Anak Verhoeven is a professional climber from Belgium and one of the most accomplished female sport climbers ever. We talked about growing up with her mom as coach and dad as trainer, why she quit competitions, dealing with a strange injury that plagued her for 3+ years, winning her first World Cup, building 9a+ endurance with mediocre training facilities, making up rules in the gym, her onsighting strategy, being public about her faith, and much more!
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/anak-verhoeven
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:03:14) – Living in a small motorhome with her parents on long trips
(00:06:40) – Anak’s 9a and harder resume, and her level of fame in Belgium
(00:10:03) – How Anak makes a living
(00:13:51) – The advantages of doing everything herself
(00:15:48) – How her mom and dad became her coach and trainer
(00:17:58) – Practicing her autograph as a kid
(00:20:13) – Competing in her first international competition
(00:22:34) – Struggling in early competitions, and navigating disappointment
(00:25:54) – Setting the bar high
(00:27:47) – Family meetings
(00:31:24) – Rest days, exercises, and hair washing
(00:37:04) – Leading her first route at age 4
(00:41:08) – Getting injured and falling in love with climbing
(00:44:19) – The variety within climbing
(00:50:50) – Why Anak quit competitions
(00:56:51) – Anak’s strange arm injury
(01:06:46) – Working on her shoulder mobility
(01:10:21) – Keeping her arm injury a secret
(01:14:08) – Current status of her arm
(01:17:05) – Understanding what folks with chronic illness go through
(01:20:59) – What does Anak miss the most about competitions?
(01:25:46) – Longer trips, and the stress of competitions
(01:30:43) – Winning her first World Cup in Arco
(01:34:05) – The satisfaction of sending Ciudad de Dios pa la Enmienda
(01:42:15) – Getting fresh air during competitions
(01:44:59) – Anak’s training shed
(01:47:57) – Training on the same routes for 3 years, and motivation vs. fancy facilities
(01:53:01) – Anak’s strategy for onsighting comp routes
(01:57:11) – Making up rules at the gym
(02:01:36) – How Anak built her endurance
(02:07:15) – Mental endurance
(02:11:27) – 9b and trad climbing goals for 2024
(02:14:43) – Why she is open about her faith
(02:22:33) – How do climbers react to her faith?
(02:29:46) – The pressure I felt as a kid to spread faith, and moving away from religion
(02:33:09) – How Anak thinks about sharing her faith, and her lack of judgment toward other people
(02:34:57) – Choosing her faith for herself
(02:37:57) – Wrap up and EXTRA teaser!
EP 78: Jason Kehl — Karate Screams, Chronology of Hairstyles, and Bouldering with Cargo Nets
EP 77: Allison Vest — A Competitor’s Mindset, Fun Challenges, and the Secret to One-Arm Hangs
Follow-Up: Shanjean Lee — Free Climbing El Cap (Teaser)
A Call from Ethan
EP 76: Q&A 2 — Party Tricks vs. Useful Exercises, Training for Long-Term Goals, and Octopus Wrestling
EP 75: John Long — Yosemite Tales, the Love of Writing, and Opening Up About Alcoholism
Follow-Up: William Woodward — Sailing Stories, Vanlife Tips, and How to Wash Dishes (Teaser)
EP 74: Tom Randall on Patience, Finger Training, and the Late Night Climbing Show
EP 73: Kyle O’Meara — Favorite First Ascents, Experience vs. Strength, and Sharing the Love of Climbing
Follow-Up: Katie Lambert — Zebra Stripes, and the Goal to Climb 300 5.13s (Teaser)
EP 72: Eric Hörst (Part 2) — Coaching Kids, Training Slopers and Pinches, and the Science of Collagen
EP 71: Eric Hörst (Part 1) — TV Weather, Campusing vs. Hangboarding, and How to Train Your Core
Follow-Up: Alex Johnson — Sending The Mother F***ing Swarm (Teaser)
EP 70: Steve Maisch — How to Structure a Bouldering Trip, the 85% Rule, and Hueco Debrief
EP 69: Ron Kauk — Hollywood Stories, Camp 4 in the 70s, and Connecting with Mother Nature
Follow-Up: Ken Klein — The 3 Things We Should Be Assessing As Climbers (Teaser)
EP 68: Steve McClure — Hitchhiking Stories, Tenacity vs. Strength, and Making Your Own Luck
EP 67: Heth Jennings — Understanding Pain, Rehabbing Climbing Injuries, and Carb Backloading
Follow-Up: Mercedes Pollmeier — Your Flexibility Questions Answered (Teaser)
EP 66: Mercedes Pollmeier — How to Improve Flexibility in 6 Minutes Per Day, and Cycling Your Training
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