Ned Feehally is Shauna Coxsey’s husband. (Just teasing Ned!) Ned is a top-level boulderer from the UK, the cofounder of Beastmaker, and the author of Beastmaking. We talked about his background in climbing, how Beastmaker got started, Ned’s approach to finger training, the benefits of board climbing, using ankle weights for body tension, and much more.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/ned-feehally
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:07:43) – Staying in a gite in Fontainebleau
(00:09:45) – Shauna Coxsey’s husband
(00:11:07) – A background on Ned’s climbing, some of his accomplishments, and going to college in Sheffield
(00:16:51) – Starting Beastmaker with Dan Varian, and the training paradigm in the early 2000s
(00:21:01) – Looking up to Ben Moon, Jerry Moffatt, and Malcolm Smith, and looking for ways to improve
(00:22:57) – Ned’s philosophy for improving at climbing, being well-rounded, and enjoying doing lots of climbs quickly
(00:28:20) – Ned’s dimensions, “If that’s how you’re built then so be it”, and the advantages of carrying more muscle as a climber
(00:32:08) – The leap in Ned’s climbing from hangboarding for three years (V11 to V13, or 8A to 8B), and getting a second jump from training on his cellar board (home woody)
(00:35:29) – What do people miss most frequently in their finger training?
(00:39:40) – How to combine long-term finger training with outdoor or indoor climbing
(00:45:25) – Warming up on the fingerboard for climbing sessions
(00:47:35) – Active vs. passive finger strength, and which grips Ned focuses on in his finger training
(00:52:05) – An annual overview of Ned’s finger training, and how he prepares for specific goals
(00:56:11) – How much variety should you have in your finger training?
(00:59:24) – Training one grip type per session
(01:02:12) – The genetic component of finger strength
(01:05:54) – How Ned structures a week of finger training
(01:10:19) – Mixing max hangs and repeaters, and sticking with protocols for 10 sessions
(01:14:25) – Ned’s thoughts on only training half crimp
(01:16:33) – The balance of Ned’s finger training and outdoor climbing
(01:20:19) – Ned’s home wall, and making his own wooden holds
(01:22:19) – Patron question from Finn: Three best tools for making wooden holds?
(01:24:21) – Ned’s thinking on using the commercial gym and climbing on “normal” gym boulders
(01:26:11) – Structuring a board session (bouldering)
(01:28:28) – The board culture in the UK, and how every board has its own character
(01:32:09) – Targeting move types in a sessions
(01:32:55) – Bouldering with ankle weights
(01:39:42) – Expectations when it comes to finger training, and trusting the process
(01:42:38) – Taking time completely off from climbing, and the perspective you get when you get your hand forced by injuries
(01:48:26) – Patron question from Gunter: How long has Ned been hangboarding? How much has his finger strength increased during that time? How well have those gains translated to climbing performance?
(01:54:01) – Using training as a chance to learn how hard you can pull if you try really hard
(01:55:55) – Patron question from Mihail: How do your training approaches change depending on if you need to work on active vs. passive gripping?
(01:57:09) – Patron question from Moritz: Where does Ned put his thumb when crimping on the fingerboard?
(02:00:19) – Patron question from Simon: Can Ned attribute any breakthroughs in his climbing to changes in his mindset or other lifestyle factors?
(02:02:29) – What it was like supporting Shauna through her Olympic preparation
(02:03:59) – Patron question from Alistair: Does Ned train contact strength?
(02:05:13) – Patron question from Andrew: How important is flexibility for tall climbers? And what does his bare minimum stretching session look like?
(02:06:12) – Ned’s stretching routine
(02:10:14) – Science podcasts
(02:11:19) – Patron question from fdclimbs: Favorite bouldering area in the Lakes District?
(02:12:29) – Whether V16 is a goal for Ned, how surprised he is to be climbing at his current level, and finding hard challenges regardless of the grade
(02:17:12) – Flashing ‘Trust Issues’ V14 in Rocklands, and the flashing mindset
(02:20:40) – Adding to the community through Beastmaker and writing the book Beastmaking, and a kid on the way!
(02:23:58) – What's next for Beastmaker
(02:25:19) – Where to buy the book (links in show notes)
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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