EP 24: Paige Claassen
June 29, 2020
Paige Claassen is a professional rock climber and the founder of the Southern Africa Education Fund. We talked about pre-send rituals, breathing techniques, how she changed her diet to improve recovery, recent training, how she structures bouldering and outdoor sessions, learning from each attempt, and favorite crag snacks. You can learn more about Paige at paigeclaassen.com
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Check out other episodes with Paige
Follow-Up: Paige Claassen (Dec 16, 2022)
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Videos:
Podcasts:
The Runout EP 31: How Paige Claassen TKO’d ‘Shadowboxing’
Training Beta EP 89: What it took Paige to climb ‘Odin’s Eye’
Training Beta EP 87: Paige on how to siege a project
Training Beta EP 02: Paige Claassen on Training, Eating, and Body-Weight (pushup story)
Other Resources:
Tyler Nelson - The “Simplest” Finger Strength program
Routes Mentioned:
‘Just Do It’ 5.14c, Smith Rock, OR
‘Grand Ol’ Opry’ 5.14b/c, The Monastery, CO
‘Odin’s Eye’ 5.14c, Flatanger, Norway
’To Bolt Or Not To Be’ 5.14a, Smith Rock, OR
’Shadowboxing’ 5.14d, Rifle, CO
‘Dreamcatcher’ 5.14d, Squamish, BC
Paige’s Links:
Nuggets:
1:55 – “Coming to you live from my closet!”
3:04 – Frangog
4:44 – Learning to try hard, and reminding yourself that “I’ve sent in the past when things weren’t perfect”
8:26 – ‘Just Do It’, deep audible breaths, and clicking into the moment
11:45 – Pre-send rituals, working with a biokineticist, and activation points
14:28 – Paige’s thoughts on audible breathing
17:36 – Breathing beta, composing yourself, and “Everyone loves climbing on jugs”
19:03 – ‘Odin’s Eye’, eating more protein, training differently, and becoming a different climber
24:21 – Gym bouldering for power
27:15 – How Paige structures a bouldering session, and focusing on quality over quantity
28:59 – Training seasonally, and how Paige structures outdoor climbing sessions
30:33 – Day on day off
31:34 – Finding what works for you, and owning it
32:06 – A mental shift to not performing in the gym
33:24 – “I just love projecting.”
34:31 – Believing in the process, tricep pushups, and recent training during quarantine
39:42 – Losing ten pounds by eating more fat, protein amounts, and collagen for fingers and skin
44:20 – Southern Africa Education Fund (SAEF), building school buildings, and a new playground
49:24 – Mentorship, open and learning, and living in an exciting time
51:43 – Gratitude for family
53:14 – Current favorite climbing snack, and “I’m not afraid of carbs.”
56:01 – Fish tacos and buffalo cauliflower
57:35 – ‘Shadowboxing’, 5.15 as a goal, and climbing more 5.14+ routes in North America
59:58 – ‘Dreamcatcher’
1:00:50 – Learning from each attempt, frustrating to fun, and “if we’re not having fun there’s no point
1:02:35 – “Treat yourself as you would treat others.”
1:03:20 – Completing the Yurdin family (minus Kasbah)