Ep. 147: Making Sense of Science for Climbers with Dr. Tyler Nelson

Science and data are increasingly popular in training for climbing, and for good reason. Leading that charge is Dr. Tyler Nelson of Camp 4 Human Performance. He's built a strong following on Instagram, and is giving solid information to coaches and climbers all over the world, but as with any post on social media, much of the context is lost. Context that I feel is massively important. 

In this episode Tyler and I sit down at The Donut Distillery in Nashville, on our way to teach together at the Performance Climbing Coach Seminar, to discuss how to look at the research, whether science is the end all be all, and what exactly is the context for all of this information. 

We also reveal the winner of the Instagram Donut Contest!

To give a little more context into what Tyler’s training looks like, since we only get to see snippets on Instagram, I asked him to give me a rough idea of his general in-season and training season schedule. This has been the most recent, with a bouldering only focus.

IN SEASON

Climbing:

• Projecting 100% - 2.5 hr usual max time to climb including warm-up (30-min). Usually 5:30 am - 8:00

Finger and Strength Training

• Done on same day of projecting every day unless skin hurts 4-6 hours later in day.

• High intensity 1-arm hangs for sets or sets to failure, or eccentrics, or ballistics, (this changes often and I mix it up)

• High intensity 1-arm finger hangs for time (20mm, 15mm) - recruitment focus x4 / arm

• Half crimp added load to hit 85% 20mm edge hang stiffness 3:3x5 x 4

• Full crimp body weight 15 or 10mm edge hang stiffness focus 3:3x5x4

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TRAINING SEASON

Climbing

• Projecting (30% of total training time) - making new boulders on the woodie

• Practicing (50% of total training time) - repeating hard boulders, learning to crimp, working to keep feet on, etc.

Finger and Strength Training (20% of total training time)

• bench press isometrics , vertical pull isometrics, deadlift

• each at multiple angles, to failure, then for peak force, then for targeted sets/reps, then for velocity. this varies on a two week cycle usually.

• Fingers: density focus then recruitment stiffness focus

• hangs to failure - sloper, 20mm half crimp, 15mm full crimp x 3 each total

• then recruitment - measuring peak load increase

• then for stiffness - velocity with rfd measured or for subjective feel

From Tyler:

“That's pretty much all I do. There's more nuance to it than that, but that should give you a good idea. I have a big strength training background as a kid wrestling, so I've always had above average upper body strength.”