EP 15: Katie Lambert
April 27, 2020
Katie Lambert is an elite rock climber in just about every discipline of the sport. She is also a contributing author for Climbing Magazine, owns a business, and has a master’s in nutrition. We talked about the film Pretty Strong, her training and how she balances the many disciplines of climbing, and nutrition recommendations for climbers. You can learn more about Katie at https://katielambert.com/about/
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Check out other episodes with Katie:
Follow-Up: Katie Lambert (Jun 10, 2021)
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Products:
Rhino Skin Solutions | Performance
Other:
Videos:
Pretty Strong trailer and rental
Iron Dragons exercise (aka Dragon Flags)
Routes Mentioned:
‘Father Time’ 5.13b, Yosemite, CA
‘Love Dog’ 5.13c, Pine Creek, CA
‘Shart Attack’, 5.14a, Pine Creek, CA
‘Pretty Strong’ 5.12c, Owens River Gorge, CA
‘Astroman’ 5.11c, Yosemite, CA
‘The Rostrum’ 5.11c, Yosemite, CA
‘Airstream’ 5.13b, The Hulk, CA
‘Rainbow Wall’ (Original Route) 5.12-, Red Rocks, NV
‘Cloud Tower’ 5.12-, Red Rocks, NV
‘Meltdown’ 5.14c, Yosemite, CA
‘Magic Line’ 5.14c, Yosemite, CA
Katie’s Links:
Articles by Katie on Climbing Magazine
Katie's Nutrition Recommendations:
Water:
Minimum: 1/2 fluid oz per lb bodyweight per day (more on active/warm days)
Example: 150 lb climber should drink 75 oz of water on a rest day, and more on a climbing day.
(Note: 128 fluid oz in a gallon.)
Protein:
Minimum: 0.32 grams per lb of bodyweight per day (active individuals need much more than this)
Example: 50 grams of protein per day for a 150 lb person (non-climber)
Recommended: 1 gram per lb of bodyweight per day
Example: 150 grams of protein per day for a 150 lb climber
Katie’s Compromise: 0.75 grams per lb of bodyweight per day (start here if 1 gram is too much)
Example: 112 grams of protein per day for a 150 lb climber
For Vegetarians/Vegans:
Be sure to get all 9 essential amino acids by eating a mix of sources.
Be sure to get omega-3s and good fats (avocados, coconut oil, flax seed supplement, nuts, etc.)
Nuts:
Minimally processed, raw and soaked being best.
Avoid nuts and nut butters that have been processed at high heat.
Nuggets:
2:15 – Pretty Strong
4:19 – ‘Father Time’ breakdown, blood blister, dropping the tape, and deciding to go into support mode
9:45 – “A big part of climbing is failing.”
10:49 – What Katie learned from climbing with Nina, and vice versa
13:16 – Deadlifting to fix low back pain, the Berto challenge, pulling 235 lbs, and how deadlifting has helped her climbing
18:11 – Iron Dragons
19:17 – Pinch training and hangboarding
24:36 – Sunday Funday
25:08 – Training power for a trip to the Red, and bouldering circuits (inside & outside)
26:57 – Campusing exercises, the importance of focusing on speed when training power, and campusing endurance
28:24 – The routes Katie was training for at the time
29:26 – Being a multi-discipline athlete, and how Katie thinks about structuring her climbing/training year
32:42 – Why Katie prefers the free-in-a-day style of big wall climbing
34:25 – Linking up ’The Rostrum’ and ‘Astroman’, Katie’s “little suffer bunny”, and feeling fit from The Hulk
36:39 – Goals for future linkups and quick ascents and plans to go back to ‘Father Time’
39:52 – Katie’s go-to climbing shoes
40:58 – “I know who I am and I know what I’m doing.”
44:10 – Why Katie recommends that newer climbers (less than 5 years) just climb a lot in a variety of styles instead of focusing on training
46:24 – How learning offwidth techniques has helped Katie with tufa climbing
48:07 – The one kind of training Katie wishes she had started doing earlier and would recommend for climbers
48:54 – Katie’s three go-to strength exercises, and fingerboarding for healthy fingers
50:59 – Past ankle and finger injuries, why Katie avoids climbing in the cold, and being clammy and cold
53:54 – Katie’s favorite Rhino Skin Solutions products and how she uses them
54:51 – Rehab ideas for elbow tendonitis and finger injuries, and why just taking time off isn’t necessarily the best rehab strategy
1:00:18 – What Katie wishes she knew when she was age 20
1:01:47 – Same question for age 30, noticing a trend of tendon injuries climbing in the cold, my own experience with a finger injury
1:03:38 – How dehydration plays a role in finger injuries, electrolytes, and Katie’s favorite hydration cocktail for cold days
1:04:19 – Masters in nutrition, Bishop Cowork, writing, and nutrition coaching
1:05:30 – Two key nutrition tips/takeaways for climbers, recommended intake of water per day (1/2 fluid ounce per lb of bodyweight minimum), and climbers as sugar burners
1:07:51 – How Katie eats in a day
1:10:10 – Eating red meat, why Katie is into local and sustainable food and why she feels so lucky being in Bishop, Polyphase Farm, and the challenges of feeding a growing population
1:13:52 – Some of the side effects of a crappy diet, why diet is important (even if you look fit), and some of Katie’s recommendations
1:17:29 – Katie’s recommendations for those that want to stick to a vegetarian or vegan diet
1:18:12 – Nuts, and why Katie recommends eating them raw/soaked, and why she recommends avoiding peanuts and processed nuts and nut butters
1:20:00 – Katie’s recommendation for daily protein intake (1 gram per lb of bodyweight—it’s ok to start with 75% of that)
1:22:54 – Writing, why Katie is stopping her column at Climbing Magazine, and working on a cookbook
1:24:24 – Founding and running Sacred Rok
1:26:50 – Being sick for 24 days, gratitude for health, and “it’s a man thing” (being pathetic when we get sick).
1:28:26 – Katie’s upcoming trip to the Red
1:29:09 – Melt Down
1:31:22 – Being a lifer, why Katie loves Bishop, and moving to France if Trump wins the election
1:33:20 – V11 as a goal
1:33:57 – “We’re really lucky to climb.”