The Testpiece Podcast

Martin Keller is one of the few people to boulder 8C+ / V16... But what's really incredible is he just did it right before he turned 46 years old!

Martin is an incredible climber, coach, and teacher. In this episode he shares: 

• How to gain limit strength, rather than just getting tired.
• The best way to project climbs (he's famous for his decade plus projecting ability).
• How he's said "No" to naysayers his whole life and proved them wrong.
• The way to avoid, and deal with, injury.
• What the big differences are between training indoors and outdoors and what to learn from it.

This one was special because it took away Josh's excuse on why his best days of climbing are behind him!

SHOW NOTES:

• Ninja Skills Sit FA (8C+ / V16)

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

 Tim’s back at it and with a big smile. Hear how he’s been returning to his peak strength after injury. Tim also talks about how he coaches clients through plateaus. 

Big shout outs to the crews that make life special for Tim and Josh and what they did to help them be their best. 

Bosi repeats ROTSW, and just about every other hard thing in the world.  

And Josh reports back on the project Tim coached him through in the last episode. 

SHOW NOTES: 

• Felipe Hoo’s Famous 360 Kilterboard Send
• Daniel Woods on ROTSW
• Will Bosi does ROTSW

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Matty Hong takes us to Mallorca where he snagged the second ascent of Big Fish. A 9a deep water solo that culminates in a dyno at  ~20m / 60ft!

Matty was out there filming for the latest Reel Rock climbing with the legend Chris Sharma. Since he is often the guy behind the camera we asked him to share some tips for any aspiring climbing film makers and he fully delievered!

Last, but certainly not least, he takes us to Ceuse to tell us about the interesting things he learned from climbing the iconic Biographie -- the worlds first 5.15a.

SHOW NOTES:

• Matty Hong Website
• Matty Hong on Instagram
• Matty Hong on TikTok
• Big Fish (video of Sharma on the crux)
• Reel Rock 18 Trailer
• Biographie 15a Send
• King Lines
  • Trailer
  • Sharma on Los Humildes Pa Casa
• Ethan Pringle on La Hostia by Boone Speed
• Jim Thornburg Instagram

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Drugs, cruxes, moonboarding, injuries, making climbs your b*tch... This one's got it all! 

Tune in for tons of pro-tips that will help you climb better today, and set yourself up for the long term success that we all are striving for.

SHOW NOTES:

• 2017 V8 / 7B+ on Moonboard 2016 Set
• Podcast #33 with Andy Tollefson

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

The man, the myth, the Mustache — Keenan Takahashi!

Keenan shares his unique approach to climbing. He seeks out the best lines in the world and then uses that as fuel to transform his body and mind so that he is able to climb them.

Keenan also has created one of the coolest new brands in climbing, ANTIGRAV, that embodies his psyche and ethos for climbing.

SHOW NOTES:

• ANTIGRAV
• Creative Visualization [Book]
• A Little Life [Movie]
• Express Yourself [Song]
• Physics Hyperbole [Squamish Climb]
  • Keenan
  • Josh

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

 2024 is off the a bang with incredibly hard bouldering FA’s happening non-stop. 

Is this because USAC caused one of the strongest crews in the world to stop training for the Olympics and start crushing rock again? 

Hear more from Tim about what a session is like when multiple V16 climbers get together to try the hardest boulders in the world. 

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Sean Bailey came on Testpiece and shared his decades of experience from sending and competing at the absolute top of the sport. Sean truly is one of the best climbers in the world right now. 

• Sean recently FA’d the low start to Evilution [“Devilution”] which was a long standing sought after project that clocks in around V16 and is now one of the hardest, proudest lines in the world!
• How he started climbing and training at a young age and what it was like cutting his teeth on his local crags like Smith Rock.
• He shares about what WC’s were like as an American 7+ years ago when the USA was not competitive at all. Spoiler — it was different and not so glamours! 
• His recent time spent on hard outdoor bouldering and the lessons he learned in sport climbing that help in bouldering.
• What he thinks the progression in sport climbing will look like.
• Sean also expands on his recent Instagram post that shared on the struggles pro-climbers have behind the scenes making ends meet. Don’t miss this part.

Absolutely incredible can’t miss podcast by one of the top climbers in our sport!

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Tim shares a common problem that holds people back that he sees in even some of the top athletes he coaches. They jokingly call it "Vomit Mouth".

Learn about what this is and how you can make sure to avoid it in your sessions.

SHOW NOTES:

• Noah Wheeler on Sleepwalker

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Carlo Traversi is back to tell us about his recent FA of The Dark Side V16 (suggested grade) in Yosemite. 

Josh thinks this FA will go down in the history books as THE testpiece of our generation in Yosemite bouldering. Tune in and see what you think.

Carlo explains the incredible tactics he had to employ to get this FA done. It was absolutely mindblowing how detailed he got to make this send happen. A true example of Mastery.

SHOW NOTES:

• The Dark Side Instagram Post
• Valley Uprising
• Yabo Roof

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Happy New Year, my dude.

Tim and Josh get meta about how to have the best 2024 possible by asking the question — why can’t all sessions be good ones?

SHOW NOTES:

• Mastery by Robert Greene
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

 Jeremy Meigs and Joel Ruscher are West Coast bouldering OG’s. They started climbing 3 decades ago and were part of the birth of modern HARD bouldering.  

Tune in to hear about the early days of bouldering and how it set the tone for what’s going on today. 

There’s tons of can’t miss stories about young Chris Sharma and what Hueco, Bishop, and Font were like in the 90’s. 

We are so grateful to get to share their stories and not have them lost to history! 

SHOW NOTES: 

• West Coast Pimp by Steve Montesanto
• Stone Crusade by John Sherman
• Revelations by Jerry Moffat 

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

F*CK! Tim busted his knee. Not the best way to spend the holidays...

The main topic for this episode is what Kids do better than Adults, and what Adults do better than Kids.

Tim and Josh also talk about the latest ascents of two previous Testpiece Guests -- Defying Gravity by Nathaniel Coleman, and Sleepwalker by Zach Galla.  This leads into a discussion about the demonstration of strength while climbing and how it has or hasn't evolved over the years.

SHOW NOTES:

• Nathaniel Coleman, Defying Gravity (V15)
• Noah Wheeler, 3rd Ascent of Defying Gravity
  • NOTE: This video had not been released when podcast was recorded.

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Zach Galla has been ticking off some of the hardest boulders in America while simultaneously competing at the highest level. He’s always vying for the podium in any US competition and has spent time on the World Cup circuit as well.

Zach goes deep on this podcast about what it’s really like to compete at these high level comps. What the setting is like, how the scoring works, and why it can be frustrating but rewarding too. We also talk about his love of outdoor climbing and how he balances this with competitions.

Zach is one of the physically strongest climbers in the game right now, as determined by the scientific method of Josh watching him climb and being amazed. But this is balanced by his technical training and he shares how different types of climbing ask different things from you.

SHOW NOTES:

• Board Lords
• Spyro Gyro, V7
• Castaway, V7
• Half Moon, V14
• Wild Boyz, Episode 1
• Confluence
  • Testpiece Podcast Reviewing Confluence
• Jared Roth Testpiece Podcast

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Why do we call board climbing “not technical”? What does this really mean?

Board climbing wasn’t the planned topic of the day, but once Tim and Josh get talking about boards they have a hard time stopping!

Then Tim and Josh talk about being the Conductor of your climbing, and how/when to employ two major mindsets during your sessions.

SHOW NOTES:

• Steve Rader doing AR Moonboard Masters 2019 
• The Conductor by The Faint
• Nilo Batle’s Coaching

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Jesse Grupper recently punched his ticket to Paris 2024 as part of the men’s USA Olympic team!

This is on top of his already incredible last few years with multiple gold medal wins at the WC, an incredible flash of Livin’ Astro (14c), AND his flash of Pure Imagination (14c) just the day before recording! Jesse is on a tear at comps, outdoors, on lead, on boulders… on everything!

Jesse’s path to securing his spot in the Olympics was anything but straight forward and he shares how a painful failure at a WC bouldering was crucial to his success. He is a master at using goal setting and optimism as tools to achieve his dreams and he breaks down exactly how he does it.

Jesse also tells us about his insane amount of training volume, his tips for success while sport climbing, and his enthusiasm for all things human performance and how he is helping people from every walk of life via soft robotics.

We were so grateful to have Jesse on the pod! He is one of the nicest, strongest, and all around best people in the climbing world and we are grateful he is going to be the ones representing the USA at the Olympics.

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

Which board is best?! Tim and Josh disagree... but not for the reason you might expect.

Spray Wall or Standardized Wall? Wood holds or plastic? What angle? 

Tim and Josh love board climbing and we know you do too. They dive into the nuances of what makes a board great, and maybe more importantly, who that board is great for.

SHOW NOTES:

• Spraywall vs Standardized Wall Podcast with Will Anglin and Michael Rosato
• Flo does Floatin (V16)
• Stokt App

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

“Motherf*cking Squamish beta, don’t try hard!” — Nalle Hukkataival

Squamish is having a renaissance and Ethan Salvo is part of the team of young guns making it happen. 

Him and his crew are repeating the hardest boulders Squamish has, and adding their new ones to the list. And that’s special, because these boulders just don’t get done very often. Not by locals. Not by pro’s. Not be anyone other than absolute technical masters.

That’s because Squamish is different. The technical ability to climb hard here is unique and when you combine that ability with the strength this new age crew is bringing, lines are getting opened that are hard physically, technically, mentally, and condition wise. Sending hard in Squamish is something you earn. But when you do earn that ability, it seems to translate well to anywhere else. 

If you can climb V15 in Squamish, you can climb V15 in CO… But the reverse doesn’t seem to be true. So let’s find out — what makes Squamish special?

SHOW NOTES:

• FLOAT - a squamish bouldering film
• ANTIGRAV
• Ride The Lightning (josh)
• Cursed Climbing
• At Home in the Muddy Water
• Zen in the Art of Archery

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

How much would you pay to smoke a joint with Chris Sharma? What about have Daniel Woods be your sommelier for the night?

Tim and Josh start off by talking about Sean Bailey’s viral post about his struggles making it as a Pro Climber.

For the ‘Topic of the Day’, Tim and Josh share tips and tricks on how to shift into Outdoor climbing mode after a long hot summer spent in the gym.

SHOW NOTES:

• Sean Bailey’s Instagram Post
• Dave Graham’s (The Wizard) new V16
• Music Mentioned:
  • Slipknot 
  • Raining Again, by Betoko 
  • Sky, by Playboi Carti

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

 Roman Yalowitz is here and he’s going to break your projects and crush your dreams, just like he did to Josh 😭. 

 Actually… Roman has been doing the complete opposite in Tahoe for the last 10 years! He is a prolific developer that is leading the new “Golden Era” going on in Tahoe right now. Roman, Jimmy Webb, and a handful of other world class climbers (including past guest David Fitzgerald), have been putting up some of the hardest blocks in America. And they’re just getting started! 

 Hear more about: 

• Tahoe’s latest Golden Era
• What makes Tahoe Special
• The Reality behind Developing (“Crowbars and Glue”)
• Ethics in Developing and Gluing
• What Roman learned from his World Class Crew
• How Tahoe stacks up to Switzerland

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE

The routesetting at your gym is the one of the main ingredients of getting you better at climbing.

Does your gym have bad, good, or great routesetting? Do you even know the difference? What do you do if your gym’s setting sucks?!

Tim and Josh also address some of the latest V16 downgrades as well as some controversy over a comment Josh made about “cheating”.

Support us on Patreon: HERE

Visit our podcast page: HERE

Sign-up with one of our coaches: HERE

Follow us on Instagram: HERE