TBP 020 :: Alex Barrows on Training for His First 5.14d
I met Alex Barrows in Rodellar in 2011 when he introduced himself as the Duke of Barrows, which we believed for several hours. It would've been so cool if that had been true, but alas. He's just a British PhD student at\xa0Sheffield University with a hilarious sense of humor. He's also really strong, despite his rigorous school schedule and lack of good weather where he lives.
\nWhen I met Alex, he was trying really hard\xa0on a 14a for weeks. Then I saw him a couple years later in the Red River Gorge, where I immediately noticed he'd improved dramatically. He was onsighting 13+ and sending 14s like it was his job. Then I heard he sent Era Vella (5.14d in Spain) this spring, '15, and I had to know how he was improving so much.
\nThis interview is an extremely detailed account of his training plan and philosophies, with some charming British humor thrown in there.
\nWhat we talked about:\n- \n
- Exactly how and when he trained for Era Vella \n
- How\xa0his training has evolved over the years, and how he learned so much about it \n
- How he stays so psyched to train 6 days a week \n
- What he does to avoid injuries, and whether or not he climbs through them when he has them \n
- All about circuit training \n
- How he finds time and money to project things in different countries, despite being a full-time student \n
- How he reached his sending weight, and whether or not climbers should always be thin \n
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- Alex's epic training plan and philosophies:\xa0Alex Barrows Training PDF \n
- He credits Tom Randall (of Wide Boyz fame) for a lot of his training knowledge:\xa0tomrandallclimbing.wordpress.com \n
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\n\xa0\nTraining Programs for You\n- \n
- Check out the\xa0new\xa0Route Climbing Training Program\xa0for route climbers of all abilities. \n
- Our other training programs:\xa0Training Programs Page. \n
- If you'd like to\xa0place an ad on the podcast, just email us at info@trainingbeta.com. \n
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- Link to the TrainingBeta Podcast on iTunes is\xa0HERE. \n
- Please\xa0give the podcast an honest review\xa0on iTunes\xa0here\xa0to help the show reach more curious climbers around the world ;) \n
Intro and outro song:\xa0Yesterday by Build Buildings\xa0
\nThanks for listening!