I see carbohydrate backloading pop into my news feed from time to time. Usually, it’s being promoted as an easy dietary trick either to improve weight loss or to build more muscle—everyone loves these outcomes, of course, so the topic has persistent (if somewhat phasic) popularity. The basic idea behind carb backloading is simple: for […]
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Sugar Guidelines for Climbers
Sugar is hotly debated. Even discounting carbophobic groups (like keto dieters), sugar is often considered unhealthy and not “worth” putting in your body compared to other sources of calories. Sugar is also demonized as being the foremost cause of poor health outcomes, with entire books written attempting to link sugar intake alone to diseases like […]
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The Times Timing Matters
When does timing matter? Ten years ago, nutrient timing was huge; entire nutrition philosophies arose from the idea that there were “windows” when certain nutrients were more or less important. Today, accumulating evidence suggests this isn’t true—but timing as a concept isn’t quite dead. There are times and situations when timing matters. More specifically, there […]
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An In-Depth Look at Energy Metabolism: Part III
This week we’re finishing up our in-depth look at energy metabolism. In the first segment of this series, we looked closely at the biochemistry of energy metabolism and focused specifically on the equations of the phosphagen system, glycolytic system, and aerobic carbohydrate and fat metabolism. In the second segment, we looked at what does and […]
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An In-Depth Look at Energy Metabolism: Part I
One thing I’ve noticed across the years is that the better someone understands the basic science about a topic, the less likely they are to have pseudoscientific beliefs on it. It’s just like anything else, I suppose; your skill at the basic movements found in a sport is a good predictor of your overall ability […]
Read the full article...Results From a Recent Ketogenic Diet Study
I haven’t really addressed ketogenic diets aside from a few articles where I discuss the overall benefits of carbohydrates to climbing, which inherently suggests that diets that exclude carbohydrates are a poor choice if your top concern is performance. I’m still not really going to dig into ketogenic diets in this little article, but rather want […]
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Reader Questions #4
Time for more Reader Questions! In this installment, I answer questions regarding: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) Big Picture Protein Intake Creatine Cessation and Strength/Power Question #1: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) I recently come across one of your articles about the effects of anxiety on climbing performance and […]
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The Sports Nutrition Pyramid
Occasionally, I come across articles that try to simplify sports nutrition by dispensing with most common “good practices” as unnecessary (like nutrient timing, macro goals, etc.). Usually, their core message is that you should just follow your instincts—eat what you want, when you want, and not worry about the specifics. I get why they’ve adopted this approach—it’s hard and […]
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4 Things That Won’t Help Your Tendons and 4 Things That Might
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 […]
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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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