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 121: Carol Simpson — Being a Girl in the South in the 1950s, Yoga as the Fountain of Youth, and Ageism in Climbing
EP 120: Lea Volpe — The World of Paraclimbing Competitions, How We Perceive Wheelchairs, and Empathy in Coaching
EP 119: Carrie Cooper — Thinking of Ourselves as Athletes, Research in Climbing, and Mobility and Warming Up
EP 118: Chad Andrews Interviews Steven Dimmitt — Repost from the Clipping Chains Podcast
Follow-Up. Joe Kinder — Sending 'Mamajamma', and What I Learned from 5 Weeks of Projecting with Joe (Teaser)
EP 117: Yves Gravelle — Lessons From Grip Sports, Basing Your Training on the Demands of Your Goal, and Top 3 Finger Training Methods
EP 116: Paul Robinson — Coming Back From Injuries, Opening Up About Autism, and Working Boulders Top Down
Steven's Blog: Mar '22
Reflections: Mina
Announcing "Reflections" and "Steven's Blog"
Follow-Up: Steve Maisch — Hueco 2022 Debrief (Teaser)
EP 115: Jordan Cannon — The Triple Crown in Yosemite, Big Wall Pooping Stories, and How to Build the Skills to Climb El Capitan
EP 114: Q&A 5 — My Current Finger Training Routine, How to Deal With Bad Body Image, and Golden Nuggets for Newer Climbers
EP 113: Ned Feehally — Beastmaking, Long-Term Finger Training, and Climbing With Ankle Weights
Follow-Up: Steve McClure — Sending ‘Lexicon’ E11, Projecting Tips, and How to Enjoy a Long Life of Climbing (Teaser)
EP 112: Favia Dubyk — Specializing in Lowball Roof Bouldering, Surviving Cancer, and Learning How to Dyno
EP 111: Jerry Moffatt — Being a “Crag Rat”, Developing Your Mental Game, and What the Top Climbers Have in Common
EP 110: “The Verm” Returns — Life Lessons at Age 62, Fun Facts About Birds, and Injury Stories
Follow-Up: Josh Wharton — Attempting to Flash 'Freerider' on El Cap (Teaser)
EP 109: Martin Keller — How to Train on Rock, Your Subconscious Brain, and Lessons from 150+ Days on a Boulder
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