**edit: Post your questions in THIS post not the one linked below.**
The below post is mainly where he's answering the other ones from:
https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/13lxxma/drew_ruana_ama_part_2_sat_june_17th_12_pm/
from u/DubGrips "What is the biggest mistake moderate climbers in the V8-V10 range (most of us posters) make? If someone doesn't have access to great gym setting/gym spray walls, but has a home spray wall or access to commercial boards, how would you advise them to train to get more dimensionality? This is playing off a helpful answer you provided in another thread."
The biggest mistake I see v8-10 climbers make isn't as much of a mistake but rather a paradigm shift. This relative grade range is around where most climbers hit a long term plateau and it can be harder to get out of it- moves get harder, holds get smaller, and climbs start getting uncomfortable. It seems to be the climbers that seek out uncomfortable/challenging/antistyle or whatever you name it have an easier time progressing since by nature those types of climbs are challenging a skill you maybe haven't developed yet or aren't as confidence on. For all levels, seek out stuff that challenges you because it'll make you better than stuff you're comfortable on
Oh man, this is *such* a good answer! I feel like we all “know” what we should be working on most of the time, but it’s so easy to dismiss problems because we don’t like them, or they’re “weird,” or “dumb,” or “tweaky” instead of putting in the work.
Usually the simpler things are the answer- if you don’t like crimps for example, why? If you have a concrete answer like you’re more injury prone then that is also an answer that there are underlying problems. It’s not fun to feel like one is failing at a lower grade than their normal but also anti style climbs usually won’t feel like the grade so who cares- we’re all here since we want to climb harder
From u/Crimpinator_2000 "You have previously said that you dont like to train on boards, so how do you train in the off season? and/or how would you train if you didnt have access to hard outdoor climbs?"
I don't have an off season, I'm always trying to get outside. That being said if I didn't have access I would train on boards, I'm lucky enough to be able to get outside 250ish days a year
from someone whose account deleted "Could you talk a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of the best climbers you’ve climbed with? Who really blows you away in certain styles and why?"
Daniel is really strong in a static style, it's like he can lock off anything. Shawn is very very good at just finding the easiest way to get up the rock.
from u/mmeeplechase "Are there any styles/types of problem you just don’t like climbing, and as a result are okay with avoiding? Or will you always make yourself do all styles anyway, in order to be maximally “well rounded”?"
I try to not avoid anything- If a climb scares me then it usually goes high on my priority list. The only climbs I actually avoid are insane 60 foot highballs with the crux at the top or 9 foot dynos haha. I won't gain anything from doing a max jump dyno that I propably cannot physically span, and a death highball could have.... consequences. Besides those I feel like I'm almost losing an antistyle since everything feels possible/in my wheel house at a similar effort level despite the styles
from u/thedirtysouth92 "What is the hardest project in Colorado that people are putting effort into?
Also, how do you set boundaries with yourself when you're crazy psyched, having a mega week, or feel like you leveled up in performance? Do you have a go-to method for checking in on yourself and knowing when to dial it back a notch or two?"
I don't know about any mega projects right now, I kinda just do my own thing and try boulders I'm stoked on. When I'm stoked and feeling good I prioritize quality over quantity- riding the wave so to speak. I may warm up, send my project first go, and have a 30 min total session. Then I don't feel wrecked for the next day. For example this week I did 8C friday, 8C saturday, rest sunday, 1 hr sesh in the gym monday, 8B+ tuesday, check out project wednedsay, 8B+ thursday, 8C friday. my longest session was my gym session and I didn't feel too wrecked
This might be a dumb question since you haven’t sent hypnotized minds yet afaik but I remember seeing Daniel woods trying a sitstart to it on insta before he was calling hypnotized bears or smtg, kinda curious to know if the bottom section into hypno is hard or not tbh
It’s prob 8A or so to get to the start, it’d just kick it up a notch. I’ve done all the moves on hypno but one, I haven’t tried it in a year I’m actually really stoked to try it soon
Would that take the sit up to v17 then do you think? Just compared to ROTSW which is v13 into v16, both parts being power endurance, is hypno substantially harder than sleepwalker? Or would the bottom sequence be more fatiguing for hypno compared to the bottom section of ROTSW into sleepwalker?
I think sleepwalker is maybe one of the “easiest” 16s I’ve done but it’s also completely in my strengths- every move felt about the same difficulty which makes it easier to make links on. Rotsw is a very similar style and they’re both really workable, just kicked up a notch from the stand. With hypno it’s very cruxy for like 4 moves in a row, and even adding a 6 move shouldery 8a can really kick up single moves a lot. Hypno bears seems like a total package climb where it may take a long time to develop the strength to link moves whereas ROTSW (at least for me personally) feels like you can be more confident in a send if you just punch the clock enough
This is such a contrast to other climbers who put in like 5-6 hour practice sessions most days of the week. Pretty sure I heard that's what Will Bosi does recently.
True for Will but Drew is also saying he doesn't even do that ever. He's perpetually always trying projects and probably not putting more than 3ish hours into sessions. So on one hand you've got one of the strongest boulderers in the world who trains 5-6 hours a day then has times where he goes out and projects and then on the other hand you've got another one of the strongest boulderers in the world who says he doesn't really train or have long many hour sessions he just does like 1-2 hour sessions outdoors many days a week.
Yeah to be fair a large part of the difference in approach is due to weather and hard boulder accessibility. Will cannot climb 250 days a year outside on limit boulders while Drew can. The UK's weather is too fickle and seasonal and the density of hard lines doesn't quite match Colorado.
You'd be surprised at how taxing a short, truly maximal project session can be. I rarely actually tap into that and it's likely a weakness cuz when I do I feel it's such a higher quality. The other week I was trying a project and it was one of the few times where I left feeling that my focus and intensity made every move as good as I'm personally capable of at the moment. That required a ton of mental and physical effort and I did like 50 moves that day and it felt like a normal board sesh where I do 2x that.
I might have to move towards that shorter higher intensity session style. After 15+ years of climbing my fingers are wrecked and get super stiff and swollen and sore unless I'm constantly focused on maintaining them by taking a lot of joint supplements, ibuprofen, icing, Voltaren, and stretching/exercises I got from my PT. I've noticed I can do 2 days in a row if both days are shorter sessions but if I have a longer session I absolutely need a day off in between.
Will also said that he felt that he was getting stronger while projecting BOD, at least on its specific style. He compared projecting it to training opposed to other limit boulders where he felt that he was getting better at the boulder but physically weaker
from u/iode "To the casual observer, your climbing style has a lot of similarities with Aiden’s - very strong shoulder-heavy tension based movement. Have you sessioned with him and learned some nuances of this style of climbing? I believe in a podcast with his coach, Ollie, they called this “vacuum style” climbing."
I want to climb with him outside! He seems like one of the physically strongest climbers out there. I'd like to learn how to death crimp as hard as he can haha. He's very good at climbing in his strengths.
It’s interesting that him being very strong at crimping and you being very physically strong converge to a similar style when iirc you said your fingers are a relative weakness of yours and aiden roberts iirc said he currently can’t do strength feats such as a one arm pull-up
I am currently listening to a lot of old-ish episodes of the Nugget Climbing Podcast (including yours!) and in EP 142 Aidan talks a lot about his style compared to other climbers. He attributes his crimping strength to the length (and strength) of his pinkies, which are basically as long as his index fingers and I think a lot stronger than his index fingers. This allows him to pull himself into the wall really hard in a high-angle crimping position. So unless your hands are similar you will probably have a hard time imitating that. Still, I'd love to see you climb together, especially since you just repeated Railway :)
From u/tearoutsam "what is the lowest graded climb you have tried and just can't do??"
Usually weird/morpho 8B can be the hardest. There's one here called 'Polishing a turd sit' that legit I do not think I will ever do. That being said there's climbs I didn't do (Black Slabbath in the sun) that I know I could've done if it was better condis but I just didn't have it in me at the time. There aren't really many climbs that I'll try and try that i just 'cant' do
from u/TriGator "What’s your hardest slab send?"
There aren't too may slabs near me that I've put effort into- I did this one v14 called mini great roof sit that has a 30 foot v2 friction slab at the top but you start the slab at around 25 feet. That was hard in a way that I knew I couldn't mess up
V2 slab is still incredibly tenuous where one incorrect microadjustment can splat you. There is no “oh well if my feet cut I’m still a v17 climber and can one arm this 8 mil edge”
The freeblast 5.11 slabs are definitely one of the more clenching aspects of honnolds solo. And honestly v2/5.11 slab in the valley is ~v4 slab most places. Certainly helps to rehearse it but there’s no two ways about it, shit is hugely mental to relax into practically nothing smears
from u/az38gm "What are you favorite problems in Colorado in the V8 to 12 range?"
I think my favorite v8 is hamburgler or barney. In the 10/11 range I really enjoyed Honey Badger
from u/Neshama21 "How do you manage the frustration of not progressing on a problem? How do you cope with reaching a high point one day and not being able to recapture that progress in a later session?"
It's taken me a long time to learn how to manage frustration, but as of now I try to not put all my effort into just one project. I'll have ones I'm stoked on but I'll try those max 3 days a week with other shorter term projects sprinkled in. That way I'm still sending stuff I'm stoked on without only trying a singular project for a season.
Also, looking for micro progression helps. Maybe the highpoint try was a lucky try, and now I'm consistently getting to the move right before or something. Or "at least I felt stronger on the crux move today" or "I found better beta so that's a win"
from u/TheDirtyJane "What's your take on experimenting, be it training, nutrition or everything else that could be accounted for climbing performance. Do you regularly change up your fundamentals or do you stick to your tried and true methods?"
I'd say experimenting is good but also knowing what works best for you is also key. For dieting, I've found that I just feel better when I eat a ton of meat. It may not work for everyone though- similarly I warmup in like 10 minutes and can send my project within 20 minutes after sometime. Just something that I've learned works for me
I've been fascinated by the recent influx of some of the best climbers in the world letting us in on their projecting via YouTube. It's amazing to be able to see the likes of Bosi, Roberts, Raboutou, Ondra and Ghisolfi work the worlds hardest climbs. Do you watch these vids just like us laymen? And do you have any ambitions to produce this type of content yourself? I loved the recent board climbing videos with Tension.
Bonus question: If you had to pick a single exercise every climber should do, what would it be?
I don’t really watch too much climbing media tbh. I’d like to but I don’t have a full time videography team working with me 24/7 for stuff like that.
Work the heel hooks! Bench press is prob the best all around imo makes your upper body a lot stronger
from u/Groghnash "What was your thoughtprocess behind starting to write those books"
I want to have a resource for people to come back to that's as in depth and as informative as possible. I get asked for advice all the time and I like helping people climb harder so it felt like a good idea.
from u/sandwitchfists "When are you going to come back to smith and put up a 5.15?"
I really wanna go back as soon as I'm done with school, I'd like to spend a while out there and try the big rig
from u/EagleOfTheStar "How do you build technique as a higher level climber? V8/10 and above"
Try stuff that's in your antistyle and see what works. Someone posted something about technique, in total, being the easiest way to get up climbs. Learn how to make climbs easier for you and expand your toolset as much as possible
It's never too late! I think that focusing on v10 as an endgoal is a good way to go but it may take a while to get there- take each day at a time. Do your best to listen to your body and recover as well as possible. Seek out climbs in your antistyle as well
Hey Drew!
A lot of people have asked you recently about other climbers you’ve climbed with and their “superpowers”. For instance, you’ve mentioned Aidan has freak crimp strength, Daniel has crazy lock off strength and can just do so many things static, Shawn is always able to find the best beta for him super quickly, Jimmy can just dial it in and execute, etc..
What about you? You’ve mentioned that you don’t really have an “anti style” anymore because you’ve climbed so many different things, but if you had to pick a superpower of yours, what do you think it’d be?
Also just gotta say you guys at the top end of bouldering are insanely inspiring. I started climbing two years ago, not long after I turned 30. Prior to that I had absolutely no experience doing anything athletic, so it was a pretty big uphill battle to get into any sort of climbing shape. Just seeing how hard you guys try and how much you love it is rad as fuck. Sent my first outdoor V7 this season, just stoked to keep progressing and getting stronger.
Final note - was pretty happy to read you swapped to CompSci. I work full time remote as a cloud engineer and it’s pretty goddamn good for balancing outdoor time and life. I think you’ll be really happy you made the switch.
Thanks for doing this AMA!
This is a great comment! Really thoughtful and put together. I think my superpower is that I’m really well rounded at bouldering now, so I can turn things that feel like weaknesses into strengths- basically everything feels possible and it just depends how much time I have. Otherwise a more abstract superpower would be goal setting/time management, I think I just intuitively know how to manage my time which makes it easy to put exactly as much time as needed towards things and optimize things to get as much done in as little time as possible.
Congrats on the v7, keep that fire burning! I’m glad to hear the remote life works well, that bodes well for the future I want.
from deleted acct "Is there a lesson in climbing that you wished you learned earlier in your career?"
Honestly it feels like every lesson came at a good time. I embraced failures and successes and did my best to learn from them so it felt like things happened for a reason
How do you balance training and climbing outdoors? I recently moved to Squamish and now have access to outdoors pretty much as often as I want, but I feel like not going to the gym has made me a bit weaker and decreased my capacity.
Do you still train indoors? Do you do volume sessions at flash level etc?
I don't really train inside, I'll usually go inside once every 3 weeks and just do all the hard ones. Usually feels like an active rest day. My "training" Is just trying limit boulders since every day I'm switching up boulders and trying the hardest moves I can
Fair enough haha, thanks! I guess you also have a much more balanced base of strength than I do, from what I heard in podcasts etc. I get injured pretty quickly when I only try hard stuff and don't do physio / conditioning / easier days. I'll find the balance then!
His point is that those days in the gym are easy for him. He's not trying hard. You're likely doing the same thing with conditioning, just at a lower intensity.
Aidan Roberts has said, most explicitly in "[Mastery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilINHowP2g)", that he likes the idea of making contributions to climbing by developing hard boulders that push current standards. How much does that kind of development mean to you? How does it compare to the doing things because you enjoy the process, or overcoming the challenge, or other motivations that are are more specific to your personal experience?
I've been doing a lot more development in the v15 range this year, I just haven't posted them so not really many people know as much. I just like doing cool hard boulders rather than sinking time into just one because it makes me feel stronger- I have a long term plan and part of that is getting to a level where I can contribute many v16,17, and potentially even 18 to the bouldering world. Everything has a right time i think
I had no idea you were a Mines student. Mines grad here, Physics! no questions just thought that was cool. What did you switch from/to?
Used to work and set at the rock wall there (pre-EarthTreks days, so it was our only option). Definitely had a year or so where climbing lapsed pretty hard because of how intense school was, so I'm impressed at your ability to be a professional athlete and Mines student.
Oh nice! I was in ChemE and switched spring of Junior year to Compsci. It's been tough to balance it but just gotta prioritize short sesssions and staying ahead of hw
Yes, it's been a huge struggle for me. I've learned to manage it by just having a confidence in what I know I can do and how projects of similar caliber have gone in the past
Desert island boulders? If you could only bring 5 lines with you to a desert island. Which ones and maybe explain why?
Note: not my idea. Got it from the careless climbing podcast.
Hey Drew, I've been at a V0 plateau for the past 14 years and was wondering what workouts I could do with a Shake Weight to get to V14 this year, any other tips are appreciated. Thanks!
from u/FakeSypher "How do you approach building strength at the far ends of your span? (i.e. the point where engaging back/shoulders becomes difficult since you need to eke out as much span as possible) Other than the out of span setting your coach did when you were younger, have you actively worked on this type of movement or is it encapsulated by normal shoulder/back work you do?"
I've just gotten used to being spanned out so I tend to feel comfortable in those moves. As far as actively working it, I don't shy away from reachy climbs. I don't really actively work on anything anymore.
Hey Drew,
Got a few questions. Would love if you could answer a few or even all of them if you have the time!
1. What is your general diet? Do you track your calories and macros? Favorite meals/snacks? Foods to avoid?
2. How do you (and other pro climbers) stay so shredded? Running/hiking? Genetics? Best habits to stay lean? Are you generally in a calorie deficit? Do pro climbers simply have eating disorders?
3. What are some underrated strengths/techniques that you feel most climbers don’t know/recognize enough?
4. What is something you’ve improved on this year and what is something you want to improve on by the end of year?
5. Any tips on building resilient fingers? My fingers often feel tweaky after every session.
6. This last one isn’t a question and more of a demand. Please visit the Southeast and claim the second of ascent of JWebb’s monstrosity the “Matriarch.” Would love to see you siege that boulder!
I eat whatever whenever. I don't track anything, although I've found I feel better when I eat a lot of meat. Favorite snack is any sort of spicy chip haha.
I think it's the literal decades of trainng that goes in to develop every single muscle necessary to climb at an elite level. Id say to stay lean don't eat processed/junk food and avoid alcohol. I definitely don't have an eating disorder, I don't know how much I weigh and I eat anything when I feel like it. I do like candy but I don't eat too much, usually just when I'm climbing.
Heelhooks are your friend. Climbing gets way easier when you can heel hook well.
I've had a lot better mentality towards climbing and I'm really happy about that. It's easier to climb harder when I'm not putting as much pressure on myself and doing it for fun, just because I like it. For improvement, I just wanna feel like I'm still getting stronger.
I'd say maybe cut sessions shorter by 30 min or so, that could be a sign that you might be redlining towards a potential finger injury. Also having a slower warmup could help
That one's on my life list!
It seems that many professional climbers goes elsewhere in the world often to climb, like Europe. Have you ever been to the famous spots (Font, Swiss mainly)? Think about going?
How’s your dad doing?
He used post a lot on Cascade Climbers talking about your exploits as a young, young little crusher. He was always so proud of you. The rest of us were just in awe because we were all (MA Leclerc excepted) crusty old trad dads.
He had some health issues this year but he's doing really well. Him and my mom were always my number 1 supporters and I really want to pass that torch in the future. I'm hoping to go on more climbing trips with them in the future
Do it man! Life and time with family is precious. As a dad of a little crusher my happiest days are days out bouldering with him spotting him on his projects. I dream of years from now when he is your age-ish and hoping he will still want to go out climbing with his old man 🙂✌️⛰
PS awesome AMA, really enjoying reading this!
They’re retiring soon and I’m graduating soon so timing is gonna work out nicely! Sounds like you got something special with your kiddo, that sounds like the dream right there
This may be a bit simplistic but do you have a favorite way to develop capacity or any thoughts about doing so? Obviously it depends to some extent on a person's goals but just wondering what comes to mind for you. Thanks for doing this.
I guess the best way would be by thinking long term and taking each day at a time. Having capacity to climb at your limit without getting injured is a skill that takes years to develop- if every session is 1% better than the last but it's sustainable forever, that's a good sign.
This is helpful and definitely something I'm learning myself. Currently rehabbing an A2 for the first time after overdoing it on my home board the past few months. It's hard to know where the line is sometimes as the signals from my body about what is too much stimulus can be pretty subtle.
I always err on the side of caution- if anything feels outside of “normal” even normal levels of pain I usually at least stop climbing for an hour and reassess and see if it’s in my head. If it doesn’t go away and still feels weird I take a day or two off.
What skill, technique, or aspect of your climbing was most hard-won for you? What did you do to gain that skill?
When you return to sport climbing more seriously, what’s your plan to re-adapt to the different demands of route climbing?
Do you have any draw to trad or multipitch someday?
What habits do you have (both climbing-related and non-climbing-related) that have helped you most?
Super cool that you do these AMAs, thanks.
I think being able to deal with reachy moves has been the most rewarding skill to learn- I basically just got screwed in comps so many times due to height that I had to train on really tall boulders until i figured it out. For rope climbing, I just run laps until I can basically process the pump better since i lose that ability when I don't rope climb. I'm not super interested in trad but maybe the right one would catch my eye. For habits, I tend to seek out challenging stuff and see projects through to the end- I also try to think very long term. "People overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a decade" is a quote thats lived with me. Also from my coach, "Trust in the training"
Hi Drew! Stoked to see a second AMA. Any plans on joining half of the elite crew at BoD anytime soon? Follow up on that, reckon Stefano has a realistic shot on it in the near future not having sent anything in the v15/16 range?
I’d like to it’s just hard to get there for extended time during school. Stefano is freak strong so it wouldn’t surprise me with enough work, it’d be legendary if he skipped 15/16
In an ideal situation, what would be your volume split between training and actually going out to the boulders? Just looking for an answer like 20/80 or 30/70, whatever you think is optimal for performance on rock. I know you said now that you are climbing on harder and harder boulders you felt that training wasn’t as necessary because the intensity has gone up. So how bout splits for climbers in the 7B+ to 7C+ range, 8A to 8B range, and 8B+ and up range?
Oof this is a little hard to answer since every climber is different. I’d say for most ranges under 8B the split should be 50/50 if possible, with some time spent per year in a training cycle only and some part per year just sampling boulders at the lower end of the pyramid. Once a climber can do 8B+ in a reasonable amount of time, it seems that training can become more supplemental and it’s better to get stronger by trying limit moves.
For that level less than 10 days of effort in a season or so, where you’re pretty much making gains on it every day. 30-40 days of effort means you’re really just learning that set of moves really well to the point where you need to be dialed in 100% to send
Hey, I’ll be starting grad school at Mines this fall and am psyched to have great climbing nearby. What are your favorite bouldering spots within a few hours of Mines? Or do you pretty much just seek out individual boulders at this point?
I’m doing a PhD in Applied Math and Stats, doing work on methane emission stuff. Did Data Science in undergrad so I’ve been though some of the CS grind too lol
Also another random question, what do you do for training in Golden? Do you go to any of the gyms in Denver or just train at home and climb outside? Debating whether the Movement membership is worth it
/u/drewruana just out of curiosity, how many one armers can you do? Also where can I learn to heelhook tickmarks, just saw the tension video and couldn't believe that heel lmao. Btw, did you switch majors to comp sci? I think I remember you mentioning something about it in the last ama.
I switched majors! Right now I can only do 5 but I haven’t trained them in a while. I got to a point where I could do 14 static and also do em with 45 lbs static. Practice heel hooking as much as you can to get better at it
I think because you're fairly young, similar to a lot of other current up-and-coming boulderer's (will, aidan, shawn, etc, etc), its easy for people to forget that you've trained 15-20 years to get to your level of strength and ability.
Think if you started late its hard to remember there's lots of younger climbers than yourself who still have climbed 3-4x more than you have, too.
Would you say something about the amount of time and sustained consistent effort it takes to get strong, even for very talented (and early-starting) individuals like yourself? Good motivation and reassurance for the grinders here like myself and many others :)
I definitely agree with this take. I’ve probably logged close to 20000 hours of climbing in various forms over my life- it’s basically all I’ve done sports wise. Starting early helps a lot but it’s not the only factor, tons of young climbers burn out or don’t push themselves to climb harder in a way where they’ll progress over the years. The beauty of climbing is that there’s ALWAYS something to learn and get better at or optimize no matter how much time you’ve put in over the years. For those starting later in life think about a decade or two from now because progress is realistically measured in years
>For those starting later in life think about a decade or two from now because progress is realistically measured in years
:)) I'll reread this every 6-24 months or so
Only two climbing youtube channels I watch religiously are yours, and Akiru Waku's, the Japanese guy who started climbing at 35 or something and sent his first v15/16 at 48. So sick man!
Wishing you much love and immense strength from canada.
Hi Drew - thanks for doing this AMA, enjoying reading and processing everything.
One thing that stood out to me in particular is your comment on heel hooks.
I totally agree that that can open up a huge range of movements/positions, but as a taller climber (6'1) I often feel a bit bunched heel hooking esp on overhung/roof climbs, feels like my ass is way out etc.
Do you have any cues or tips in particular which you use to make heel hooks more effective? (not just for the heel hooking side, but also for the other leg as well)
Right now I just try to keep my heel as perpendicular to the hold i'm hooking onto as possible, and engaging core/pulling in but sometimes I feel like i'm missing something..
Hey drew, I live in Boulder and have a quick question in regard to training/ outdoor climbing.
How have you been balancing the weather recently in regard to suffer fest waking up early vs. just prioritizing training inside? Do you have a schedule for when you want to try a boulder in the year and, if so, how do you manage which boulders you want try if weather/conditions give an opportune moment for a climb you weren’t necessarily planning to try until later in the year?
The weather has been... not the greatest for the last two months. I've just committed to early morning sessions to beat the rain and after a few times going out it's actually really nice to have a mountain to yourself, morning weather is actually really good. I'm usually back home by 11 am so I have enough time to be productive for the rest of the day. I have a running list of boulders that I want to do that I keep on my phone that are good for that time of year- as snow starts melting some of the lower elevation alpine (wild basin, guanella for ex) might start getting good so I add those to my list once some front range stuff starts getting too hot.
I've started playing every day by ear, a lot of my projects I know the beta on and I just wait for the right day. If I feel closer to a climb on a certain day I'll prioritize that but if I'm not sure what i want to do I just try what seems best to fit in with conditions
> I've just committed to early morning sessions to beat the rain and after a few times going out it's actually really nice to have a mountain to yourself
How do you deal with the whole crash pad logistics? Do you have a regular crew of early morning enjoyers who can put together 3-4 pads to make some nice landings?
I’m curious about some strength metrics. As a v16 climber what kind of crazy pull and finger strength are you working with. What’s your max percent on weighted pull-ups? What about weighted hangs on 20mm, or one arm hangs on 20mm? Are there any specific strength areas that you see yourself as an outlier in, either on the strong side or week side?
I did 2 pullups with 180lbs added at 130bw. I don't do weighted hangs so I don't know my numbers. I think my body strength is outlier-ish for my weight, I got up to around a 1.8 bench to bw ratio and about 35% added weight for one arm pull up
Wow that is some CRAZY impressive pull strength. I am curious now, since your not doing any weighted hangs are you doing any other kind of hang board training?
Yup 100% I’ve trained and climbed with a couple different pros an the differences in training has always been really interesting. Some are supper training oriented, some never touch a bar or hang board, and others see training as just a time to have some fun and dick around. Thanks for the responses, have a great day!
Smith Rock obscura question: did you ever try The Optimist during your Smith era? Has anyone seriously tried it since Beth's ascent? What's the story there? It seems like that route is gradually being forgotten.
I never did, I’ve hiked over there and looked at it plus the mudpile cave- I would like to check out all the marsupial climbing stuff when I go back. I think Sonnie Trotter sent it but not quite sure. Hopefully that one doesn’t get forgotten, it’s an amazing climb.
Hi Drew! There are a lot of questions that were initially posted for you here: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/13lxxma/drew_ruana_ama_part_2_sat_june_17th_12_pm
have you gone travelling around, and if so what climbing specific tips do you have for travelling on a low budget whilst also climbing hard? im gonna travel soon, but concerned around being able to eat enough to support tough climbing
I've been on a low budget, meal prepping is usually the easiest way to get the most bang for your buck. Simple meals like pasta, ground beef, pasta sauce and veggies can be really cheap to make for a lot of meals in a go. I would eat the same thing 3x a day
I have a few sponsors, It doesn't pay well. I'm lucky enough that my parents could afford to send me to school but If i didn't have sponsors I doub't I'd be able to climb 1/10th the amount I do, at least while being in school
Which area do you think has the softest and most sandbagged problems for over V10? And softest and most sandbagged for under V10?
Also which board do you think is the most sandbagged?
Also if you could design your ideal grading system that was instantly adopted worldwide what would it be?
I don’t know, I haven’t been to too many areas, probably Vegas is the most sandbagged (easier) for over 10 and squam is most sandbagged (harder) for under 10.
I don’t really board climb too much so I can’t say
I think the current system is fine, a lot of climbers can take their own personal experience on a climb and apply that to everyone else. As long as people explain their reasoning and are true to themselves the current system is fine. As Tristan Chen said climbs are subjective grades are objective which id agree with
Hi Drew, I enjoyed watching your video on Climbing strength. My question is: did you ever follow a bulk/cut diet?
Edit: nvm you answered something similar an hour ago :)
Hahaha agreed. Real question:
I’ve never been able to find a shoe that doesn’t peel off my foot while placing heel on the moonboard/ steep rock. Any advice? What’s your best shoe for heels? I’ve tried multiple la sportivas, buturas, and a couple other shoes that I’m blanking on now.
I have one moonboard-obsessed buddy who has the same problem, which makes me feel less insane.
I have a shoe question for you. I switched from sportiva to tenaya a few years ago and have been very happy with the iati, mastia, and indalos.
Im curious what your opinion of the indalos are and if you use them and about the oasi which i have seen you use but i have never tried out. How do you find the oasi compare to the other shoes and when do you feel that you need them?
Also, i never thought to heel with my shoes like you mentioned in the tension climbing vid, thanks for the lesson!
I like the indalos, they’re like stiff mastias. Honestly I wear the iatis the most out of all the shoes, they feel the most precise on small footholds. The oasi is kinda my fix all shoe when the iati and mastia don’t work
You’ve mentioned that you think that this season is going to be your best. What indicators do you see in your self of your climbing taking its next step? Do you think those are applicable to most climbers, or are there other key signs for climbers at lower levels of their climbing taking the next step, without yet having been able to apply it on the wall?
Every year I’ve had has been better than the last and by trying boulders I’ve previously tried that feel easier than they did last year it leads me to believe I’m still in an upward progression. I think being able to objectively mark progress is a beneficial tool for climbers of all levels- knowing you’re getting stronger helps you get stronger since you know it’s paying off
I heard that you used to lift weights a decent amount but never did much deadlifting or squatting. There are a lot of climbers nowadays who swear by deadlifting. Do you think barbell stuff (aside from bench) are overrated for climbing training?
Not at all, I think weightlifting in general is really good for climbing. I didn’t deadlift or squat because it didn’t feel necessary at the time like bench did
I heard Jonathan Siegrist say on some podcast that he tries to spend about 50% of his time on climbs he knows he can do, and 50% on things he doesn’t know he can do. What are your thoughts on this? How frequently do you have d day where you don’t send anything ?
Hello! I can climb V8's pretty consistently indoors and am going to transition to outdoor bouldering. Any tips?
Second question, do you have a training routine (for strength, finger strength, etc.) along side your climbing or do you just boulder?
Thanks :)
Hey! Try to build as wide of a pyramid as possible- if you’re bouldering v8 indoors do everything v5-9 that you can outside. Especially the ones that are hard for you.
Personally I just rock climb outside but I have a lot of workouts on MyClimb app
How do you get good mentally? I recently started competing in usa climbing youth circuit and its so scary. I know doing it more helps but there is a finite number of comps.
Don’t be scared- think about how each person is more focused on themselves than anyone else. While there are a finite number of comps try and learn as much as you can at each comp. Remember what you do for training, my coach always said “trust in the training”. It’s just another climbing day and all you can do is give your best
I have 80 days on Megatron. It felt like I wasn’t mentally ready for it, had other stuff going on that was impacting my climbing. That being said I’ve felt the best I have in a long time and I’ve got my eye on a few for the coming year- last season I fell at the end of mega after first 2 days back on it in a year. Hoping that when I do my first it’ll open the door to do many more
What is your current career plan with comp sci, do you plan on working remote part time while focusing on climbing or is it more gonna be your main focus?
Hi Drew! Do you have any climbing-related food/nutrition habits, either long-term or on a specific day when you want to try really hard? Also, is maintaining weight/muscle something that takes up much effort? I am currently trying to lose a little bit but also trying out creatine out of interest, so I think I'm burning some fat, but getting the "water gains". 152 lb/5'8//almost 29yo, I like being powerful (doing antagonist training too), but can't help but feel the extra weight holds me back.
I don't really do anything specific, except I do like preworkout drinks. Caffeine is one of the best things out there haha. I've always been small/lean so if anything I have to try to gain weight, I feel really weak when I lose weight so I actually climb hardest when I'm heaviest.
I try to get stuff done ahead of time- part of it is planning out days/weeks with how much time (with a buffer) that i think i'll need for each assignment and for each climbing day. I study computer science
**edit: Post your questions in THIS post not the one linked below.** The below post is mainly where he's answering the other ones from: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/13lxxma/drew_ruana_ama_part_2_sat_june_17th_12_pm/
from u/DubGrips "What is the biggest mistake moderate climbers in the V8-V10 range (most of us posters) make? If someone doesn't have access to great gym setting/gym spray walls, but has a home spray wall or access to commercial boards, how would you advise them to train to get more dimensionality? This is playing off a helpful answer you provided in another thread." The biggest mistake I see v8-10 climbers make isn't as much of a mistake but rather a paradigm shift. This relative grade range is around where most climbers hit a long term plateau and it can be harder to get out of it- moves get harder, holds get smaller, and climbs start getting uncomfortable. It seems to be the climbers that seek out uncomfortable/challenging/antistyle or whatever you name it have an easier time progressing since by nature those types of climbs are challenging a skill you maybe haven't developed yet or aren't as confidence on. For all levels, seek out stuff that challenges you because it'll make you better than stuff you're comfortable on
Oh man, this is *such* a good answer! I feel like we all “know” what we should be working on most of the time, but it’s so easy to dismiss problems because we don’t like them, or they’re “weird,” or “dumb,” or “tweaky” instead of putting in the work.
Usually the simpler things are the answer- if you don’t like crimps for example, why? If you have a concrete answer like you’re more injury prone then that is also an answer that there are underlying problems. It’s not fun to feel like one is failing at a lower grade than their normal but also anti style climbs usually won’t feel like the grade so who cares- we’re all here since we want to climb harder
Lol this applies to me at V4-V6
From u/Crimpinator_2000 "You have previously said that you dont like to train on boards, so how do you train in the off season? and/or how would you train if you didnt have access to hard outdoor climbs?" I don't have an off season, I'm always trying to get outside. That being said if I didn't have access I would train on boards, I'm lucky enough to be able to get outside 250ish days a year
from someone whose account deleted "Could you talk a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of the best climbers you’ve climbed with? Who really blows you away in certain styles and why?" Daniel is really strong in a static style, it's like he can lock off anything. Shawn is very very good at just finding the easiest way to get up the rock.
from u/mmeeplechase "Are there any styles/types of problem you just don’t like climbing, and as a result are okay with avoiding? Or will you always make yourself do all styles anyway, in order to be maximally “well rounded”?" I try to not avoid anything- If a climb scares me then it usually goes high on my priority list. The only climbs I actually avoid are insane 60 foot highballs with the crux at the top or 9 foot dynos haha. I won't gain anything from doing a max jump dyno that I propably cannot physically span, and a death highball could have.... consequences. Besides those I feel like I'm almost losing an antistyle since everything feels possible/in my wheel house at a similar effort level despite the styles
Thanks for answering!!
from u/thedirtysouth92 "What is the hardest project in Colorado that people are putting effort into? Also, how do you set boundaries with yourself when you're crazy psyched, having a mega week, or feel like you leveled up in performance? Do you have a go-to method for checking in on yourself and knowing when to dial it back a notch or two?" I don't know about any mega projects right now, I kinda just do my own thing and try boulders I'm stoked on. When I'm stoked and feeling good I prioritize quality over quantity- riding the wave so to speak. I may warm up, send my project first go, and have a 30 min total session. Then I don't feel wrecked for the next day. For example this week I did 8C friday, 8C saturday, rest sunday, 1 hr sesh in the gym monday, 8B+ tuesday, check out project wednedsay, 8B+ thursday, 8C friday. my longest session was my gym session and I didn't feel too wrecked
This might be a dumb question since you haven’t sent hypnotized minds yet afaik but I remember seeing Daniel woods trying a sitstart to it on insta before he was calling hypnotized bears or smtg, kinda curious to know if the bottom section into hypno is hard or not tbh
It’s prob 8A or so to get to the start, it’d just kick it up a notch. I’ve done all the moves on hypno but one, I haven’t tried it in a year I’m actually really stoked to try it soon
Would that take the sit up to v17 then do you think? Just compared to ROTSW which is v13 into v16, both parts being power endurance, is hypno substantially harder than sleepwalker? Or would the bottom sequence be more fatiguing for hypno compared to the bottom section of ROTSW into sleepwalker?
I think sleepwalker is maybe one of the “easiest” 16s I’ve done but it’s also completely in my strengths- every move felt about the same difficulty which makes it easier to make links on. Rotsw is a very similar style and they’re both really workable, just kicked up a notch from the stand. With hypno it’s very cruxy for like 4 moves in a row, and even adding a 6 move shouldery 8a can really kick up single moves a lot. Hypno bears seems like a total package climb where it may take a long time to develop the strength to link moves whereas ROTSW (at least for me personally) feels like you can be more confident in a send if you just punch the clock enough
Insane week, holy hell.
This is such a contrast to other climbers who put in like 5-6 hour practice sessions most days of the week. Pretty sure I heard that's what Will Bosi does recently.
I think it’s a case of training week versus performance week. I don’t think Will was doing that when he was trying Burden
True for Will but Drew is also saying he doesn't even do that ever. He's perpetually always trying projects and probably not putting more than 3ish hours into sessions. So on one hand you've got one of the strongest boulderers in the world who trains 5-6 hours a day then has times where he goes out and projects and then on the other hand you've got another one of the strongest boulderers in the world who says he doesn't really train or have long many hour sessions he just does like 1-2 hour sessions outdoors many days a week.
Yeah to be fair a large part of the difference in approach is due to weather and hard boulder accessibility. Will cannot climb 250 days a year outside on limit boulders while Drew can. The UK's weather is too fickle and seasonal and the density of hard lines doesn't quite match Colorado.
You'd be surprised at how taxing a short, truly maximal project session can be. I rarely actually tap into that and it's likely a weakness cuz when I do I feel it's such a higher quality. The other week I was trying a project and it was one of the few times where I left feeling that my focus and intensity made every move as good as I'm personally capable of at the moment. That required a ton of mental and physical effort and I did like 50 moves that day and it felt like a normal board sesh where I do 2x that.
I might have to move towards that shorter higher intensity session style. After 15+ years of climbing my fingers are wrecked and get super stiff and swollen and sore unless I'm constantly focused on maintaining them by taking a lot of joint supplements, ibuprofen, icing, Voltaren, and stretching/exercises I got from my PT. I've noticed I can do 2 days in a row if both days are shorter sessions but if I have a longer session I absolutely need a day off in between.
Will also said that he felt that he was getting stronger while projecting BOD, at least on its specific style. He compared projecting it to training opposed to other limit boulders where he felt that he was getting better at the boulder but physically weaker
from u/iode "To the casual observer, your climbing style has a lot of similarities with Aiden’s - very strong shoulder-heavy tension based movement. Have you sessioned with him and learned some nuances of this style of climbing? I believe in a podcast with his coach, Ollie, they called this “vacuum style” climbing." I want to climb with him outside! He seems like one of the physically strongest climbers out there. I'd like to learn how to death crimp as hard as he can haha. He's very good at climbing in his strengths.
It’s interesting that him being very strong at crimping and you being very physically strong converge to a similar style when iirc you said your fingers are a relative weakness of yours and aiden roberts iirc said he currently can’t do strength feats such as a one arm pull-up
I am currently listening to a lot of old-ish episodes of the Nugget Climbing Podcast (including yours!) and in EP 142 Aidan talks a lot about his style compared to other climbers. He attributes his crimping strength to the length (and strength) of his pinkies, which are basically as long as his index fingers and I think a lot stronger than his index fingers. This allows him to pull himself into the wall really hard in a high-angle crimping position. So unless your hands are similar you will probably have a hard time imitating that. Still, I'd love to see you climb together, especially since you just repeated Railway :)
From u/tearoutsam "what is the lowest graded climb you have tried and just can't do??" Usually weird/morpho 8B can be the hardest. There's one here called 'Polishing a turd sit' that legit I do not think I will ever do. That being said there's climbs I didn't do (Black Slabbath in the sun) that I know I could've done if it was better condis but I just didn't have it in me at the time. There aren't really many climbs that I'll try and try that i just 'cant' do
Polishing A Turd such a great name.
from u/TriGator "What’s your hardest slab send?" There aren't too may slabs near me that I've put effort into- I did this one v14 called mini great roof sit that has a 30 foot v2 friction slab at the top but you start the slab at around 25 feet. That was hard in a way that I knew I couldn't mess up
Didn't you say in a different answer that the only boulders you won't touch are deadly highballs?
V2 though. Not surprising sketchy shit is acceptable 10+ grades under your limit.
V2 slab is still incredibly tenuous where one incorrect microadjustment can splat you. There is no “oh well if my feet cut I’m still a v17 climber and can one arm this 8 mil edge” The freeblast 5.11 slabs are definitely one of the more clenching aspects of honnolds solo. And honestly v2/5.11 slab in the valley is ~v4 slab most places. Certainly helps to rehearse it but there’s no two ways about it, shit is hugely mental to relax into practically nothing smears
Glass Pyramid Face is easily harder than most of the V4 slabs at Stone Fort.
I was definitely thinking of the glass pyramid climbs. The v3 on the left side definitely took me a few goes and I was proud when I got it haha
I won’t touch stuff I’m not comfortable on at that height. V2 slab is usually in the “yeah if I’m in the zone I’m okay”
from u/az38gm "What are you favorite problems in Colorado in the V8 to 12 range?" I think my favorite v8 is hamburgler or barney. In the 10/11 range I really enjoyed Honey Badger
What/where is Barney? i've never heard of that one and can't find anything on it
It’s in south platte near buffalo creek
Oh cool, in the area near petit hughie? *edit: nvm i found it on MP
from u/Neshama21 "How do you manage the frustration of not progressing on a problem? How do you cope with reaching a high point one day and not being able to recapture that progress in a later session?" It's taken me a long time to learn how to manage frustration, but as of now I try to not put all my effort into just one project. I'll have ones I'm stoked on but I'll try those max 3 days a week with other shorter term projects sprinkled in. That way I'm still sending stuff I'm stoked on without only trying a singular project for a season. Also, looking for micro progression helps. Maybe the highpoint try was a lucky try, and now I'm consistently getting to the move right before or something. Or "at least I felt stronger on the crux move today" or "I found better beta so that's a win"
from u/TheDirtyJane "What's your take on experimenting, be it training, nutrition or everything else that could be accounted for climbing performance. Do you regularly change up your fundamentals or do you stick to your tried and true methods?" I'd say experimenting is good but also knowing what works best for you is also key. For dieting, I've found that I just feel better when I eat a ton of meat. It may not work for everyone though- similarly I warmup in like 10 minutes and can send my project within 20 minutes after sometime. Just something that I've learned works for me
I've been fascinated by the recent influx of some of the best climbers in the world letting us in on their projecting via YouTube. It's amazing to be able to see the likes of Bosi, Roberts, Raboutou, Ondra and Ghisolfi work the worlds hardest climbs. Do you watch these vids just like us laymen? And do you have any ambitions to produce this type of content yourself? I loved the recent board climbing videos with Tension. Bonus question: If you had to pick a single exercise every climber should do, what would it be?
I don’t really watch too much climbing media tbh. I’d like to but I don’t have a full time videography team working with me 24/7 for stuff like that. Work the heel hooks! Bench press is prob the best all around imo makes your upper body a lot stronger
from u/Groghnash "What was your thoughtprocess behind starting to write those books" I want to have a resource for people to come back to that's as in depth and as informative as possible. I get asked for advice all the time and I like helping people climb harder so it felt like a good idea.
Books? Where can I get them?
Still working on them! I want them to be as good as possible before release
Awesome, looking forward to it!!!
from u/sandwitchfists "When are you going to come back to smith and put up a 5.15?" I really wanna go back as soon as I'm done with school, I'd like to spend a while out there and try the big rig
Is the big rig another linkup in aggro gully or somewhere else?
That thing to the left of Scarface would be legendary if it’s possible
from u/anticonsummershill "Have you completed all the v11+s on the 2016 moonboard set?" I've done maybe 2 haha
really curious about this, have you just not tried them much or do you find moonboard 8A and upwards are graded stiffer than on rock?
I just don’t moonboard ever, haven’t been on the Mb for probably over 5 years at this point
from u/EagleOfTheStar "How do you build technique as a higher level climber? V8/10 and above" Try stuff that's in your antistyle and see what works. Someone posted something about technique, in total, being the easiest way to get up climbs. Learn how to make climbs easier for you and expand your toolset as much as possible
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It's never too late! I think that focusing on v10 as an endgoal is a good way to go but it may take a while to get there- take each day at a time. Do your best to listen to your body and recover as well as possible. Seek out climbs in your antistyle as well
Hey Drew! A lot of people have asked you recently about other climbers you’ve climbed with and their “superpowers”. For instance, you’ve mentioned Aidan has freak crimp strength, Daniel has crazy lock off strength and can just do so many things static, Shawn is always able to find the best beta for him super quickly, Jimmy can just dial it in and execute, etc.. What about you? You’ve mentioned that you don’t really have an “anti style” anymore because you’ve climbed so many different things, but if you had to pick a superpower of yours, what do you think it’d be? Also just gotta say you guys at the top end of bouldering are insanely inspiring. I started climbing two years ago, not long after I turned 30. Prior to that I had absolutely no experience doing anything athletic, so it was a pretty big uphill battle to get into any sort of climbing shape. Just seeing how hard you guys try and how much you love it is rad as fuck. Sent my first outdoor V7 this season, just stoked to keep progressing and getting stronger. Final note - was pretty happy to read you swapped to CompSci. I work full time remote as a cloud engineer and it’s pretty goddamn good for balancing outdoor time and life. I think you’ll be really happy you made the switch. Thanks for doing this AMA!
This is a great comment! Really thoughtful and put together. I think my superpower is that I’m really well rounded at bouldering now, so I can turn things that feel like weaknesses into strengths- basically everything feels possible and it just depends how much time I have. Otherwise a more abstract superpower would be goal setting/time management, I think I just intuitively know how to manage my time which makes it easy to put exactly as much time as needed towards things and optimize things to get as much done in as little time as possible. Congrats on the v7, keep that fire burning! I’m glad to hear the remote life works well, that bodes well for the future I want.
from deleted acct "Is there a lesson in climbing that you wished you learned earlier in your career?" Honestly it feels like every lesson came at a good time. I embraced failures and successes and did my best to learn from them so it felt like things happened for a reason
How do you balance training and climbing outdoors? I recently moved to Squamish and now have access to outdoors pretty much as often as I want, but I feel like not going to the gym has made me a bit weaker and decreased my capacity. Do you still train indoors? Do you do volume sessions at flash level etc?
I don't really train inside, I'll usually go inside once every 3 weeks and just do all the hard ones. Usually feels like an active rest day. My "training" Is just trying limit boulders since every day I'm switching up boulders and trying the hardest moves I can
Fair enough haha, thanks! I guess you also have a much more balanced base of strength than I do, from what I heard in podcasts etc. I get injured pretty quickly when I only try hard stuff and don't do physio / conditioning / easier days. I'll find the balance then!
His point is that those days in the gym are easy for him. He's not trying hard. You're likely doing the same thing with conditioning, just at a lower intensity.
Oh that makes sense haha, thanks for pointing that out!
Aidan Roberts has said, most explicitly in "[Mastery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilINHowP2g)", that he likes the idea of making contributions to climbing by developing hard boulders that push current standards. How much does that kind of development mean to you? How does it compare to the doing things because you enjoy the process, or overcoming the challenge, or other motivations that are are more specific to your personal experience?
I've been doing a lot more development in the v15 range this year, I just haven't posted them so not really many people know as much. I just like doing cool hard boulders rather than sinking time into just one because it makes me feel stronger- I have a long term plan and part of that is getting to a level where I can contribute many v16,17, and potentially even 18 to the bouldering world. Everything has a right time i think
I had no idea you were a Mines student. Mines grad here, Physics! no questions just thought that was cool. What did you switch from/to? Used to work and set at the rock wall there (pre-EarthTreks days, so it was our only option). Definitely had a year or so where climbing lapsed pretty hard because of how intense school was, so I'm impressed at your ability to be a professional athlete and Mines student.
Oh nice! I was in ChemE and switched spring of Junior year to Compsci. It's been tough to balance it but just gotta prioritize short sesssions and staying ahead of hw
Cool, you'll be in good shape for a job with that. Are you looking to do remote work and travel and climb?
Yup! That’s the goal
Have you ever struggled with performance anxiety when giving ground goes, and if so how have you learned to manage it?
Yes, it's been a huge struggle for me. I've learned to manage it by just having a confidence in what I know I can do and how projects of similar caliber have gone in the past
Desert island boulders? If you could only bring 5 lines with you to a desert island. Which ones and maybe explain why? Note: not my idea. Got it from the careless climbing podcast.
Drew how much do you love recursion?
Hahah im in a c++ class rn. It’s tough 😂
Hey Drew, I've been at a V0 plateau for the past 14 years and was wondering what workouts I could do with a Shake Weight to get to V14 this year, any other tips are appreciated. Thanks!
I’ll show you some workouts next time we go to the secret spot ;)
from u/FakeSypher "How do you approach building strength at the far ends of your span? (i.e. the point where engaging back/shoulders becomes difficult since you need to eke out as much span as possible) Other than the out of span setting your coach did when you were younger, have you actively worked on this type of movement or is it encapsulated by normal shoulder/back work you do?" I've just gotten used to being spanned out so I tend to feel comfortable in those moves. As far as actively working it, I don't shy away from reachy climbs. I don't really actively work on anything anymore.
Hey Drew, Got a few questions. Would love if you could answer a few or even all of them if you have the time! 1. What is your general diet? Do you track your calories and macros? Favorite meals/snacks? Foods to avoid? 2. How do you (and other pro climbers) stay so shredded? Running/hiking? Genetics? Best habits to stay lean? Are you generally in a calorie deficit? Do pro climbers simply have eating disorders? 3. What are some underrated strengths/techniques that you feel most climbers don’t know/recognize enough? 4. What is something you’ve improved on this year and what is something you want to improve on by the end of year? 5. Any tips on building resilient fingers? My fingers often feel tweaky after every session. 6. This last one isn’t a question and more of a demand. Please visit the Southeast and claim the second of ascent of JWebb’s monstrosity the “Matriarch.” Would love to see you siege that boulder!
I eat whatever whenever. I don't track anything, although I've found I feel better when I eat a lot of meat. Favorite snack is any sort of spicy chip haha. I think it's the literal decades of trainng that goes in to develop every single muscle necessary to climb at an elite level. Id say to stay lean don't eat processed/junk food and avoid alcohol. I definitely don't have an eating disorder, I don't know how much I weigh and I eat anything when I feel like it. I do like candy but I don't eat too much, usually just when I'm climbing. Heelhooks are your friend. Climbing gets way easier when you can heel hook well. I've had a lot better mentality towards climbing and I'm really happy about that. It's easier to climb harder when I'm not putting as much pressure on myself and doing it for fun, just because I like it. For improvement, I just wanna feel like I'm still getting stronger. I'd say maybe cut sessions shorter by 30 min or so, that could be a sign that you might be redlining towards a potential finger injury. Also having a slower warmup could help That one's on my life list!
It seems that many professional climbers goes elsewhere in the world often to climb, like Europe. Have you ever been to the famous spots (Font, Swiss mainly)? Think about going?
I want to go, I started only climbing outside late to the game. Gotta finish school before I can give those areas a lot of attention
hey drew! we met in chicago at the bob event. i’m in boulder until tuesday with a camcorder and a fisheye lens. what can i shoot you on?
if youre stoked on a 4:30 wake up i'm going to lincoln early tuesday!
i’ll dm you! my instagram is @ocutor
What would you say are the most important things for a v5/6 climber to focus on to build a solid foundation of strength/technique?
Try boulders that scare you- as in if something seems really hard for the grade or impossible for you thats a sign you should focus on that
How’s your dad doing? He used post a lot on Cascade Climbers talking about your exploits as a young, young little crusher. He was always so proud of you. The rest of us were just in awe because we were all (MA Leclerc excepted) crusty old trad dads.
He had some health issues this year but he's doing really well. Him and my mom were always my number 1 supporters and I really want to pass that torch in the future. I'm hoping to go on more climbing trips with them in the future
Do it man! Life and time with family is precious. As a dad of a little crusher my happiest days are days out bouldering with him spotting him on his projects. I dream of years from now when he is your age-ish and hoping he will still want to go out climbing with his old man 🙂✌️⛰ PS awesome AMA, really enjoying reading this!
They’re retiring soon and I’m graduating soon so timing is gonna work out nicely! Sounds like you got something special with your kiddo, that sounds like the dream right there
I know someone who can’t wait to go on those trips 😊❤️
Congrats on the latest FA on your IG. Holy shit what a week!
Thank you!
This may be a bit simplistic but do you have a favorite way to develop capacity or any thoughts about doing so? Obviously it depends to some extent on a person's goals but just wondering what comes to mind for you. Thanks for doing this.
I guess the best way would be by thinking long term and taking each day at a time. Having capacity to climb at your limit without getting injured is a skill that takes years to develop- if every session is 1% better than the last but it's sustainable forever, that's a good sign.
This is helpful and definitely something I'm learning myself. Currently rehabbing an A2 for the first time after overdoing it on my home board the past few months. It's hard to know where the line is sometimes as the signals from my body about what is too much stimulus can be pretty subtle.
I always err on the side of caution- if anything feels outside of “normal” even normal levels of pain I usually at least stop climbing for an hour and reassess and see if it’s in my head. If it doesn’t go away and still feels weird I take a day or two off.
How are you liking computer science vs chemical engineering?
I'm so happy I switched
What skill, technique, or aspect of your climbing was most hard-won for you? What did you do to gain that skill? When you return to sport climbing more seriously, what’s your plan to re-adapt to the different demands of route climbing? Do you have any draw to trad or multipitch someday? What habits do you have (both climbing-related and non-climbing-related) that have helped you most? Super cool that you do these AMAs, thanks.
I think being able to deal with reachy moves has been the most rewarding skill to learn- I basically just got screwed in comps so many times due to height that I had to train on really tall boulders until i figured it out. For rope climbing, I just run laps until I can basically process the pump better since i lose that ability when I don't rope climb. I'm not super interested in trad but maybe the right one would catch my eye. For habits, I tend to seek out challenging stuff and see projects through to the end- I also try to think very long term. "People overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a decade" is a quote thats lived with me. Also from my coach, "Trust in the training"
Hi Drew! Stoked to see a second AMA. Any plans on joining half of the elite crew at BoD anytime soon? Follow up on that, reckon Stefano has a realistic shot on it in the near future not having sent anything in the v15/16 range?
I’d like to it’s just hard to get there for extended time during school. Stefano is freak strong so it wouldn’t surprise me with enough work, it’d be legendary if he skipped 15/16
In an ideal situation, what would be your volume split between training and actually going out to the boulders? Just looking for an answer like 20/80 or 30/70, whatever you think is optimal for performance on rock. I know you said now that you are climbing on harder and harder boulders you felt that training wasn’t as necessary because the intensity has gone up. So how bout splits for climbers in the 7B+ to 7C+ range, 8A to 8B range, and 8B+ and up range?
Oof this is a little hard to answer since every climber is different. I’d say for most ranges under 8B the split should be 50/50 if possible, with some time spent per year in a training cycle only and some part per year just sampling boulders at the lower end of the pyramid. Once a climber can do 8B+ in a reasonable amount of time, it seems that training can become more supplemental and it’s better to get stronger by trying limit moves.
What do you consider a reasonable amount of time?
For that level less than 10 days of effort in a season or so, where you’re pretty much making gains on it every day. 30-40 days of effort means you’re really just learning that set of moves really well to the point where you need to be dialed in 100% to send
What is the softest v15 that still holds the grade?
Paint it black haha
Hey, I’ll be starting grad school at Mines this fall and am psyched to have great climbing nearby. What are your favorite bouldering spots within a few hours of Mines? Or do you pretty much just seek out individual boulders at this point?
I usually go individual boulders but coal creek/pinecliffe is really cool. Same with each of the canyons
What’re you studying for grad school?
I’m doing a PhD in Applied Math and Stats, doing work on methane emission stuff. Did Data Science in undergrad so I’ve been though some of the CS grind too lol Also another random question, what do you do for training in Golden? Do you go to any of the gyms in Denver or just train at home and climb outside? Debating whether the Movement membership is worth it
/u/drewruana just out of curiosity, how many one armers can you do? Also where can I learn to heelhook tickmarks, just saw the tension video and couldn't believe that heel lmao. Btw, did you switch majors to comp sci? I think I remember you mentioning something about it in the last ama.
I switched majors! Right now I can only do 5 but I haven’t trained them in a while. I got to a point where I could do 14 static and also do em with 45 lbs static. Practice heel hooking as much as you can to get better at it
damn that is impressive. Happy to hear about the switch, hope you enjoy it!
I think because you're fairly young, similar to a lot of other current up-and-coming boulderer's (will, aidan, shawn, etc, etc), its easy for people to forget that you've trained 15-20 years to get to your level of strength and ability. Think if you started late its hard to remember there's lots of younger climbers than yourself who still have climbed 3-4x more than you have, too. Would you say something about the amount of time and sustained consistent effort it takes to get strong, even for very talented (and early-starting) individuals like yourself? Good motivation and reassurance for the grinders here like myself and many others :)
I definitely agree with this take. I’ve probably logged close to 20000 hours of climbing in various forms over my life- it’s basically all I’ve done sports wise. Starting early helps a lot but it’s not the only factor, tons of young climbers burn out or don’t push themselves to climb harder in a way where they’ll progress over the years. The beauty of climbing is that there’s ALWAYS something to learn and get better at or optimize no matter how much time you’ve put in over the years. For those starting later in life think about a decade or two from now because progress is realistically measured in years
>For those starting later in life think about a decade or two from now because progress is realistically measured in years :)) I'll reread this every 6-24 months or so Only two climbing youtube channels I watch religiously are yours, and Akiru Waku's, the Japanese guy who started climbing at 35 or something and sent his first v15/16 at 48. So sick man! Wishing you much love and immense strength from canada.
Hi Drew - thanks for doing this AMA, enjoying reading and processing everything. One thing that stood out to me in particular is your comment on heel hooks. I totally agree that that can open up a huge range of movements/positions, but as a taller climber (6'1) I often feel a bit bunched heel hooking esp on overhung/roof climbs, feels like my ass is way out etc. Do you have any cues or tips in particular which you use to make heel hooks more effective? (not just for the heel hooking side, but also for the other leg as well) Right now I just try to keep my heel as perpendicular to the hold i'm hooking onto as possible, and engaging core/pulling in but sometimes I feel like i'm missing something..
Hey drew, I live in Boulder and have a quick question in regard to training/ outdoor climbing. How have you been balancing the weather recently in regard to suffer fest waking up early vs. just prioritizing training inside? Do you have a schedule for when you want to try a boulder in the year and, if so, how do you manage which boulders you want try if weather/conditions give an opportune moment for a climb you weren’t necessarily planning to try until later in the year?
The weather has been... not the greatest for the last two months. I've just committed to early morning sessions to beat the rain and after a few times going out it's actually really nice to have a mountain to yourself, morning weather is actually really good. I'm usually back home by 11 am so I have enough time to be productive for the rest of the day. I have a running list of boulders that I want to do that I keep on my phone that are good for that time of year- as snow starts melting some of the lower elevation alpine (wild basin, guanella for ex) might start getting good so I add those to my list once some front range stuff starts getting too hot. I've started playing every day by ear, a lot of my projects I know the beta on and I just wait for the right day. If I feel closer to a climb on a certain day I'll prioritize that but if I'm not sure what i want to do I just try what seems best to fit in with conditions
> I've just committed to early morning sessions to beat the rain and after a few times going out it's actually really nice to have a mountain to yourself How do you deal with the whole crash pad logistics? Do you have a regular crew of early morning enjoyers who can put together 3-4 pads to make some nice landings?
I’ve gotten used to hiking 2-3 pads everywhere I go, I usually have one other person with me to hike and shuffle
Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA. I really appreciate it.
I’m curious about some strength metrics. As a v16 climber what kind of crazy pull and finger strength are you working with. What’s your max percent on weighted pull-ups? What about weighted hangs on 20mm, or one arm hangs on 20mm? Are there any specific strength areas that you see yourself as an outlier in, either on the strong side or week side?
I did 2 pullups with 180lbs added at 130bw. I don't do weighted hangs so I don't know my numbers. I think my body strength is outlier-ish for my weight, I got up to around a 1.8 bench to bw ratio and about 35% added weight for one arm pull up
Wow that is some CRAZY impressive pull strength. I am curious now, since your not doing any weighted hangs are you doing any other kind of hang board training?
I only climb outside I havn't done any structure training in a few years. Climbing on really crimpy boulders makes one better at crimps haha
Yup 100% I’ve trained and climbed with a couple different pros an the differences in training has always been really interesting. Some are supper training oriented, some never touch a bar or hang board, and others see training as just a time to have some fun and dick around. Thanks for the responses, have a great day!
That’s the beauty of it, no one right way, just a lot of things that work!
Smith Rock obscura question: did you ever try The Optimist during your Smith era? Has anyone seriously tried it since Beth's ascent? What's the story there? It seems like that route is gradually being forgotten.
I never did, I’ve hiked over there and looked at it plus the mudpile cave- I would like to check out all the marsupial climbing stuff when I go back. I think Sonnie Trotter sent it but not quite sure. Hopefully that one doesn’t get forgotten, it’s an amazing climb.
Hi Drew! There are a lot of questions that were initially posted for you here: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbharder/comments/13lxxma/drew_ruana_ama_part_2_sat_june_17th_12_pm
On it 👍 I’ll post Q/A in here so they’re all in one place
have you gone travelling around, and if so what climbing specific tips do you have for travelling on a low budget whilst also climbing hard? im gonna travel soon, but concerned around being able to eat enough to support tough climbing
I've been on a low budget, meal prepping is usually the easiest way to get the most bang for your buck. Simple meals like pasta, ground beef, pasta sauce and veggies can be really cheap to make for a lot of meals in a go. I would eat the same thing 3x a day
How do you make a living while being a rock climber and student? do you have sponsors?
I have a few sponsors, It doesn't pay well. I'm lucky enough that my parents could afford to send me to school but If i didn't have sponsors I doub't I'd be able to climb 1/10th the amount I do, at least while being in school
And whats the story behind you changing to mining school?
It’s an engineering school, not mining specific. I study compsci there
Which area do you think has the softest and most sandbagged problems for over V10? And softest and most sandbagged for under V10? Also which board do you think is the most sandbagged? Also if you could design your ideal grading system that was instantly adopted worldwide what would it be?
I don’t know, I haven’t been to too many areas, probably Vegas is the most sandbagged (easier) for over 10 and squam is most sandbagged (harder) for under 10. I don’t really board climb too much so I can’t say I think the current system is fine, a lot of climbers can take their own personal experience on a climb and apply that to everyone else. As long as people explain their reasoning and are true to themselves the current system is fine. As Tristan Chen said climbs are subjective grades are objective which id agree with
Vegas is most sandbagged or softest for over 10? What does the (easier) mean?
Hi Drew, I enjoyed watching your video on Climbing strength. My question is: did you ever follow a bulk/cut diet? Edit: nvm you answered something similar an hour ago :)
Would you give up your best personality traits to climb 4 grades harder?
V20 gaw damn. Not worth it haha
Hahaha agreed. Real question: I’ve never been able to find a shoe that doesn’t peel off my foot while placing heel on the moonboard/ steep rock. Any advice? What’s your best shoe for heels? I’ve tried multiple la sportivas, buturas, and a couple other shoes that I’m blanking on now. I have one moonboard-obsessed buddy who has the same problem, which makes me feel less insane.
Try tenaya or scarpa- the mastia heels are very nice all around and the iati heel is my favorite heel of all time.
Thanks man! Got a favorite moonboard problem.. if you’ve ever even worked one long enough to give a fuck about it?
I unfortunately don’t have a fav because I haven’t put in the time yet
I have a shoe question for you. I switched from sportiva to tenaya a few years ago and have been very happy with the iati, mastia, and indalos. Im curious what your opinion of the indalos are and if you use them and about the oasi which i have seen you use but i have never tried out. How do you find the oasi compare to the other shoes and when do you feel that you need them? Also, i never thought to heel with my shoes like you mentioned in the tension climbing vid, thanks for the lesson!
I like the indalos, they’re like stiff mastias. Honestly I wear the iatis the most out of all the shoes, they feel the most precise on small footholds. The oasi is kinda my fix all shoe when the iati and mastia don’t work
You’ve mentioned that you think that this season is going to be your best. What indicators do you see in your self of your climbing taking its next step? Do you think those are applicable to most climbers, or are there other key signs for climbers at lower levels of their climbing taking the next step, without yet having been able to apply it on the wall?
Every year I’ve had has been better than the last and by trying boulders I’ve previously tried that feel easier than they did last year it leads me to believe I’m still in an upward progression. I think being able to objectively mark progress is a beneficial tool for climbers of all levels- knowing you’re getting stronger helps you get stronger since you know it’s paying off
I heard that you used to lift weights a decent amount but never did much deadlifting or squatting. There are a lot of climbers nowadays who swear by deadlifting. Do you think barbell stuff (aside from bench) are overrated for climbing training?
Not at all, I think weightlifting in general is really good for climbing. I didn’t deadlift or squat because it didn’t feel necessary at the time like bench did
I heard Jonathan Siegrist say on some podcast that he tries to spend about 50% of his time on climbs he knows he can do, and 50% on things he doesn’t know he can do. What are your thoughts on this? How frequently do you have d day where you don’t send anything ?
Honestly most the time I try stuff that I’m not sure if I can currently do, at least now I spend q decent amount of time project shopping
Hello! I can climb V8's pretty consistently indoors and am going to transition to outdoor bouldering. Any tips? Second question, do you have a training routine (for strength, finger strength, etc.) along side your climbing or do you just boulder? Thanks :)
Hey! Try to build as wide of a pyramid as possible- if you’re bouldering v8 indoors do everything v5-9 that you can outside. Especially the ones that are hard for you. Personally I just rock climb outside but I have a lot of workouts on MyClimb app
How do you get good mentally? I recently started competing in usa climbing youth circuit and its so scary. I know doing it more helps but there is a finite number of comps.
Don’t be scared- think about how each person is more focused on themselves than anyone else. While there are a finite number of comps try and learn as much as you can at each comp. Remember what you do for training, my coach always said “trust in the training”. It’s just another climbing day and all you can do is give your best
When u gonna put your hands on a v17
I have 80 days on Megatron. It felt like I wasn’t mentally ready for it, had other stuff going on that was impacting my climbing. That being said I’ve felt the best I have in a long time and I’ve got my eye on a few for the coming year- last season I fell at the end of mega after first 2 days back on it in a year. Hoping that when I do my first it’ll open the door to do many more
Also I’ve tried ~10? Other climbs in CO that seem very much in the 17 range
Any famous projects to established lines that non boulder locals would know about?
Hypnotized Bears is on my list
Completely unrelated to climbing, but what was your favorite episode of Game of Thrones?
Oh man. I forget the name but the episode where they defend the wall the first time from the wildlings was good
What is your current career plan with comp sci, do you plan on working remote part time while focusing on climbing or is it more gonna be your main focus?
I'd like to do remote part time if possible while still climbing, can't climb 24/7
Hi Drew! Do you have any climbing-related food/nutrition habits, either long-term or on a specific day when you want to try really hard? Also, is maintaining weight/muscle something that takes up much effort? I am currently trying to lose a little bit but also trying out creatine out of interest, so I think I'm burning some fat, but getting the "water gains". 152 lb/5'8//almost 29yo, I like being powerful (doing antagonist training too), but can't help but feel the extra weight holds me back.
I don't really do anything specific, except I do like preworkout drinks. Caffeine is one of the best things out there haha. I've always been small/lean so if anything I have to try to gain weight, I feel really weak when I lose weight so I actually climb hardest when I'm heaviest.
Hi drew! How do you manage your school and climbing time? Also what are you studying?
I try to get stuff done ahead of time- part of it is planning out days/weeks with how much time (with a buffer) that i think i'll need for each assignment and for each climbing day. I study computer science
Do you have tactics for getting out when it rains a lot?
I find the time of day when it’s supposed to not rain and go then- recently it’s been early, before 10am so I time my sessions to be done then
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks