Scott Johnston is a world-class coach who specializes in mountain endurance sports. This episode is a masterclass in training principles and is packed full of nuggets for climbers, including boulderers. We talked about why it’s a mistake to mimic top athletes, tips for balancing climbing with other sports, capacity vs. utilization, why to back off after a personal best, developing layers of endurance, the flaw with HRV, how to test your recovery before training, how to fail successfully, the future of alpinism and mountain running, and much more!
Check out The Nugget on YouTube:
youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbing
Check out PhysiVantage!
physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)
Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!
Check out Athletic Greens!
athleticgreens.com/NUGGET
Use this link to get a free year's supply of vitamin D + 5 travel packs!
Check out Rumpl!
rumpl.com/nugget
Use code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order!
Check out Rocky Talkie!
RockyTalkie.com/Nugget
Use this link to get 10% off your first order of backcountry radios!
Check out Tindeq!
tindeq.com
Use code “NUGGET” for $10 off!
I recommend the Progressor 150 for finger training and testing.
We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:
Become a Patron:
patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing
Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/scott-johnston
Nuggets:
0:04:56 – Inventing telescopes, and refurbishing European sports cars
0:11:25 – Being a cross-country ski racer, climbing with Steve House, and getting into coaching
0:13:22 – Why Scott and Steve decided to write Training for the New Alpinism
0:15:30 – Partnering with Kilian Journett on a second book Training for the Uphill Athlete
0:19:00 – The mistake of trying to mimic people like Killian Journett or Adam Ondra
0:23:05 – Sound bites, the dumbing down of our attention spans, and applying traditional training methods to unconventional sports
0:25:09 – Who is the Uphill Athlete book for?
0:27:56 – Being a general outdoor athlete and a climber
0:28:54 – Patron question from Alex: Tips for training for bouldering and sport climbing during ski season and vice versa?
0:34:42 – Why more training isn’t always better
0:37:39 – Building capacity, and why you rarely perform well while you’re training
0:39:19 – Block periodization
0:42:09 – Monitoring your recovery, using a hangboard to check in, and the restorative effect of easy aerobic activity
0:46:59 – Capacity vs. utilization training
0:54:26 – Training vs. randomly exercising
0:57:16 – Fundamental qualities of sports, and building capacity in different qualities
1:03:32 – Putting money in the bank vs. spending it
1:07:18 – Why you should back off after you hit a PR in your training
1:12:24 – Deloads
1:16:40 – Non-linear periodization
1:18:54 – The aerobic system, and the vacuum cleaner analogy
1:25:54 – Developing layers of endurance
1:27:52 – How and why boulderers and sport climbers should train endurance
1:31:56 – More about the layers of endurance
1:38:25 – My upcoming Follow-Up with Steve Bechtel, why training needs to be more specific at higher levels, and how recovery makes you stronger
1:41:33 – How important is active recovery?
1:44:32 – The flaw with HRV for measuring recovery
1:50:20 – Tuning in to your body, and how to test your level of fatigue
1:53:34 – Using the Tindeq to test your finger strength before training (use code NUGGET for $10 off)
1:56:47 – Why monitoring your progress leads to mental toughness
2:03:19 – How to get the experience you need to climb technical mountains and alpine routes
2:06:25 – The Dreaded Water Carries, and improving muscular endurance
2:19:29 – How long and how often should our training blocks be?
2:22:20 – Losing two climbing partners on K2
2:27:33 – How to fail successfully
2:34:09 – Inventing challenges, and the essential parts of being human
2:38:02 – Scott’s current outdoor lifestyle, and trying to slow the decline as aging athletes
2:42:26 – Doing max strength to recover from hard endurance work
2:46:15 – A teaser for how to increase your weighted pull-ups
2:50:29 – Where to find Scott
2:52:33 – What excites Scott the most about the future of alpinism and mountain running
2:56:40 – Understanding training principles, and the key takeaway from this episode
EP 119: Carrie Cooper — Thinking of Ourselves as Athletes, Research in Climbing, and Mobility and Warming Up
EP 118: Chad Andrews Interviews Steven Dimmitt — Repost from the Clipping Chains Podcast
Follow-Up. Joe Kinder — Sending 'Mamajamma', and What I Learned from 5 Weeks of Projecting with Joe (Teaser)
EP 117: Yves Gravelle — Lessons From Grip Sports, Basing Your Training on the Demands of Your Goal, and Top 3 Finger Training Methods
EP 116: Paul Robinson — Coming Back From Injuries, Opening Up About Autism, and Working Boulders Top Down
Steven's Blog: Mar '22
Reflections: Mina
Announcing "Reflections" and "Steven's Blog"
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — Hueco 2022 Debrief (Teaser)
EP 115: Jordan Cannon — The Triple Crown in Yosemite, Big Wall Pooping Stories, and How to Build the Skills to Climb El Capitan
EP 114: Q&A 5 — My Current Finger Training Routine, How to Deal With Bad Body Image, and Golden Nuggets for Newer Climbers
EP 113: Ned Feehally — Beastmaking, Long-Term Finger Training, and Climbing With Ankle Weights
Follow-Up: Steve McClure — Sending ‘Lexicon’ E11, Projecting Tips, and How to Enjoy a Long Life of Climbing (Teaser)
EP 112: Favia Dubyk — Specializing in Lowball Roof Bouldering, Surviving Cancer, and Learning How to Dyno
EP 111: Jerry Moffatt — Being a “Crag Rat”, Developing Your Mental Game, and What the Top Climbers Have in Common
EP 110: “The Verm” Returns — Life Lessons at Age 62, Fun Facts About Birds, and Injury Stories
Follow-Up: Josh Wharton — Attempting to Flash 'Freerider' on El Cap (Teaser)
EP 109: Martin Keller — How to Train on Rock, Your Subconscious Brain, and Lessons from 150+ Days on a Boulder
EP 108: John Sherman — Hueco Tanks in the 80s, Highballing Before Crash Pads, and Adding Layers to the Bouldering Experience
EP 107: Tim Emmett — How to Climb Harder After 40, The Magic Formula for Climbing 9a, and Life Philosophies
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The MeatEater Podcast
Bear Grease
The Bear Archery Podcast
Live Wild with Remi Warren
Cal’s Week in Review