Melina Costanza swept the US National Championships in October, making one hell of a comeback after her competition break. She returns to the podcast to talk about why Nationals was the hardest competition she has ever done, how to use nerves to focus and thrive, training for Nationals, praising effort, her fueling strategy, gaining weight to be more powerful, Alex Johnson’s hype shirt, balancing training with fueling and mental health, choosing good over perfect, upcoming goals, and much more!
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/melina-costanza-returns
Nuggets:
0:00:00 – Intro/Ads
0:04:40 – Recovery from her foot surgery, and sweeping the National Championships in Boise Idaho
0:07:05 – Trying a new approach with fueling and training
0:08:17 – A message about Melina from Tyson Schoene
0:09:55 – Why Nationals was the hardest competition Melina has ever done, and finding flow in the sport climbing final
0:16:00 – Training primarily for bouldering, and proving to herself that she is a better climber than before
0:21:39 – The limit is higher when you focus on getting stronger vs. lighter
0:23:28 – The nerves and joy of competitions, and a weight lifted
0:29:10 – Training for lead and bouldering at the same time, and her training phases before Nationals
0:34:51 – How she won lead despite her lack of power endurance after getting covid, and the mental side of competition
0:37:11 – Praising her effort more than her performance
0:41:21 – Effort is trainable
0:42:48 – How Melina’s fueling strategy has changed, eating more carbs on comp days, and Sour Patch Kids
0:51:13 – Gaining weight to be more powerful
0:54:06 – What Melina does when she has dark thoughts around eating, and how to know when you’re “overtraining”
0:58:51 – Knowing when to take more rest vs. put your head down and do the work
1:01:51 – Doing every part of your training for a reason
1:06:30 – “You just have to go to win.”
1:10:55 – Coming out last in finals, and pressure as a privilege
1:13:46 – Alex Johnson’s shirt
1:16:03 – Balancing training, fueling, and mental health, and choosing good over perfect
1:19:01 – What Melina would tell others who struggle with eating disorders
1:22:07 – The false promise of success, achieving your goals while being true to who you are, carrying guilt, and giving each other permission to be imperfect
1:27:37 – Surrounding yourself with people who love you unconditionally
1:29:55 – Melina’s goals
1:33:11 – Melina’s thoughts on the Paris Olympics, and the 2028 Olympic games
1:35:56 – Thanks to Melina for bringing us along on her journey
1:37:16 – Check out this week’s Patreon bonus episode for more fun facts with Melina!
EP 175: Ady Wright — The Pressure of Opportunity, Acts of Rebellion, and Eating Oreos for Breakfast
EP 174: Bernd Zangerl — Developing World-Class Bouldering in the Himalayas, Entering the Easiness, and the Power of the Mind
Follow-Up: Hazel Findlay — Top 3 Performance Hacks (Teaser)
EP 173: Louis Parkinson — How to Break Down Dynamic Movements, the Benefits of Indoor Climbing, and Cultivating Confidence
EP 172: Brittany Leavitt — Seeking Change in Climbing, Unmasking, and Top Lessons From Teaching Kids
EP 171: Leo Houlding — A Life of Adventure, Climbing Big Walls With Kids, and Epic Stories From El Cap
BONUS: Ron Kauk — Spiritual Revolution for Evolution
EP 170: Karly Rager & Casey Elliott — What the Data Says About Weight, Height, and Ape Index, and Which Metrics Matter for Climbing Performance
Follow-Up: Steve Bechtel — Active Recovery: Everything You Need to Know (Teaser)
EP 169: Scott Johnston — A Masterclass in Training Principles, and Why Boulderers Should Train Their Aerobic System
EP 168: Don McGrath — Rewriting Unhelpful Scripts, How to Tackle Fear of Falling, and Playing as We Age
Climbing Gold — Hot Henry
EP 167: Alex Honnold — Epic Solos That Nobody Heard About, Near Misses, and Sh*tting His Pants While Free Soloing
EP 166: Will Bosi — Sending ‘Burden of Dreams’ V17, Dream Projects, and Functional Finger Strength vs. Party Tricks
Follow-Up: Katie Lamb — Sending ‘Spectre’ V14, and Breaking Down Crux Moves (Teaser)
EP 165: Charlie Schreiber — Asking "Why", Squeezing Lemons, and How to Have a Good Poop in the Morning, Every Time
EP 164: Melina Costanza — Why Eating Food Makes You Awesome, Competing to Win vs. Not Lose, and Fun Facts With Melina
Follow-Up: Matt Heyliger — How I Rehabbed My Bicep Tendon Injury, and How to Make the Transition From Rehab Back to Training (Teaser)
EP 163: Johnny Dawes — Legendary No-Hands Climbs, How to Master Footwork, and Life Lessons From Omelets to Icebergs
EP 162: Fundamentals — How to Structure Your Climbing Year
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