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 150: Luke Mehall — How Climbing Gave Him His Life, Creating The Climbing Zine, and Sustaining Creative Work
EP 149: Steven on Kegels and Coffee — We Are Not Robots, As It Turns Out
EP 148: Alan Watts (Repost) — A Life at Smith Rock, Eating Every Other Day, and Meeting Adam Ondra
BONUS: Alita Contreras — Guerreras Film!
Announcing Merch!
EP 147: Alayna Joy — Coming out to 400k Subscribers, Queerness in Climbing, and Compulsory Heterosexuality
EP 146: Todd Perkins — The Mind-Opening Effects of Cannabis, Why Gratitude is the Key to Climbing Longevity, and Near-Death Experiences
Follow-Up: Amity Warme — Sending ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’ in a Hailstorm, and Lessons From Another Season in Yosemite (Teaser)
EP 145: Katie Lamb — Breaking Into V14, Embracing Micro Beta, and How Climbers Can Be Leaders in the Climate Movement
EP 144: Marisa Michael — Why Losing Weight Won’t Make You Climb Harder, How to Navigate Food, and Intuitive Eating
EP 143: Matt Heyliger — Tissue Capacity vs. Biomechanics, Why Mobility Comes Before Strength, and the Eyeball Story
EP 142: Aidan Roberts — Training for Alphane V17, the Power of Replicas, and Embracing Your Style
EP 141: Robbie Phillips — Exploring Scottish Sea Cliffs, Keeping Things Fun, and Capturing Memories Through Filmmaking
EP 140: Tommy Caldwell — Undone Lines on El Cap, Father-Son Relationships, and Exploring the Limits of Human Endurance
EP 139: Lynn Hill — Breaking Barriers in Climbing, How to Find Self-Belief, and Challenging Social Norms
EP 138: Q&A 6 (feat. Taylor Fragomeni) — Ways to Improve Your Climbing if Access is Limited, and More Patron Questions
Follow-Up: Ned Feehally — More Beastmaking Questions, and Longer Hangs for Long-Term Strength Gains (Teaser)
EP 137: Drew Ruana & Cameron Hörst — Lessons from Recent Sends, Training for Bouldering vs. Sport Climbing, and Leveling Up to V18 and 5.15c
EP 136: Dan Varian — High Angle Crimps, Silver Bullets in Finger Strength, and How to Activate Lazy Fingers
EP 135: Alice Hafer — How to Train Your Mind Muscle, Tips for Staying Motivated, and Box Jumps for Power
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