EP 70: Steve Maisch
May 24, 2021
Steve Maisch is a training legend and has been pursuing improvement in rock climbing for more than two decades. Jon Glassberg credits Steve’s training methodology for his recent send of ‘The Nest’ V15. We talked about Steve’s background in climbing and how he became interested in training, how he helped me add structure to my Hueco bouldering trip, and the 85% rule.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts
Check out other episodes with Steve:
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch (Sept 9, 2021)
Follow-Up #2: Steve Maisch (Jan 7, 2022)
Follow-Up #3: Steve Maisch (Apr 21, 2022)
Follow-Up #4: Steve Maisch (Jul 21, 2022)
Support on Patreon:
Hueco Program Links:
The Hueco Program (the plan Steve made for me)
My Hueco Training Log (Calendar, Boulder Pyramid, Tick List, etc.)
Other Podcasts Mentioned:
Films:
Best of the West (free on YouTube!)
Other References:
Bouldering grade conversion chart
The Prilepin Table explained (one-rep max conversion chart)
Routes Mentioned:
‘The Big Island’ V15, Fontainebleau, France
‘Dominator’ V12, Yosemite, CA
‘Shadow Warrior’ V12, Yosemite, CA (Steve mistakenly said ‘Phantom Fighter’)
‘The Nest’ V15, Red Rocks, NV
‘Free Willy’ V10, Hueco Tanks, TX
‘Theater of the Absurd’ V10, Hueco Tanks, TX
‘The Grand Illusion’ V16, Little Cottonwood, SLC, UT
‘Return of the Sleepwalker’ V17, Red Rocks, NV
Nuggets:
5:10 – Ballet class
6:20 – Steve’s beginnings in climbing, grad school, training breakthroughs, and first bad finger injury
13:00 – Becoming interested in quantifying training, and observing the elites
16:50 – How Steve and I connected, the Hueco training plan idea, and addressing individual needs in training
23:38 – Climbing strength
26:33 – Underperforming vs overperforming your finger strength
28:53 – The bouldering pyramid
31:40 – The 85% rule, and the strength sweet spot
46:45 – Train your weaknesses and perform in your strengths, and battling Free Willy
51:50 – Breakdown of the Hueco training plan, and antagonist training
59:46 – Scapular lock-offs
1:05:06 – How much we should be climbing, and making sense of different climbing schedules
1:11:25 – Climb more days, or higher intensity?
1:17:38 – Reconciling Daniel on Return of the Sleepwalker
1:20:48 – Efficiency and muscle memory
1:22:18 – The deload week, and getting stronger when we rest
1:26:18 – The key elements of the boulder pyramid
1:29:16 – How to build up the pyramid season after season
1:31:43 – How to maintain bouldering power during a sport climbing phase
1:34:20 – Whether to maintain endurance during a boulder phase
1:38:26 – Gaining endurance through increasing strength
1:40:06 – The plus/minus (+/-) system
1:49:10 – Training on the boards, and designing different workouts
2:00:16 – Balancing training and performing
2:06:51 – The Remond food bank
2:13:14 – Injuries, Steve’s climbing goals, and rebuilding his pyramid
2:19:55 – Preventing injuries, a foundation of lifting, and the benefit of building muscle in the right places
2:26:10 – Gratitude