#116: Climb Better TODAY! 15 In-Season Tips to Level Up Now!
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
Release Date: 06/10/2025
#116: Climb Better TODAY! 15 In-Season Tips to Level Up Now!
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
Coach Hörst shares 15 game-changing tips to elevate your climbing this season. Performance gains aren’t made solely in the gym. As Coach Hörst explains, there’s a lot you can do in-season—technically, tactically, and nutritionally—to level up your outdoor climbing. Apply just a few of these strategies today, and you might send your project sooner than expected. Put most or all into practice over the coming weeks, and you could unlock a whole new level of performance this season! RUNDOWN 0:30 – Introduction: Why these 15 tips matter for your in-season performance. 2:20 – Tip #1:...
info_outline
#115: Training Strategy for the Next Grade -- A collab with Ryan Devlin of the Struggle Podcast
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
What does it take to break through to the next climbing grade? With each new milestone, the challenge grows harder—but potentially more rewarding. In this special collaboration with The Struggle Podcast, I coach Ryan Devlin as he works to push past his current limit of 5.13a and lay the foundation for his next breakthrough in sport climbing. No matter your level, the tips and strategies we share in this episode can help guide your own climbing progression. A key focus of our conversation is the concept of building a solid "grade pyramid"—a proven approach for long-term advancement. This...
info_outline
#114: Common Training Mistakes That May Be Limiting Your Climbing
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
The podcast is a classic Eric Hörst tour de force of climbing wisdom! No matter your ability level, training background, or goals, listening to this episode will challenge your current approach and inspire you to reinvent your training for better results. In this hour-long lecture, Coach Hörst breaks down 10 common training mistakes. Chances are, one, two, or maybe even several of these missteps will hit close to home. But don’t get discouraged—get psyched! Identifying these flaws empowers you to train smarter day in and day out, and to course-correct your long-term plan. That’s the...
info_outline
#113: A Powerful (and Overlooked) Route Climbing Strategy for Leveling Up!
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
In this episode, I reveal a powerful — and often overlooked — strategy for developing the mental, technical, and tactical skills needed to level up your climbing. If you're an intermediate climber passionate about improving — or an advanced climber who's hit a plateau — then this is a must-listen episode. Even veteran climbers and professionals can use this strategy to refine their skills and “sharpen the saw” each season. America’s top sport climber, Jonathan Siegrist, has shared with me that he enjoys and benefits from this approach to route climbing. So, what is this...
info_outline
#112: EXPERT: Tips for Optimizing Climbing Training with Dr. Thomas Cunningham
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
Welcome to the first episode in a special series of performance-focused conversations with my friend, Dr. Thomas Cunningham. In this fast-paced discussion, we dive into a wide range of topics, including tips for optimizing climbing training, injury prevention, key dietary interventions, performance hacks, and the role of self-discipline and sacrifice. We also explore best practices tailored for hard-training climbers over 35. No matter your age, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can start applying today! RUNDOWN 0:15 - Coach Eric Hörst's welcome statement. 0:30 -...
info_outline
#111: Training & Life Upgrades to Send 2025!
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
Dear Listener, How about -- together -- we all try to SEND 2025? In other words, let's try to upgrade our thoughts and actions in all we do to make 2025 our best year yet! Towards this end, in this episode I will serve up tips for improving your training, elevating your climbing, and advancing in other important life areas! RUNDOWN 0:15 - Eric's greetings... 0:45 - Introductory comments on striving to live your dream life...in climbing and beyond. 3:38 - Upgrade #1: Improve your time management to maximize time spent engaged in important activities. 10:33 - Upgrade #2: Level-up your...
info_outline
#110: Join My "SEND 2025" Challenge! (deadline to join January 3, 2025)
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
In this brief episode, I invite you to join my "Send 2025" New Year's Challenge! I designed this free 6-week challenge to help motivate and inspire a fresh, focused, and optimistic start to the new year...and hopefully help you set off on your best year ever! The challenge is action-oriented -- so we'll ask you to set some achievable short-term goals to reach for during the 6-weeks of the challenge. These action items can relate to your training and nutrition goals for the new year, but also target bad habits you’d like to change…or other behaviors that are holding you back from reaching...
info_outline
#109: Alex Megos Interviews Eric Hörst (What?!)
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
The title of this podcast may have you thinking "WTF?" Well, this is a special episode of the T4C podcast...and I think you're going to really enjoy it! THE Alex Megos has recently launched his own podcast, and during his recent visit to the States he asked me to sit down for a conversation about the history of training, personalized program design, nutrition and recovery, and much much more. Of course, I was excited for this unique opportunity...and we had a very lively hour and ten minute conversation that I think every stoked climber will enjoy! There's lots of talk of training and...
info_outline
#108: BEST OF: 13 Send Tips That Can Make All The Difference In The World!
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
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 day to send, the effects of food and drink on energy and focus, how to get the perfect warm-up, how long to rest between attempts, how to win the skin game, the importance of the shoes you wear, how your thinking can make or break a send go, and...
info_outline
#107: Last-Minute Secrets to Climbing Your Best (and Preventing the Punt!)
Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast
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...
info_outlineCoach Hörst shares 15 game-changing tips to elevate your climbing this season.
Performance gains aren’t made solely in the gym. As Coach Hörst explains, there’s a lot you can do in-season—technically, tactically, and nutritionally—to level up your outdoor climbing.
Apply just a few of these strategies today, and you might send your project sooner than expected. Put most or all into practice over the coming weeks, and you could unlock a whole new level of performance this season!
RUNDOWN
0:30 – Introduction: Why these 15 tips matter for your in-season performance.
2:20 – Tip #1: Know the context of your current training and climbing—and act accordingly.
5:08 – Tip #2: Dial in your warm-up to match the demands of your project. (Not all warm-ups are created equal!)
8:40 – Tip #3: Time your sends by planning around temperature trends and sun exposure.
10:35 – Tip #4: Build confidence by climbing routes that match your natural style.
12:35 – Tip #5: Occasionally work "anti-style" routes to promote long-term growth and mastery.
15:35 – Tip #6: Always bring two pairs of shoes: a comfortable pair for warming up and a performance pair for sending.
18:20 – Tip #7: Prioritize movement efficiency when projecting. Climb smart with the strength and skills you have today.
24:15 – Tip #8: Focus on making a few high-quality efforts per session—not just maxing out your goes.
27:55 – Tip #9: Recover faster between attempts with active recovery techniques.
31:28 – Tip #10: Don’t climb to exhaustion. End your session before mental and physical fatigue sabotages your efforts—and recovery.
📢 Commercial Break: Why top doctors and PTs recommend daily collagen supplementation for athletes.
Use code PODCAST15 to save 15% at PhysiVantage.com
41:50 – Tip #11: Fuel appropriately for the day’s climbing. Stable blood glucose = steady performance.
47:20 – Tip #12: Refuel quickly post-session: 20g protein + some carbs within 30 minutes. Follow up with a healthy meal within 2–3 hours.
50:32 – Tip #13: One beer max (zero is ideal) to avoid impairing recovery.
52:32 – Tip #14: Do some light stretching or foam rolling in the evening to aid recovery and sleep.
54:30 – Tip #15: Have a 20–40g protein shake about 30 minutes before bed to support overnight muscle repair and growth.
57:40 – BONUS TIP!: Learn how to outperform the masses by doing what most climbers won’t.
1:01:57 – Wrap-up: Final thoughts, resources, and how to connect.
Stay Connected with Coach Hörst and Training for Climbing
📬 Join the Newsletter:
Get a monthly dose (or two) of exclusive training tips delivered straight to your inbox!
Sign up at TrainingForClimbing.com—just enter your name and email in the popup.
📱 Follow Eric Online:
Instagram: @eric_horst | @training4climbing
Twitter: @Train4Climbing
YouTube: Training For Climbing Channel
Facebook: Training For Climbing
🎧 Support the Podcast Sponsor:
Fuel your performance with PhysiVantage Nutrition—formulated for climbers, trusted by pros.
Use checkout code PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com to save 15% on full-priced items (North America only).
🌍 Outside North America? Order from EPIC-TV Shop or BananaFingers.com.
👟 SAVE on La Sportiva shoes here >>
🙌 Thanks to our supporters:
La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs, PhysiVantage Nutrition
🎵 Music by Misty Murphy
💬 Love the podcast?
Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this episode with a friend who climbs!
© 2025 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC. All rights reserved.