After I finished writing my glucosamine and chondroitin supplement guide and follow-up executive overview, I realized that what I had written could be disheartening. I don’t want to be solely the bearer of bad news, and I’ve also experienced firsthand how presenting only the negatives can fail to inspire change. Since one of the foremost goals […]
Read the full article...How Risky Is Eating Bacon?
In the future, I’m going to try to address news items like this on the Climbing Nutrition Facebook page as they happen in real time! But I obviously didn’t manage to do that last week so I’m going to write a post about it today instead because it’s still worth addressing. The bit of nutrition news […]
Read the full article...Why Don’t Glucosamine and Chondroitin Work for Climbers?
Last week I published the official supplement guide for glucosamine and chondroitin, but I also wanted to write a second, more reader-friendly executive summary (and alternate analysis) for these guides so you don’t have to go through the entire 2,000 word (or longer) document to get why I made such-and-such a recommendation. So this week, I’m going […]
Read the full article...Glucosamine & Chondroitin Supplement Guide
Facts at a Glance Glucosamine and chondroitin are touted as joint health supplements, but appear to only be effective in treating the specific form of joint damage common to osteoarthritis (cartilage degeneration)—and even there, the science is less than decided. The type of joint damage common to climbers cannot be repaired or prevented by glucosamine […]
Read the full article...Do Climbers Need Extra Vitamins and Minerals?
There is a surprisingly common notion in the world of sport that athletes have higher requirements for certain vitamins and minerals. At some point, someone even dreamed up a “performance daily intake” (or PDI), which is meant to replace the RDA for active individuals. To cut to the chase, this idea is 99% false (and […]
Read the full article...A Glimpse at My Diet
I’m busy compiling and reviewing sources for a new supplement guide on glucosamine and chondroitin right now, so this week’s post will be less intense than normal. Instead of addressing a specific topic in the world of climbing nutrition, I’m going to discuss the food I brought along with me for a few of my recent […]
Read the full article...A Simple Nutrition Tip for Breaking Plateaus
Every climber plateaus at some point in their career. It’s frustrating, especially after rapidly progressing through the lower grades, but also inevitable. To combat this, they begin to add training in—campus boarding, resistance training, 4x4s, etc.—and they begin to move along again. All is well… but then the plateau happens again. Frustration sets in. At […]
Read the full article...Climbing & Crickets: A Look at the BugWall Project
This week, Meghan Curry is setting out to climb El Capitan. At the heart of her climb is one, simple idea: the viability of insects as a food source. To make her point, she is adhering to an insect-rich diet that many would call unusual, but which she has full confidence in. Indeed, as she […]
Read the full article...Canola Oil Is Perfectly Safe
A short post today dedicated to debunking a popular food myth: the dangers of canola oil. For whatever reason, canola oil is subject to a great deal of internet hate—despite having an extremely healthy nutrient profile—and you’d be wise to know the truth. Let’s start by looking at the scare tactics employed: Erucic Acid Is Toxic! […]
Read the full article...Is a Low-Carb Diet Protective Against Tendon Injury?
I read an article the other day entitled “Your Tendons on Cake” (you can read it here), and I thought it was a good opportunity to explore a topic close to the hearts of many climbers: their connective tissue. Specifically, the author (Dr. James Crownover, a sports medicine doctor) makes some claims about the effects of […]
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