Show notes
Jenn DeBellis is an elite-level boulderer and software engineer. We sat down in Rocklands and talked about her biggest lessons from childhood gymnastics and collegiate athletics, trying V13s in Magic Wood and Rocklands, getting comfortable with failure, learning to embrace her style, her elaborate warmup routine, how she plans her 6-week training cycles, her role with KAYA, tips for sustaining a full-time job on the road, and much more!Check out The Nugget on YouTube:youtube.com/@thenuggetclimbingThe Nugget is brought to you by BetterHelp!betterhelp.com/NUGGETUse this link for 10% off your first month!Check out PhysiVantage!physivantage.com (link includes 15% off coupon)Use code "NUGGET15" at checkout for 15% off your next order!Check out Chalk Cartel!chalkcartel.comUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 20% off your next order!Check out Rumpl!rumpl.com/nuggetUse code "NUGGET" at checkout for 10% off your first order!Check out Wonderful Pistachios!WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more!We are supported by these amazing BIG GIVERS:Leo Franchi, Michael Roy, David Lahaie, Robert Freehill, Jeremiah Johnson, Scott Donahue, Eli Conlee, Skyler Maxwell, Craig Lee, Mark and Julie Calhoun, Yinan Liu, Renzollama, Zach Emery, and Brandt MickolasSupport on Patreon: patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing Show Notes: thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/jenn-debellisNuggets:0:04:57 – Bugs and SAT words0:06:39 – Jenn’s gymnastics background, and pole vaulting in college0:11:12 – Paying attention to the best qualities in our friends0:13:15 – Tough coaches, and learning to be tough on herself0:15:00 – Being comfortable with failure, and Jenn’s Olympic aspirations in gymnastics0:19:26 – Setting the scene0:20:09 – Getting inspired by Ray of Light V13, and Jenn’s initial goals for her trip to Rocklands0:22:24 – The breakdown of Ray of Light, and the standards in Rocklands0:24:10 – V10 and 8A, and the decision to try really hard and inspiring things0:26:30 – The 8a leaderboard, and shift her philosophy to chase dream boulders0:30:50 – My new shoe mod for Black Shadow0:34:08 – Getting excited about “sending” crux moves, and turning small wins into big wins0:35:59 – Trying beyond limit boulders, and making tradeoffs0:40:21 – Jenn and I compare our experiences with Black Shadow and Ray of Light, and share takeaways0:48:00 – The climbers we’ve learned from, and the truth about people who climb hard0:51:04 – Owning your style, not falling into the pitfall of trying to copy your peers, and trying Full Throttle V13 in Hueco0:57:23 – How living on the road has changed my perception of climbing, and different ways you can express difficulty in climbing0:59:06 – Working on her strengths and supplementing her weaknesses1:01:20 – Thinking about her training in checkboxes1:03:14 – Not knowing where home is, and having many homes on the road1:08:28 – Jenn’s lifestyle, leaving her PhD program to live in a van1:15:05 – How Jenn balances indoor training and outdoor performance1:17:49 – How she plans her training cycles, and using autoregulation to ramp up after a trip1:21:29 – “Injury is the enemy.”1:22:12 – How Jenn balances her climbing life with a full-time remote job1:23:46 – Life is 30% less efficient on the road1:25:49 – Tips for finding cheap rent in cities1:26:54 – The dirtbag mindset, how to make working on the road sustainable1:31:13 – How Jenn structures a 6-week training block, and the key ingredients in her training1:33:07 – Weight lifting, and cutting out accessory exercises1:35:07 – Board climbing, and how to train for something like Full Throttle1:36:46 – Jenn’s long-ass climbing warmup1:40:21 – The different stages of Jenn’s warmup1:41:28 – Keeping training and outdoor trips separate1:43:45 – Improving year on year1:44:54 – Upcoming trips and goals, and training 4x4s on her home wall1:47:53 – KAYA, Jenn’s role on the engineering team, and her passion for her work1:54:44 – Favorite rock type, and thinking better on granite1:57:08 – Ultimate dream climbs, and meaningful first female ascents1:59:34 – Joe’s Valley doughnuts2:01:11 – Kodiak Cakes2:02:06 – Go-to climbing shoes2:02:17 – Jenn’s connection to Joe’s Valley, and how she became a software engineer2:05:02 – Desert Island DVDs2:06:31 – Hype music2:08:27 – Best decision she’s ever made, and how long she sees herself living this lifestyle2:11:42 – Thoughts about having a family and drawing inspiration from strong moms2:12:42 – What Jenn wishes people spent less time thinking about2:14:25 – Building out her van2:17:36 – Toying with the idea of bringing back blogs2:19:45 – Wrapping up in the dark