Joy Black is a mother of three, and a strength and climbing coach specializing in working with pregnant and postpartum climbers. In this episode, Kris and Joy go trimester by trimester, looking at training and logistical considerations for pregnant climbers and their partners. Check out all of Joy's courses. Sign up for Joy's newsletter. Save 50% o…

This is the final episode in this special series with host Emily Chen-Newton. In keeping with the themes of community-built and community-led, this episode features three truly incredible blind athletes leading the conversation. Emily takes a step back from the mic as Justin Salas, Seneida Biendarra, and Chaz Misuraca carry us through a conversatio…

Lucia Li and Noah Steinberg are an up-and-coming climbing power couple. From Michigan, they call the Red River Gorge their home climbing area, and they are making sure to cement their place there. After using one of our Ebook training plans, they both had breakout seasons – and then they upped the ante the following season without any additional tr…

Kris and Nate decide on their favorite movie theater candy and then watch Devotion: Jakob Schubert's Journey to the Top, released by Mammut. They discuss the film and the takeaways from it that we can use in our own climbing. Watch the film. Film Credits: Yucca Films Online Climbing Films from the 1990s More Movie Night episodes ___________________…

Kris and Nate get a popcorn and watch Arcteryx Presents: Passion featuring America's most prolific sport climber, Jonathan Siegrist. They discuss the style of the film, Ryan White's editing, how difficult it is to make sport climbing look hard (or interesting) and the lessons that we can use in our own climbing. Watch the film. The Lil Yachty Walk …

Today's episode, which comes to us from Every Body Climbs, features Melissa Ruiz. Melissa has been climbing and competing for about 6 years. She’s got a collection of medals to her name, including five gold, from national and world paraclimbing championships/cups. But recently she's started climbing outside, and to put it lightly, she is stoked. So…

Of all of the elements of climbing movement, Rhythm is the most overlooked. What's more, it's often the reason we fall, even if it appears to be something different. Learn how to spot when Rhythm is a problem and how you can get better at making sure Rhythm isn't holding you back. Read the rest on the blog! Watch the video on YouTube! Check out The…

Kris and Nate sit down to watch In Sequence: Katie Lamb and the Craft of Hard Bouldering from Patagonia Films, and then discuss the film itself as well as lessons and takeaways that we can use in our own climbing. Watch the film. Produced and Directed by Eric Bissell Editor David Fitzgerald Director of Photography Eric Bissell Executive Producers A…

Kris and Nate sit down to watch the new climbing film Scarpa Presents: Soudain Seul 9a/V17 x Simon Lorenzi, and then discuss the film itself, as well as lessons and takeaways that we can use in our own climbing. Three years ago, Simon Lorenzi climbed the first ascent of the second 9a boulder in the world. This is that story. Produced, directed, fil…

Nate and Ravioli Biceps have been friends for more than 15 years, since long before Ravioli became the reigning king of the Moonboard. In this conversation, they discuss the myriad of lessons they pull from video gaming that can help inform our life and climbing. Get some Ravioli Biceps merch. Find Ravioli Biceps on Instagram and YouTube. Find Nate…

Improving climbing movement is challenging. Understanding what you most need to improve is even more challenging. The discussions around climbing technique have always been either extremely abstract or specific to a single move on a single climb. It doesn't have to be that way. Check out the new course and movement evaluation tool: The Atomic Eleme…

Allyson Gunsallus is a mom and climber who is directing and producing a film series called Hand Holds: Climbing After Parenthood with the aim of benefitting parental and maternal wellness in the community. Currently shooting, with plans to release in spring 2025, this free-to-watch series will feature interviews with well-known climbers to uncover …

Fallon Rowe has been climbing since 2003 and coaching since 2013. After a decade of youth and collegiate competitions, she found her true passion for outdoor climbing – both sport and trad. She’s spent her adult life pursuing climbing all over the world while offering (mostly) virtual coaching. In her words, she helps “climbers optimize their exper…

There are a million of them out there, but not all finger strength protocols transfer well to climbing, or are time efficient, or are even possible with the tools we have. In this episode, Kris and Nate discuss their favorite protocols, both that they use themselves and in programming for their clients. _________________________ 🔍 EXPLORE FURTHER Y…

Be the first to learn about about the new Movement Assessment Tool & Mini-Course! In Part 2 of this special Q & A episode, Kris fields questions from YOU! Sent in from our YouTube subscribers, training clients, and more, Kris digs into what you want to know when it comes to climbing movement. This is Part 2 so be sure to check out Part 1, if you ha…

You’re scrolling Instagram or YouTube or listening to the newest podcast episodes, and now, just today, you’ve got three new finger strength protocols to try, you learned that your footwork needs overhauling, you’re warming up all wrong, and you have to buy a few new training devices. And you have to implement it all right now, because, well, you j…

Be the first to learn about about the new Movement Assessment Tool & Mini-Course! In this special Q & A episode, Kris fields questions from YOU! Sent in from our Patrons, Kris digs into what you want to know when it comes to climbing movement. This is Part 1 of 2 episodes so be sure to stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon! Thanks to Patrons Cody Ratt…

Short climbers are good at getting scrunchy, and tall climbers are good at climbing extended, right? Ummm, no. Not always. Actually, not even most of the time. Believing that, particularly if you’re one of those short or tall climbers, is a trap. I’m going to tell you why, and I’m going to tell you exactly how to make sure you don’t fall into this …

Today we rewind to an episode of Breaking Beta where Kris and Paul dig into a paper that presents and then tests a method for measuring movement skills in climbing: Climbing performance analysis: A novel tool for the assessment of rock climber's movement performance Authored by Nicola Taylor, Dave Giles, Michaela Panáčková, James Mitchell, Joel B. …

Ben Mayforth is a decorated climber well known for dialing in his training regimen. He's a Paraclimbing World Cup multi-medalist. Since 2019, he hasn't missed a silver medal at the Paraclimbing World Championships. Ben has a reputation of being extremely disciplined, but he’s recently loosened some of his self-imposed rules, and we discuss the impa…

Today's episode comes from The Struggle Climbing Show and features our very own coach Nate Drolet in consultation with the show's host Ryan Devlin, who has been working hard towards a goal to climb 13a. They'll talk movement analysis, technique improvement, and more. This is the first of two episodes with Nate on the topic, so be sure to head over …

Udo Neumann is a climber, performance coach, and motor-learning explorer. He’s the author of several books, including the cult classic Performance Rock Climbing. He was the German National Team coach from 2009 to 2017, working with several European and World Champion athletes during that time, including Jan Hojer and Jule Wurm. Today he advises fed…

Where's the first place your mind goes when you don’t stick a move? If you’re like most climbers, it’s probably your finger strength, or tension, or even your effort, and you’re already considering what hangboard protocol to use or some front lever workout. But it’s possible you’re looking in the wrong direction entirely... Read the rest on the blo…

Will Anglin is one of the founders of Tension Climbing, a company that not only makes training tools, but also is committed to innovation in a way that leads climbers toward mastery over success. In this episode we discuss movement skills, some ways climbers are going wrong in their pursuit and how they can continue improving, and the tools that mi…

Lauren Abernathy works hard to be a better climber. In fact, it’s part of her job as owner of Good Spray Climbing to help other people become better climbers, and she walks the walk. For several years she’s worked with our coach Blake Cash, and has recently been supplementing that with private movement sessions with Nate Drolet. In this episode, we…

For most of us, climbing looks like this: Pull on, try the move, fall off. Stare at your hands and try to understand why you fell. Pull on, try the move, fall off. Stare at your hands and come up with a new reason why you fell. Pull on again, try the move again, fall off. Again You get it. You've been there. But there’s a better way. In this episod…

Taylor Reed is a climber and coach who has worked with high-level athletes – both competitive and outdoor climbers – for many years. He’s the vice president of the International Rock Climbing Research Association and also runs The Beta Angel Project, which takes climbing-specific research and synthesizes it with ideas and experience in order to fin…

A common refrain in climbing is that the more you climb, the better you get. But all of us know some old crusty who has been climbing for 45 years and is stuck at mid 5.10. And they have all of the excuses as to why. But they’re wrong. In this episode, Kris and Nate explore why we believe we’ll just get better if we keep at it, as well as offer str…

Go ahead, grab that foothold. I mean, it’s only a foothold until someone uses it as a handhold. Then it’s just a hold. So use it. And if you don’t want to because you’d rather challenge yourself to do it without using that really obvious hold right there, that’s fine, too. There’s no heroism in skipping an obvious hold. There’s no shame in using a …

Today we REWIND back to one of our favorite Board Meetings of all time. We chose this episode because we are spending the next couple months digging deep into movement and learning, and exploring if there might be a better way to consider movement than the technique-based way we’ve always done it. In this episode, Kris and Nate discuss ideas presen…

Rob Gray is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, host of The Perception & Action Podcast, and a Skill Acquisition Specialist for the Boston Red Sox. He’s also the author of two great books, How We Learn to Move and Learning to Optimize Movement. In this Part 2 of 2, Kris and Rob discuss the differences between the two predominant the…

Rob Gray is an associate Professor at Arizona State University, host of The Perception & Action Podcast, and a Skill Acquisition Specialist for the Boston Red Sox. He’s been studying movement and publishing research on it for 25 years. In this Part 1 of 2, Kris and Rob discuss the limitations and challenges of using sports science research for coac…

Introducing: Something new. Something different. Something FOCUSED. Rather than doing what most podcasts do and jumping from subject to subject with each new episode, we’re going to be spending the next couple of months focused on discussing one topic. Through Board Meetings, Expert episodes, Taped Tips, and our new Builder series that you’ll hear …

Indoor and outdoor climbing have different constraints, and as such, lead you into different solutions for how to interact with that environment. But there are lessons from the climbing gyms that should absolutely be applied to outdoors in order to get the most out of it and become a better climber faster. In this bonus episode from our Patron feed…

Many people view indoor climbing as less serious than climbing outside, but if we're looking to improve, that may be a mistake. There are aspects of climbing outside that lead us into learning specific things that we don't necessarily find as easily indoors. In this episode, Kris and Nate discuss their top 5 lessons from climbing outside that, when…

With more and more information out there, it would seem that we can learn faster and better. But that isn't always the case. In this episode, Kris and Nate discuss why learning is more challenging in our current environment, ways we can better structure our time, tools we can use for learning, and the changes we are making to this podcast and our w…

Two of the legendary routes from the 90s are now at odds with each other (sort of). One of them was likely the first 9a in the world, but which was it? Hubble or Action Directe? In this bonus episode from Written In Stone, we examine the circumstances, discuss where the debate began, and hear from the only two people in the world who have climbed b…

Four years ago this month in 2019, Yosemite’s Magic Line, a 5.14 crack originally put up by Ron Kauk and not repeated until more than 20 years later by his son, Lonnie, saw its third ascent. Pushing her limits both physically and mentally, the formidable Hazel Findlay solidified her status as one of the strongest trad climbers in the world with the…

The Red River Gorge Climber’s Coalition was one oof the first climber owned organizations to OWN their local climbing. Now they have the opportunity to purchase a huge tract of land with miles and miles of cliffline. Some existing climbing, and a lot of potential climbing of nearly all grades. But they need our help to make it happen. This might in…

You nailed the training and showed up stronger. Still, things went wrong. The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. You can help us keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month! Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.…

The year is 1991. No woman has ever climbed 5.14. One French superstar says that no woman ever will. But Lynn Hill didn’t listen...And years later, Katie Brown wouldn't either. This is a sample of Episode 1 of Written In Stone: Climbing's Most Important Ascents, the latest podcast from Power Company Climbing & Plug Tone Audio. To hear the rest of t…

Training principles are important, but when they creep into performance, your climbing will suffer. Nearly every time. Taped Tips is presented by Power Company Climbing and Plug Tone Audio. You can help us keep episodes sponsor-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month. Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.…

Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear the narrated, sound-designed stories about what led to new levels in climbing, alternated with conversations with today’s top climbers about what inspired them about what went down way back then. Season O…

If you’re a climber and you haven’t been to Miguel’s Pizza, you probably want to go, or you’ve at least seen a dozen people wearing their t-shirts. Forty years ago, Miguel Ventura moved from Connecticut to Slade, Kentucky and started what was then known as The Rainbow Door, a pizza and ice cream shop that has since become an icon to climbers all ov…

Looking to climb on gorgeous streaky sandstone cliffs full of high-angled crimps? Look no further than the Blue Mountains, sport climbing mecca of the land down under, boasting thousands of routes. Legendary Australian climber Lee Cujes spent more than 20 years taking trips to the Blue Mountains before eventually moving there, and now it’s been his…

You know what highpointing is, and definitely redpointing, but what about lowpointing? And for those of you who know what we’re talking about, do you actually do it? Chances are, you’re not using this tactic to its full potential, which means you’re not using it to your full advantage. In this Board Meeting, Kris and Nate discuss the tactic of lowp…

Five years ago this week, Ravioli Biceps walked into the gym, did his usual detailed warmup, and then set his camera up pointed at the Moonboard. It had only been a year since he'd started climbing on it, and he'd obsessively worked his way through the benchmarks. And on this day, he pulled on and finished the final benchmark of the 2016 set, becom…

There’s more information out there than ever. When I first started Power Company Climbing, there were very few training blogs, no training podcasts for climbers, maybe one other remote climbing coach, and honestly, very few reputable sources for information on how to improve. That lack of information, or of people willing to offer advice, is certai…

Does kneebarring hard boulders make you stronger? What if it IS a kneebar boulder? Is it good for training? We're conflicted. And how does Chris Sharma feel about it? This is a bonus Board Meeting episode from our new series, CONFLICTED. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, become a Patron or Apple subscriber today! Head over to www.pat…

Training is training is training. You’ve done your homework, you know how to periodize a training plan, you understand set and rep schemes and RPE and autoregulation, you’ve got all the latest tech and warmup tools, and you’ve somehow figured out how to fit all 482 things into a week, including recovery time and self-care mental health days. You’ve…