Rifle in the early '90s

(01:08:07) – Sharma broke the paradigm

(01:14:10) – Embracing the Moonboard

(01:21:46) – Training results

(01:30:24) – Matt’s climbing now

(01:32:28) – Moonboard math

(01:36:52) – An alternative to 4x4s

(01:39:15) – Matt’s route projects

(01:45:49) – Loving climbing more than ever

(01:50:59) – The American Climbing Journal

(02:04:59) – Adam Ondra appreciation riff

(02:08:14) – Wrap up

Jeff Patterson is a martial arts instructor with black belt equivalency in 6x different martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Tai Chi. We talked about how practicing the meditative arts helped his boxing, how 20 minutes of meditation per day for 1 year can permanently change your life, breathing tips for climbers, how to regulate your nervous system, and much more. You can learn more about Jeff at theyieldingwarrior.com

Free Masterclass (Unlock Your Full Potential in Climbing) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com

Climb Accelerator (Direct Link to Course) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com/climb-accelerator

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jeff-patterson

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:30) – Jeff’s background in martial arts

(00:04:26) – How Tai Chi helped his boxing

(00:13:37) – The Meditative Arts

(00:16:55) – What climbers can learn from martial arts

(00:20:31) – 20 minutes per day for 1 year

(00:23:58) – 3 considerations

(00:33:35) – Nervous system regulation

(00:45:01) – Tangible tips

(00:51:06) – Make the commitment

(00:52:56) – Comparing martial arts

(00:55:33) – Letting go of the mask

(00:58:35) – Where to find Jeff

(00:59:20) – Final advice

Herm Feissner is a lifer climber based in Fort Collins, CO. We talked about doing the FA of The Practitioner V11 in Leavenworth, WA, in the early 2000s, his training philosophy at 53 years old, how his relationship with climbing has improved, balancing an engineering career with traveling and climbing, discovering and understanding moves, the boulder he is most psyched to complete, and much more.

Free Masterclass (Unlock Your Full Potential in Climbing) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com

Climb Accelerator (Direct Link to Course) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com/climb-accelerator

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/herm-feissner

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:01:38) – FA of The Practitioner V11

(00:08:38) – Getting into climbing in 1987

(00:22:18) – Climbing with stronger people

(00:27:51) – Evolving through the disciplines

(00:33:12) – CATS

(00:37:11) – Herm’s training philosophy

(00:44:32) – Aging & improving

(00:55:22) – Avoiding the expiration date

(01:01:05) – How Herm’s climbing has changed

(01:07:35) – How hard Herm climbs

(01:10:27) – Who will push bouldering to the next level?

(01:20:27) – Herm’s grading criteria

(01:27:25) – How his relationship with climbing has improved

(01:30:35) – Relationships

(01:38:22) – Boarding school & engineering

(01:50:12) – How to be outside

(01:58:57) – Discovering & understanding moves

(02:02:59) – I Portici

(02:08:02) – Wrap up

Sonnie Trotter is a Canadian professional rock climber and one of the most accomplished and respected climbers of his generation. We talked about his goal to climb 5.15, my impression of meeting him at Smith Rock, our parallel family histories, treating life as a game, how the Cobra Crack changed his career, how he trained as a teenager, stamina vs. strength, what makes Dave Graham so strong, and his book, Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life.

Free Masterclass (Unlock Your Full Potential in Climbing) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com

Climb Accelerator (Direct Link to Course) 👉 http://masterclass.thenuggetclimbing.com/climb-accelerator

Show Notes:

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/sonnie-trotter

Nuggets:

(00:00:00) – Intro

(00:03:38) – Connor Herson’s 5.15a FAs

(00:09:35) – Gunning for 5.15

(00:11:49) – Meeting Sonnie at Smith Rock

(00:20:37) – His life routine

(00:24:43) – Sonnie’s kids

(00:29:24) – Time warp

(00:33:24) – Family history

(00:39:35) – Life is a game

(00:42:45) – The business side of Sonnie’s life

(00:53:19) – Choices & constraints

(01:03:07) – Cobra Crack

(01:09:20) – The progression of climbing

(01:16:24) – Getting sponsored

(01:20:07) – The age of print media

(01:24:34) – Rifle in the 90s

(01:30:52) – How he trained as a teenager

(01:36:04) – Stamina vs. strength

(01:45:30) – Sticking to the basics

(01:49:31) – What makes Dave Graham so strong

(01:54:33) – Writing his book