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 133: Neil Gresham — Using Ballet to Climb Harder, Developing Your Finishing Game, and Extensor Training for Stronger Fingers
EP 132: Rebecca Williams — A Deep Dive Into Fear of Falling, the Self-Soothing System, and Climbing Smarter
EP 131: Ryan Devlin — Life as a TV Actor, Progressing From 11b to 12c in a Year, and How Pro Climbers Relate to Struggle
EP 130: Stian Christophersen & Martin Mobråten — Writing The Climbing Bible, Finger Strength vs. General Strength, and Strategies for Improving Technique
Follow-Up: Matt Fultz — How to Train for the Hardest Crimp Boulders in the World (Teaser)
EP 129: Dorian Evers — How to Navigate Different Stoke Levels in Your Relationship, and Getting Vulnerable with Your Partner
EP 128: Callie Joy Black — Training During Pregnancy, Climbing Hard with Kids, and Being Your Own Project
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — My Summer Training Plan, and How to Get Stronger on the Moonboard (Teaser)
EP 127: Jesse Firestone — Bouldering Tactics, Quantum Leaps, and Non-Physical Factors That Affect Our Performance
BONUS: Michelle LeBlanc — An Upcoming 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Event in Squamish
S1E2: The Great Equalizer (Repost from The American Climbing Project)
EP 126: Devin Dabney — Getting Uncomfortable, How Climbing Saved His Life, and How Competition Makes Us Better
Follow-Up: Alita Contreras — Sending Her First 5.14a, and Training With Lattice (Teaser)
EP 125: Zofia Reych — The Heritage of Climbing, Breaking Down Gender Roles, and What It’s Like to Be Autistic
EP 124: Karly Rager — Mental Strategies for Developing Focus, Learning vs. Performing, and Building a Coaching Business
EP 123: Magnus Midtbø — The Hard Work Behind Success, Go-To Climbing Workouts, and Takeaways from Training with Adam Ondra
Follow-Up: Chad Andrews — The Pros and Cons of Living on the Road to Climb, and Having a Healthier Relationship with Money (Teaser)
EP 122: Jared Vagy — How to Prevent Knee, Shoulder, Elbow, and Finger Injuries as Climbers
EP 121: Carol Simpson — Being a Girl in the South in the 1950s, Yoga as the Fountain of Youth, and Ageism in Climbing
EP 120: Lea Volpe — The World of Paraclimbing Competitions, How We Perceive Wheelchairs, and Empathy in Coaching
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