Eric Hörst's Training For Climbing Podcast

• #123 - Effective Training - Part 2 - Applying a Systems Approach to Program Design

  In this second installment of a two-part series, Coach Eric Hörst takes the high-level systems philosophy introduced in Episode #122 and brings it down to earth with practical, actionable guidance. This episode walks listeners through the nine elements of an intelligent training system and illustrates how each one applies directly to climbing preparation and long-term improvement. Eric emphasizes that as climbers progress beyond the beginner stage, climbing and training grow increasingly complex—requiring intentional, organized, and year-round development of strength, technique, mental skills, recovery habits, nutrition, and lifestyle management. Rather than ad-lib sessions or singular-focus programs (like only training strength), climbers need a comprehensive system fine-tuned daily and seasonally. The episode explains how to evaluate your training "inputs," recognize both positive and negative "outputs," manage disturbances, and use ongoing feedback (sensors) to modulate your training wisely. Eric underscores that self-awareness, discipline, and responsiveness—not just effort—drive long-term progress. He makes the case that thoughtful systems dramatically improve performance, reduce injury risk, and provide clarity amidst the complexities of climbing life. The episode concludes with guidance on setting meaningful long- and short-term goals, adjusting training loads with intention, eliminating counterproductive habits, and being vigilant about the subtle disturbances that erode progress over time. Ultimately, Eric encourages every committed climber to craft a personalized system—one aligned to their goals, life structure, recovery needs, and unique path in the sport. RUNDOWN 0:15 – Eric's welcome 0:30 - Recap of Part 1 - Episode #122. If you haven't already, please listen to Part 1 now >> 2:20 - 9 elements of a Systems applied to training for climbing. 7:00  – Some climbing-specific examples of employing an intelligent system approach to training. Examples of how each system element relates to daily training activities and mission pursuit. 11:55 - You have two choices... 12:40 – Tips for applying a systems approach to your training and non-training activities 15:00 – Importance of having a mega-goal. What's your BHAG? You also need a series of short-term goals to make your journey more rich and enjoyable…and to help maintain motivation and a sense of progress. 17:50 – Importance of consciously selecting your INPUTs—training, rest, food, things you do to support recovery, etc. 22:30 – SENSOR…your subjective sense of movement quality and fatigue while climbing and training; but also via objective measures...such as tracking of metrics of fitness (grip strength, bodyweight, etc.) 25:05 – The power of DISTURBANCES to covertly sabotage your training and knock you off course from your goals. Strive to anticipate, avoid, or quickly course-correct. 28:00 – Most important: Be proactive and fully engaged in the process of training, climbing, and living. Don't be an NPC! 29:30 – Wrap-up & Eric's 50% Challenge. 🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com PhysiVantage is available in Europe from the EPIC-TV Shop and in Mexico from PhysiVantage.mx SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >> Thank yous: La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs Music by Misty Murphy Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price items with checkout code: PODCAST15

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• #122 - Train More Effectively: The Systems Approach That Will Transform Your Climbing

  This episode is the first in a two-part deep dive into designing a comprehensive, long-term systems approach to training. Coach Eric Hörst unpacks—in rich detail—how systems actually function, and he highlights how transformative climbers throughout history "shake up the box" with innovative, highly effective methods to achieve big goals and push the boundaries of our sport. Eric blends a concise climbing history lesson with an engineer-like breakdown of how intelligent systems operate. Part 2 of this series will deliver the actionable strategies you can use to build a personalized, high-performance training system for this winter…and for many seasons to come. This is an entertaining and thought-provoking episode—so lean in, listen closely, and get ready to feel inspired, challenged, and equipped to level-up your modus operandi at the crag, in the gym, at home, and in everything you do! RUNDOWN 0:15 – Eric's welcome 1:45 - Are you ready for "training season?" 3:15 - The powerful force of the compounding effect of year-over-year gains in strength and climbing ability!  🎧 Podcast Sponsors: La Sportiva | DMM | Friction Labs | PhysiVantage -- Amplify your training and climb your best with PhysiVantage Nutrition for climbers. Save 15% off full-price nutrition at PhysiVantage.com with checkout code: PODCAST15 6:00 – Learning to climb is simple; learning how to train effectively is complex! 10:50 – Employing a "systems" approach to your training and goal pursuit. 13:10 – The value of waking each morning with a mission. 18:55 – Eric shares some climbing history…and names 5 legendary, transformative climbers that influenced him and helped inspire this systems approach to training/climbing. 20:30 - #1 Warren Harding…applied a mission approach to big wall climbing…and took commitment and suffering to a new level. 22:35 - #2 John Gill – The father of modern bouldering and training for climbing. Read his biography, Masters of Rock (by Pat Ament). Gill was climbing V9 (in hiking boots) in 1959! 24:30 - #3 Wolfgang Gullich – Applied a systems approach to training and hard climbing…and opened up the world's first 5.14a, 5.14b, and 5.14d. Wolfgang helped invent the campus board, a climbing-specific form of plyometric training. 26:20 - #4 Todd Skinner – A pioneer of big wall free climbing, hard bouldering, and limit sport climbing, Todd employed a mission approach to climbing on a massive "all-in" and multi-year scale. 27:45 - #5 Lynn Hill – First female 5.14 ascent, World Cup Champion, and Free Ascent of The Nose of El Cap (1994). Lynn, like the other four legendary climbers, employed a systems approach to her climbing life. 30:00 – Two more important influences: my parents, Bob and Ethel Horst. My father, an engineer and inventor, helped shape my innate sense of needing to employ a systems approach to training/climbing. 31:05 – Side note about Jim Collins, a leading climber in the early1980s -- later a best-selling author and business consultant, Jim described my mega-goal concept as a "BHAG". Big Audacious Hairy Goal!   32:25– Conceptual model of a "System". 32:40 - Five elements of an open system: 1. Input, 2. Output, 3, Structure, 4. Transport, 5. Conversion. 35:30 – Making a system into an "Intelligent System" with four additional elements: 6. Goal, 7. Sensor, 8. Controller, 9. Disturbance. 41:55 – Applying an Intelligent System approach to your training and goal pursuit. If you're an advanced or elite climber, then employing a highly personalized system approach to training is essential for pursuing your genetic potential…and mega goals! 45:00 - Wrap up of Part 1 and a teaser for Part 2 coming in T4C Podcast #123! Follow Eric on Facebook and on Instagram at: Training4Climbing Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. 🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com PhysiVantage is available in Europe from the EPIC-TV Shop and in Mexico from PhysiVantage.mx SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >> Thank yous: La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs Music by Misty Murphy

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• #121 - Connective Tissue Training for Strength, Resilience, and Performance

  Modern athletes know that strength and endurance alone aren't enough. The ability to generate power efficiently, resist injury, and recover quickly depends just as much on the health of connective tissues—tendons, ligaments, and the extracellular matrix (ECM)—as on muscle strength itself. Yet, these vital tissues have long been misunderstood as relatively static and untrainable. The latest research proves otherwise: tendons and ligaments are remarkably adaptive, capable of remodeling and strengthening in response to targeted loading and proper nutrition. The white paper presented in this podcast distills more than a decade of cutting-edge research into a clear, evidence-based framework for improving connective tissue health and performance. Drawing on the work of leading scientists and sports medicine experts, it explains how short bouts of specific mechanical loading—paired with precise nutritional strategies—stimulate collagen synthesis, enhance tendon stiffness, and accelerate recovery. The paper also details the biological mechanisms behind these adaptations, offering a practical roadmap for both elite and dedicated recreational climbers. Whether you're looking to climb harder, rehab a connective tissue injury, or simply increase your resilience so as to stay injury-free longer, this research-driven guide provides the tools to do it. Listeners (and readers) will learn how to structure brief daily tendon-training sessions, time nutrient intake to maximize collagen synthesis, and avoid common anti-adaptive mistakes that slow recovery. Backed by peer-reviewed science and real-world application, this paper redefines how athletes can train smarter—and perform stronger—through the science of connective tissue optimization. Podcast Rundown 0:15 – Eric's welcome statement 0:30 - Overview of this podcast and the research White Paper. Download a PDF with supporting diagrams and research references here >> 🎧 Podcast Sponsors: La Sportiva | DMM | Friction Labs | PhysiVantage -- Amplify your training and climb your best with PhysiVantage Nutrition for climbers. Save 15% off full-price nutrition at PhysiVantage.com with checkout code: PODCAST15 4:20 - White Paper Introduction 8:40 - Tendon and Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Structure 14:23 - Connective Tissue Adaptations to Training 22:54 - Tendinopathy and Its Progression 32:45 - Training Interventions to Rehab Tendons and Increase Performance 40:55 - Nutritional Support for Rehab and Strengthening Tendons 45:35 - Summary Points and Training Tips 51:45 - Concluding thoughts 54:00 - Eric's closing comments and contact information Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing 🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com PhysiVantage is available in Europe from the EPIC-TV Shop and in Mexico from PhysiVantage.mx SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >> Thank yous: La Sportiva, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs Music by Misty Murphy

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• #120 - Conquer the Pump! Training and Tactics to Climb Your Best at the Red River Gorge (and elsewhere)

  If you're a connoisseur of steep routes, this episode is for you! We've assembled a "Red River Pump" roundtable that reveals the training methods, tactics, and insider strategies for climbing your best on the overhanging walls of the Red — or any steep sport crag you love. Kris Hampton, Ryan Devlin, and Eric Hörst dive into Red-specific pre-trip and offseason training, mental strategies for embracing the pump, steep redpoint tactics, on-route resting, fueling and recovery, and how to "protect the send." This is a power-packed, actionable conversation you can apply today to climb stronger, last longer, and send harder on any endurance-style route. Podcast Rundown 0:15 – Intro to T4C podcast 1:05 - Overview of the training and tactical topics covered in this episode. Listen to the full two-hour conversation of ALL things RRG at The Struggle Podcast >> 🎧 Podcast Sponsor: Amplify your training and climb your best with PhysiVantage Nutrition for climbers. Save 15% off full-price nutrition at PhysiVantage.com with checkout code: PODCAST15 4:20 - Introducing the Red River Pump Roundtable! 4:45 - [KH] General training prep in the weeks ahead of a trip to the RRG. 8:32 - [EH] The secret(s) to dominating on steep, pumpy routes. 10:30 - The importance of becoming a more aerobic-powered climber. 17:40 - [EH] Energy system training and the short- and long-term adaptations to climbing-specific aerobic training. And learn why doing a moderate amount of running can support your route-climbing performance. 21:30 - Learning to climb through the pump 25:10 - [KH] Tips for easing into an extended trip to the Red. 28:30 - [EH] Tactical tips for performing your best. 32:20 - [RD] Nutritional support of climbing performance and recovery between days of climbing. 34:00 - [EH] The benefits of SENDURE-X, a climber's pre-workout/performance drink that boosts circulation, endurance, and recovery ability. 36:08 - [RD] The value of the "low point" projecting tactic. 37:45 - [KH] "Protecting the send" 39:20 - [EH] Over-learning (practicing) the "anchor run" 41:00 - [RD] Low pointing defined. 42:10 - Final comments, and where to find more free training information. 43:00 - Wrap-Up and request  to PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW! Pease share this podcast on your socials and/or with your friends! 🎧 Support Podcast Sponsor: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >> Thank yous: La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs, Organic Climbing. Music by Misty Murphy Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price items with checkout code: PODCAST15

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• #119 - 5 Powerful Lessons from Emily Harrington's "Girl Climber" Movie

  Learn five powerful lessons for achieving big, difficult goals that I took away from watching Girl Climber -- the new film that chronicles Emily Harrington's incredible, multi-year journey to free-climb El Capitan's Golden Gate route in under 24 hours. For me, this isn't just a film about climbing—it's about resilience, will power, and the triumph of human spirit, Furthermore, it serves as a bold reminder of what it takes to stay committed to a dream in the face of fear, doubt, setbacks, and even failure. As Emily's journey shows, greatness isn't built on talent alone. It comes from disciplined training, uncommon courage and toughness, and the willingness to keep showing up for a goal that feels just out of reach. I had the chance to see Girl Climber on its IMAX theatrical release date, August 24th, and I'll tell you—it was excellent! Truly a must-see for anyone passionate about climbing…or simply fascinated by what it takes to push the human mind and body to their limits in pursuit of a big goal. Podcast Rundown 0:15 – Intro to T4C podcast and my initial thoughts on the Girl Climber film 1:30 - If you missed it in IMAX theaters, don't worry. The film is now playing on the Indy Movie Theater network, with larger chain theaters scheduled to pick it up in the coming months. And starting this October, Girl Climber will be available online as a paid download from jolt.films.  Watch trailer >> 2:00 - Intro to the 5 powerful lessons on display in Girl Climber. 2:35 - Emily's backstory and diverse climbing accomplishments 4:35 - 5 powerful lessons for pursing audacious goals 7:00 - Definition of "BHAG" (big hairy audacious goals), as popularized by Jim Collins 9:00 - Lesson #1: Commit for the Long Haul 11:45 - Lesson #2: Embrace the Bruising Process 🎧 Podcast Sponsor Product: PhysiVantage Nutrition's Premium Proteins Boost your strength gains, recovery, connective tissue health, and immune system with PhysiVantage proteins: Supercharged Collagen, Weapons-Grade Whey Complex, and plant-based Powerplex. Save 15% with checkout code: PODCAST15 at PhysiVantage.com 17:20 - Lesson #3 - Persevere Through Adversity 19:15 - Lesson #4 - Build a Strong Support Team 22:07 - Lesson #5 - Believe in the Endgame 23:45 - Importance of surrounding yourself with "doers" (and avoiding critics and shit talkers) 25:40 - Final comments...PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW...and share this podcast with your friends! 27:24 - Hörst Out! SUPPORT THIS PODCAST! Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price performance nutrition with checkout code: PODCAST15 SAVE on La Sportiva shoes >> Thank yous: La Sportiva, Maxim Ropes, DMM Climbing, Friction Labs, Organic Climbing. Music by Misty Murphy Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing Check out Eric's YouTube channel. Follow Eric on Facebook! And on Instagram at: Training4Climbing Visit PhysiVantage.com and get a 15% discount on full-price items with checkout code: PODCAST15

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