EP 255: Dave MacLeod Returns
January 13, 2025
Dave MacLeod is one of the best all-around climbers in the world. He returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Moving the Needle. We discuss the simple decisions that led to his success, getting the basics right, how to climb harder in your 40s, the value of daydreaming, writing books, how diet affects mood, Paul Saladino’s meat and fruit approach, how to thrive on a keto diet, metabolic health, LCL cholesterol, seed oils, alcohol, the state of scientific research, and much more.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Check out other episodes with Dave:
EP 56: Dave MacLeod (Part 1) (Feb 22, 2021)
EP 57: Dave MacLeod (Part 2) (Mar 1, 2021)
Follow-Up: Dave MacLeod (Jul 15, 2023)
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Show Notes:
Related Podcast Episodes:
EP 56: Dave MacLeod (Feb 2021)
Follow-Up: Dave MacLeod (July 2023)
Buy Dave’s New Book:
Moving the Needle (Dave’s website)
Moving the Needle (Amazon)
Other References:
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
LDL Cholesterol:
Dave Feldman’s study and YouTube video
Dave’s Links:
Nuggets:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:34 – Themes for the today’s podcast
00:04:59 – ‘Moving the Needle’
00:10:54 – How curiosity feeds consistency
00:17:44 – Simple decisions that move the needle
00:21:55 – Time x mileage x variety
00:34:09 – Balancing projecting & volume
00:41:08 – Tree crimping
00:43:50 – Almost daily training
00:49:08 – The basics
01:00:38 – When to end bouldering sessions
01:06:38 – Rolling with the punches
01:13:31 – Managing training load & staying in the game
01:24:43 – Finger training
01:30:09 – An unlikely breakthrough (FA of ‘Bultitude’ V14)
01:37:09 – Finger strength PRs
01:43:42 – How to climb harder in your 40s
01:59:54 – Taking short breaks
02:02:56 – Daydreaming
02:05:30 – Making it hard to fail
02:13:27 – One thing at a time
02:17:19 – Writing books
02:25:25 – Factors that led to sending ‘Rhapsody’ E11
02:32:16 – Books vs. podcasts
02:34:35 – Confidence & conflict
02:42:06 – Dave’s experiment with a Western Diet
02:46:48 – How our diet can affect mood
02:52:26 – Paul Saladino, keto, fruit, & metabolic health
03:10:37 – Why Dave keeps coming back to keto
03:15:52 – How much protein Dave eats on keto
03:19:36 – Energy & weight management
03:26:40 – LDL Cholesterol
03:40:25 – Kitavan Islanders, heart disease, & lifestyle factors
03:46:51 – Seed oils & alcohol
03:49:25 – A need for unbiased scientific research
03:54:50 – Where to buy Dave’s book