Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
INTRODUCING | Written in Stone: Climbing’s Most Important Ascents
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Written in Stone tells the (mostly) true stories of the most groundbreaking ascents in rock climbing history. Hosted by Kris Hampton, you’ll hear th...
Can Beta-Alanine Supplementation Help You Send Your Sport Climbing Project?
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of Season 2, Kris and Paul discuss beta-alanine, a nutritional supplement, and its impact on climbing performance as investigated...
Are We Doing the Right Things When Warming Up for Climbing?
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the difference between systematic and critical reviews, while examining what science says about warming up for ...
Are Chalking Up and Shaking Out Actually Helpful or Persistent Myths?
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the dangers of reading only the abstracts of research papers, by taking a look at what science says about chalk...
What are the Anthropometric and Performance Characteristics of Modern Female Climbers?
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul chat with data analyst and fellow Power Company coach, Dale Wilson, to examine a study that attempts to collect and com...
Did You Punt Because Your Focus is On the Wrong Thing?
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that explores how our attention - and where we focus it - can impact our performance: Links between Att...
Do Our Abilities Alter How We Perceive Hold or Move Size?
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that looks at the relationship between an athlete’s skill level and how they perceive their environme...
Can We Measure How Different Energy Systems Contribute to Climbing?
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that investigates how different energy systems contribute to climbing performance: Climbing-Specific Ex...
Can We Accurately Assess the Movement Skills of Sport Climbers?
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul dig into a paper that presents and then tests a method for measuring movement skills in climbing: Climbing performance ...
Does Strength Training Help Prevent Shoulder Injuries in Climbers?
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul take a look at three papers dealing with the shoulder health of climbers: Application of closed kinematic chain exercis...
Is Isometric Finger Testing Reliable? Which Edges are Best?
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the Season 2 premiere, Kris and Paul take a look at two papers that deal with measuring isometric finger strength in climbers: The reliability and ...
Better Call Paul | International Rock Climbing Research Association Test Battery
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that introduces and assesses a battery of ten...
Better Call Paul ADDENDUM | The Male / Female Performance Gap in Climbing
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a few weeks after recording the episode on the IRCRA postion statement, some of my comments didn't sit quite right with me. They weren't false, bu...
Better Call Paul | How Should Climbing Research Be Standardized?
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a position statement paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that seeks to bring unifor...
Better Call Paul | How Do We Choose and Read Research Papers?
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the process they use to choose and read research papers, both for Breaking Beta and for their own interests as ...
Better Call Paul | Are Your Statistics Even Significant, Bro?
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss statistics and their significance with data analyst and fellow Power Company coach, Dale Wilson. He explains ...
Better Call Paul | What Did We Learn From Season 1?
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss what they learned from Season 1. They break down the specifics — from finger strength to injury prevention,...
Which Finger Strength Protocol is Best for Endurance?
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul bring things full circle, ending the season with another hangboard study from Eva Lopez: Comparison of the Effects of T...
Is Creatine Useful for Climbers?
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss two papers that try to clear up the rumors surrounding one of the most popular supplements in sports nutrition:...
Sport Climbers vs. Boulderers: Who is Stronger?
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a study that dares to touch THE ultimate strength debate climbers love to argue about: Comparison of Climbing-S...
Does Hangboard Training Increase Pinch Strength?
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss another study seeking to determine if there’s really a best way to train on a hangboard: Hangboard Training i...
Can We Minimize Tendon Injury and Return More Quickly to Climbing?
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss another study examining a type of injury commonly seen in climbers: Minimizing Injury and Maximizing Return to ...
How Does 30 Years of Climbing Affect Our Shoulders?
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a topic that every climber has to consider during their career - shoulder health - as examined in the study: Im...
Is Flexibility a Good Metric for Climbers?
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a study that might finally reveal why there are so many former gymnasts who can crush: Flexibility Assessment a...
Does Stretching Result in Power Loss?
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a hotly-debated topic - not just in the climbing world but the greater athletic community: Acute Effects of Sta...
Is Finger Pulp the Key to Crimping?
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the study that led to climbers everywhere both blaming and training their fingertip pulp: Measuring Lifting For...
Is This the Best Hangboard Protocol?
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss what might be the most popular study in all of climbing: The Effects of Two Maximum Grip Strength Training Meth...
Introducing Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing Podcast
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to make research and science both more fun - and frankly - more useful for coaches and climbers? That’s what we needed to answer. Now...