Magnus Midtbø is a professional climber turned YouTuber from Norway. He has climbed 5.15b (9b), and his YouTube channel recently hit 1M subscribers. We talked about burning out on competitions and starting his YouTube career, the hard work behind success, favorite collaborations, go-to climbing workouts, and takeaways from training with Adam Ondra.
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Show Notes:
thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/magnus-midtbo
Nuggets:
(00:00:00) – Intro
(00:06:39) – Burning out on competitions, and starting his career as a YouTuber
(00:10:45) – Who is Magnus’s audience?
(00:13:10) – Editing and perfectionism
(00:15:59) – The hard work behind success
(00:18:05) – Pacing and music, and making the films personal
(00:21:09) – Being an interovert as a YouTuber
(00:23:35) – Why YouTube Channels die out
(00:26:16) – Making other types of videos outside of climbing, and not being afraid of trying new things
(00:28:05) – Parallels between YouTube and climbing, and logging routes on 8a.nu
(00:29:32) – Being known for his strength, and suffering during collaborations
(00:30:19) – Free soloing with Alex Honnold
(00:32:45) – Patron question from Cody: Which collaborations were the most fun?
(00:35:59) – Jujimufu
(00:37:54) – What Magnus learned from collaborating with Juji and Tom
(00:39:37) – Getting criticism from climbers, and letting go of worrying about what other people think
(00:40:49) – Anton the Russian Ninja Warrior
(00:42:09) – What Magnus has learned from spending time with Adam Ondra, and surrounding yourself with people who make you feel lazy
(00:44:19) – Finding balance vs. focusing on one thing
(00:50:58) – A week in Magnus’s life, and why he doesn’t film many outdoor videos
(00:56:37) – Common themes between top climbers, and how many of us overcomplicate our training
(00:58:23) – What climbing means to Magnus now, and wanting to climb a V15 (8C) boulder
(01:00:04) – Quitting coffee
(01:02:05) – Magnus’s go-to strength maintenance session
(01:04:12) – Why Magnus primarily climbs on commercial gym boulders
(01:05:47) – What Magnus would do if he wanted to climb his hardest again
(01:08:45) – Feeling healthier and happier at his current bodyweight
(01:11:04) – How much harder Magnus climbs without a shirt
(01:11:49) – Training on rock
(01:13:45) – Patron Question from Andrew: Biggest takeaways from training with Adam Ondra?
(01:16:39) – Watching tutorials on cameras and editing
(01:18:33) – How collaborations come about
(01:20:24) – Dream collaborations
(01:21:34) – What’s next for Magnus’s channel
(01:25:14) – Why Magnus doesn’t outsource his editing
(01:27:26) – How it works to get paid as a YouTuber, and investing in climbing gyms
(01:29:24) – What Magnus wishes he would have known earlier about YouTube, and wishing he hadn’t had respect for climbing grades
(01:33:17) – How top climbers almost have two personalities, and balancing humility with confidence
(01:35:18) – Learning to make fewer excuses, and other gifts from YouTube
(01:37:22) – Traveling, hiking, and exploring
(01:38:48) – What’s next
(01:39:30) – Where to find Magnus on the internet
Follow-Up: Ron Kauk — Listener Q&A, Who Punched John Bachar, and a Plane Full of Weed (Teaser)
EP 79: Tyler Nelson — A Deep Dive Into Blood Flow Restriction (BFR), Finger Training, and Doughnut Eating
EP 78: Jason Kehl — Karate Screams, Chronology of Hairstyles, and Bouldering with Cargo Nets
EP 77: Allison Vest — A Competitor’s Mindset, Fun Challenges, and the Secret to One-Arm Hangs
Follow-Up: Shanjean Lee — Free Climbing El Cap (Teaser)
A Call from Ethan
EP 76: Q&A 2 — Party Tricks vs. Useful Exercises, Training for Long-Term Goals, and Octopus Wrestling
EP 75: John Long — Yosemite Tales, the Love of Writing, and Opening Up About Alcoholism
Follow-Up: William Woodward — Sailing Stories, Vanlife Tips, and How to Wash Dishes (Teaser)
EP 74: Tom Randall on Patience, Finger Training, and the Late Night Climbing Show
EP 73: Kyle O’Meara — Favorite First Ascents, Experience vs. Strength, and Sharing the Love of Climbing
Follow-Up: Katie Lambert — Zebra Stripes, and the Goal to Climb 300 5.13s (Teaser)
EP 72: Eric Hörst (Part 2) — Coaching Kids, Training Slopers and Pinches, and the Science of Collagen
EP 71: Eric Hörst (Part 1) — TV Weather, Campusing vs. Hangboarding, and How to Train Your Core
Follow-Up: Alex Johnson — Sending The Mother F***ing Swarm (Teaser)
EP 70: Steve Maisch — How to Structure a Bouldering Trip, the 85% Rule, and Hueco Debrief
EP 69: Ron Kauk — Hollywood Stories, Camp 4 in the 70s, and Connecting with Mother Nature
Follow-Up: Ken Klein — The 3 Things We Should Be Assessing As Climbers (Teaser)
EP 68: Steve McClure — Hitchhiking Stories, Tenacity vs. Strength, and Making Your Own Luck
EP 67: Heth Jennings — Understanding Pain, Rehabbing Climbing Injuries, and Carb Backloading
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