#104: Tips for Raising Happy, Healthy Climbing Kids

Think you need more endurance because your forearms get pumped? Maybe—but that may be only part of the problem. In this episode, Eric Hörst breaks down 22 practical ways to become a better endurance climber, spanning physiology, technique, tactics, mental control, and smarter training. You'll learn why climbing economy matters as much as fitness, how to build a stronger aerobic engine without turning every session into a sufferfest, when and how to train anaerobic power-endurance, and why strength, pacing, footwork, breathing, resting tactics, and confidence all influence how long you can keep climbing hard. The goal isn't simply to tolerate more pump. It's to become a more efficient climbing machine—wasting less energy, recovering faster, and arriving at the upper crux with more strength and control still in the tank. If you love the T4C podcast, please leave a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify and share this episode with a friend or climbing partner!

What if some of your best climbing is still ahead of you—even after age 40? My latest T4C Podcast guest, Kevin Dahlstrom, didn't climb his first 5.13 until age 50. Five years later, he was having the strongest season of his life and chasing 5.13c—until a freak accident in Mexico caused a catastrophic triceps tendon tear and major surgery. In this episode, Kevin and I dig into his comeback, training and recovery after 40, and why aging climbers need to become increasingly intentional about sleep, nutrition, mobility, recovery, and targeted training. We also explore health monitoring, testosterone, peptides, and Kevin's audacious long-term goal of climbing 5.14. But this conversation is about much more than climbing grades. Kevin left a highly successful corporate career in his late 40s to reorganize his life around something even more valuable: time. His idea of becoming a "time billionaire" sparks a fascinating discussion about aging, ambition, priorities, and how to stay strong, adventurous, and fully engaged with life for decades to come. Rundown 00:00 – Cold Open: Kevin's Midlife Reboot Kevin leaves a high-paying corporate career in Texas, moves his family to Colorado, climbs harder than ever—and then faces a catastrophic arm injury. 01:10 – Episode Introduction Introducing Kevin Dahlstrom, the CRUSHERS series, and the episode's central themes: climbing after 50, health, longevity, injury recovery, and becoming a "time billionaire." 03:15 – Interview Begins: Kevin's Best Climbing Season at Age 55 Kevin describes reaching the best climbing fitness of his life, sending multiple 5.13bs, and falling from the final move of a 5.13c. 06:12 – The Freak Accident in Mexico A foothold breaks on a warm-up route, sending Kevin into a tufa and completely tearing his distal triceps tendon from the elbow. 10:05 – Surgery, Rehabilitation and Returning to Climbing Kevin explains the cadaver tendon graft used to reconstruct his arm and his carefully graded return from 5.6 toward harder climbing. 12:03 – Climbing His First 5.13 at Age 50 After two decades as a trad climber, Kevin sets an audacious goal of climbing ten 5.13s in one year—and succeeds. 14:40 – Discovering Climbing and Becoming a Traveling Weekend Warrior Kevin recounts finding climbing in a Dallas grain-silo gym, leading his first trad route the following weekend, and eventually taking around 20 climbing trips per year. 16:36 – Walking Away From Corporate Success Despite reaching the C-suite of a multibillion-dollar company, Kevin realizes that professional and financial success have not made him happier. 21:00 – Running Toward an Irresistible Life Kevin explains why major life changes are often driven not by what we're escaping, but by something meaningful that we feel compelled to pursue. 23:15 – The "Time Billionaire" Concept A billion seconds equals roughly 30 years. Kevin explains why time—not money—is ultimately our most valuable and irreplaceable asset. 25:48 – Kevin's Training Approach After 50 Climbing outside three to five days per week, trying extremely hard, supplementing with hangboarding, and increasingly prioritizing mobility. 28:50 – Balancing Hard Projects With Pure Enjoyment Why projecting can be deeply satisfying—but not every climbing day needs to become a redpoint battle. 31:05 – Identifying Kevin's Limiting Constraint At 6'3" and approximately 200 pounds, Kevin discusses strength-to-weight ratio, bouldering power, and why V7–V8 movement is becoming his performance bottleneck. 32:31 – Targeted Training and System-Wall Climbing Eric recommends carefully progressed Kilter Board or Tension Board training to build maximum strength, power, and high-end bouldering ability. 35:00 – Why Masters Climbers Should Pick Their Battles Older climbers may benefit from selecting inspiring routes that fit their strengths rather than trying to master every possible climbing style. 41:17 – Can You Still Improve in Your 40s, 50s and 60s? Kevin a

What if the biggest thing holding back your climbing isn't finger strength, power endurance, body weight, age—or finding the perfect training program? What if the real limiter is much simpler: you're not consistently doing the things you already know you should be doing? In this new episode of the Training for Climbing Podcast, I dig into 9 powerful principles for behavior modification and self-mastery—and how they can help you train more consistently, improve your nutrition, manage your time, recover better, and become a stronger, more disciplined climber. We'll explore everything from questioning the stories you tell yourself and building an athlete identity, to embracing invisible progress, keeping promises to yourself, and making decisions based on principles rather than emotions. Because long-term success isn't about being perfectly motivated or discovering some secret training hack. It's about controlling the controllables, showing up, learning from failure, and repeatedly doing the small things that move you toward the athlete you want to become. If you want to climb harder—and become better at the game of life along the way—give this episode a listen. 🎧💪🧗 The 9 Lessons for Self-Mastery: (2:30) 1. Question the story you keep telling yourself. (5:46) 2. You don't have to believe everything you think. (9:06) 3. Stop chasing goals—build the identity that achieves them. (12:30) 4. Small behaviors compound. (19:25) 5. Learn to love invisible progress. (22:28) 6. Use your past as data, not identity. (24:45) 7. Discipline means keeping promises to yourself. (27:07) 8. Let principles make decisions before emotions arrive. (29:19) 9. Control the controllables. (31:20) - Three important questions for you to answer today! The big takeaway: long-term climbing success isn't built on perfect motivation or heroic workouts. It comes from repeatedly making good decisions, learning from failure, protecting your health, showing up, and gradually becoming the athlete capable of achieving your goals. Let's go! Learn more on this topic. Listen to T4C podcast #124 - Possibility Thinking: 15 Concepts That Changed My Life >> Please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share this episode with a climbing partner or friend! Podcast Sponsors Thank you to La Sportiva, PhysiVantage Nutrition, DMM Climbing, Blue Water Ropes! Save 10% off a new BlueWater Rope with checkout code: ERIC_CLINIC Save on La Sportiva shoes here >> Save 15% off full-priced PhysiVantage Nutrition with code: PODCAST15 (North America only) European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx Connect with Eric Hörst 📬 Training for Climbing Newsletter Get monthly training insights delivered to your inbox. Visit TrainingForClimbing.com to subscribe. 📱 Follow Eric Instagram: @eric_horst | @training4climbing YouTube: Training For Climbing Twitter: @Train4Climbing Facebook: Training For Climbing Music by Misty Murphy Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

Want to climb longer, recover faster, and finally stop getting pumped off your project? Then this episode is for you. In this special coaching session with Ryan Devlin, I deliver a deep-dive masterclass on rock climbing endurance training, sport climbing performance, and the science of building lasting endurance. We explore why improving endurance isn't just about surviving pumpy workouts—it's about becoming a more efficient climber by eliminating hidden energy leaks caused by overgripping, poor pacing, inefficient movement, fear, hesitation, and mental tension. You'll learn how better technique, movement economy, breathing, and confidence can dramatically improve your endurance before you ever change your fitness. Next, we dive into the physiology of climbing performance, breaking down the differences between aerobic endurance, anaerobic power endurance, and maximum strength—and why all three must be trained if you want to reach your climbing potential. I explain how to structure your training using route climbing, treadwall intervals, spray wall workouts, bouldering circuits, and submaximal volume sessions to build endurance the smart way instead of simply climbing until your forearms explode. Whether you're training for your first 5.12, projecting steep sport routes, preparing for long days at the crag, or simply looking for the most effective climbing training methods backed by exercise science and decades of coaching experience, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can apply immediately. If you're serious about becoming a stronger, more durable, and more efficient climber, this is an episode you'll want to save, revisit, and share with your climbing partners. If you love the T4C podcast, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this episode with a friend or climbing partner! Podcast Sponsors Thank you to La Sportiva, PhysiVantage Nutrition, DMM Climbing, Blue Water Ropes! Save 10% off a new BlueWater Rope with checkout code: ERIC_CLINIC Save on La Sportiva shoes here >> Save 15% off full-priced PhysiVantage Nutrition with code: PODCAST15 (North America only) European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx Connect with Eric Hörst 📬 Training for Climbing Newsletter Get monthly training insights delivered to your inbox. Visit TrainingForClimbing.com to subscribe. 📱 Follow Eric Instagram: @eric_horst | @training4climbing YouTube: Training For Climbing Twitter: @Train4Climbing Facebook: Training For Climbing Cover photo: by Caleb Timmerman Music by Misty Murphy Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.

Cameron Hörst recently completed the hardest route of his climbing career: Big Bone (5.15a/9a+), a king line out Utah's massive Fynn Cave. What makes his first ascent especially compelling isn't just the grade—it's the journey. Big Bone was a project that demanded years of training, 60+ working goes and redpoint attempts, countless setbacks, and a level of patience few climbers ever develop. In this episode of the Training for Climbing Podcast, Cameron unpacks the entire process. We dive into the physical, mental, and tactical challenges of working a multi-year project, the breakthroughs that finally moved the needle, and the lessons any climber can apply to their own long-term goals—whether you're projecting 5.10 or 5.15. One of the most fascinating takeaways is that the breakthrough wasn't a sudden gain in finger strength or power. Instead, it came from years of accumulated training adaptations, comprehensive energy system development, improved recovery, refined tactics, and learning when not to climb. Cameron shares how he finally broke through a plateau that had stalled his progress for multiple seasons. RUNDOWN 2:00 – What Does It Feel Like to Send a Multi-Year Project? 5:00 – Inside Utah's Incredible Fin Cave 7:00 – Anatomy of the "Big Bone" Project 9:50 – Why the Route is So Difficult 12:00 – Cameron's Three-Year Journey on the Route 13:50 – Breaking Through a Plateau 16:40 – Training Lessons from Big Bone 18:00 – Recovery: The Secret Weapon 21:00 – Sending on the Second Try 24:10 - Energy System Training and the benefits of becoming more fat adapted 26:00 – Mental Growth and Performance Psychology 28:30 - Discovery of Fin Cave 31:30 – The Evolution of "Bone Tomahawk" and "Big Bone" 32:00 – Friendship and Mentorship with Joe Kinder 34:20 – Balancing University, Life, and Elite Climbing 40:00 – The Importance of Partners and Community 44:00 - Debating 5.15a versus 5.15b -- how to grade a hard FA? 47:30 - Ultimately, the grade isn't important -- the journey is what counts! 48:10 – Coaching, Exercise Science, and Helping Others Follow and contact Cameron on Instagram @cam_horst Visit Cam's website at: www.CameronHorst.com 49:28 – What's Next? 51:05 – Eric's summarizes 8 Key Tips and Takeaways from this interview. 54:30 - Sponsor Discount: Save 15% off full-priced PhysiVantage Nutrition with code: PODCAST15 (North America only) 56:00 -⭐ Enjoy the podcast? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this episode with a climbing partner! 56:40 - Hörst Out! Podcast Sponsors Thank you to La Sportiva, PhysiVantage Nutrition, DMM Climbing, Blue Water Ropes! Save 10% off a new BlueWater Rope with checkout code: ERIC_CLINIC Save on La Sportiva shoes here >> Save 15% off full-priced PhysiVantage Nutrition with code: PODCAST15 (North America only) European climbers, please get your PhysiVantage from the EPIC-TV Shop or Oliunid.com. Mexican climbers visit PhysiVantage.mx Connect with Eric Hörst 📬 Training for Climbing Newsletter Get monthly training insights delivered to your inbox. Visit TrainingForClimbing.com to subscribe. 📱 Follow Eric Instagram: @eric_horst | @training4climbing YouTube: Training For Climbing Twitter: @Train4Climbing Facebook: Training For Climbing Music by Misty Murphy Copyright 2026 Eric Hörst | Horst Training, LLC.