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 148: Alan Watts (Repost) — A Life at Smith Rock, Eating Every Other Day, and Meeting Adam Ondra
BONUS: Alita Contreras — Guerreras Film!
Announcing Merch!
EP 147: Alayna Joy — Coming out to 400k Subscribers, Queerness in Climbing, and Compulsory Heterosexuality
EP 146: Todd Perkins — The Mind-Opening Effects of Cannabis, Why Gratitude is the Key to Climbing Longevity, and Near-Death Experiences
Follow-Up: Amity Warme — Sending ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’ in a Hailstorm, and Lessons From Another Season in Yosemite (Teaser)
EP 145: Katie Lamb — Breaking Into V14, Embracing Micro Beta, and How Climbers Can Be Leaders in the Climate Movement
EP 144: Marisa Michael — Why Losing Weight Won’t Make You Climb Harder, How to Navigate Food, and Intuitive Eating
EP 143: Matt Heyliger — Tissue Capacity vs. Biomechanics, Why Mobility Comes Before Strength, and the Eyeball Story
EP 142: Aidan Roberts — Training for Alphane V17, the Power of Replicas, and Embracing Your Style
EP 141: Robbie Phillips — Exploring Scottish Sea Cliffs, Keeping Things Fun, and Capturing Memories Through Filmmaking
EP 140: Tommy Caldwell — Undone Lines on El Cap, Father-Son Relationships, and Exploring the Limits of Human Endurance
EP 139: Lynn Hill — Breaking Barriers in Climbing, How to Find Self-Belief, and Challenging Social Norms
EP 138: Q&A 6 (feat. Taylor Fragomeni) — Ways to Improve Your Climbing if Access is Limited, and More Patron Questions
Follow-Up: Ned Feehally — More Beastmaking Questions, and Longer Hangs for Long-Term Strength Gains (Teaser)
EP 137: Drew Ruana & Cameron Hörst — Lessons from Recent Sends, Training for Bouldering vs. Sport Climbing, and Leveling Up to V18 and 5.15c
EP 136: Dan Varian — High Angle Crimps, Silver Bullets in Finger Strength, and How to Activate Lazy Fingers
EP 135: Alice Hafer — How to Train Your Mind Muscle, Tips for Staying Motivated, and Box Jumps for Power
EP 134: Sam Van Boxtel — Creating Value on Social Media, Having a Strong “Why”, and the Road to 100k Followers
Follow-Up: Jonathan Siegrist — How to Climb Hard Sport Routes and Improve for Decades (Teaser)
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