Anak Verhoeven is a professional climber from Belgium and one of the most accomplished female sport climbers ever. We talked about growing up with her mom as coach and dad as trainer, why she quit competitions, dealing with a strange injury that plagued her for 3+ years, winning her first World Cup, building 9a+ endurance with mediocre training facilities, making up rules in the gym, her onsighting strategy, being public about her faith, and much more!
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/anak-verhoeven
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:03:14) – Living in a small motorhome with her parents on long trips
(00:06:40) – Anak’s 9a and harder resume, and her level of fame in Belgium
(00:10:03) – How Anak makes a living
(00:13:51) – The advantages of doing everything herself
(00:15:48) – How her mom and dad became her coach and trainer
(00:17:58) – Practicing her autograph as a kid
(00:20:13) – Competing in her first international competition
(00:22:34) – Struggling in early competitions, and navigating disappointment
(00:25:54) – Setting the bar high
(00:27:47) – Family meetings
(00:31:24) – Rest days, exercises, and hair washing
(00:37:04) – Leading her first route at age 4
(00:41:08) – Getting injured and falling in love with climbing
(00:44:19) – The variety within climbing
(00:50:50) – Why Anak quit competitions
(00:56:51) – Anak’s strange arm injury
(01:06:46) – Working on her shoulder mobility
(01:10:21) – Keeping her arm injury a secret
(01:14:08) – Current status of her arm
(01:17:05) – Understanding what folks with chronic illness go through
(01:20:59) – What does Anak miss the most about competitions?
(01:25:46) – Longer trips, and the stress of competitions
(01:30:43) – Winning her first World Cup in Arco
(01:34:05) – The satisfaction of sending Ciudad de Dios pa la Enmienda
(01:42:15) – Getting fresh air during competitions
(01:44:59) – Anak’s training shed
(01:47:57) – Training on the same routes for 3 years, and motivation vs. fancy facilities
(01:53:01) – Anak’s strategy for onsighting comp routes
(01:57:11) – Making up rules at the gym
(02:01:36) – How Anak built her endurance
(02:07:15) – Mental endurance
(02:11:27) – 9b and trad climbing goals for 2024
(02:14:43) – Why she is open about her faith
(02:22:33) – How do climbers react to her faith?
(02:29:46) – The pressure I felt as a kid to spread faith, and moving away from religion
(02:33:09) – How Anak thinks about sharing her faith, and her lack of judgment toward other people
(02:34:57) – Choosing her faith for herself
(02:37:57) – Wrap up and EXTRA teaser!
EP 43: Emily Harrington — Projecting ‘Golden Gate’ in a Day, Embracing Fear, and Cupcake Batter Ice Cream
EP 42: Hailey Franklin Fultz — Strength + Nutrition, Fat Loss Strategies, and “Healthifying” Dessert
Follow-Up: Drew Ruana — Recent V16s (Teaser)
EP 41: Tonde Katiyo (Part 2) — RIC as a Tool, the Value of Route Setting, and Keeping Training in Perspective
EP 40: Tonde Katiyo (Part 1) — Discrimination vs. Privilege, and Making a Better World by Making Better Climbing
Follow-Up: Ethan Pringle — The Stories We Tell Ourselves (Teaser)
EP 39: Matt Fultz — ‘Hypnotized Minds’ V16, Strength Before Weight, and Using Your Build as a Gift
EP 38: Solomon Barth — Up-Down-Ups, Veganism, and Working to Live (and Make a Difference)
EP 37: Simon Carter — Action vs. Landscape, The Taipan Closure, and Top 10 Climbing Photography Tips
BONUS: Charlie Manganiello — Goals vs. Actions, Synchronized Swimming, and Magic Bullets
BONUS: Alex Bridgewater — Getting Strong, Speed Walking, and Self-Belief
EP 36: Climb Strong Team — 2020 Training Camp Mashup
EP 35: Steve Bechtel — Changing Your Mind, Lessons From Studying Sprinting, and Creating Better Habits
EP 34: Roger Volkmann — Five Principles of Life, Tough vs. Strong, and Devils Tower
EP 33: Mike Kerzhner — El Cap’s ‘PreMuir’, Emigrating from Russia, and Discipline vs. Necessity
EP 32: Natasha Barnes — Myths and Truths of Strength Training, Calorie Balance, and The Power Mullet
EP 31: Maya Madere — Windsurfing, Endurance Training for Boulderers, and Trusting Intuition
EP 30: Connor Herson — Fourteen 5.14s at Fourteen, Big Wall Free Climbing, and Power Training on a Home Wall
EP 29: Tyson Schoene — Building World-Class Athletes, the Value of Competition, and Drills for Every Climber
EP 28: Blake Cason on Radical Honesty, the Mindfulness Muscle, and Cycling Priorities
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