Anna is a boulder & lead climber from team Germany and one of the younger athletes I’ve interviewed so far as she still competed in youth world champs last year. In this episode, we’ll talk about the differences between the youth and senior circuit, the pressure of expectations after FLASHING all qualis boulders in Innsbruck, and we get some insight into team Germany.

Guest links:

Anna’s Instagram

Reference links:

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Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com

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Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:24 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

3:50 - Starting climbing at 3!

8:18 - Competing in youth and Senior Circuit at the same time

12:27 - Youth setting vs senior setting

14:42 - Big performance boost in 2024

17:23 - Flashing all Innsbruck quails boulders

22:22 - Why younger climbers dominate the WC circuit

25:09 - German national team

30:04 - German military sponsorship

34:04 - 2025 season

36:19 - Finding out if the combined format will be in LA 2028

39:05 - Non-climbing hobbies + sewing!

42:23 - Outdoor projects

43:28 - IG Q: What is the hardest part of being an athlete?

49:06 - IG Q: Tips on improving arm strength

50:27 - IG Q: Where can I buy the Germany down jacket?

51:12 - IG Q: Non-climbing related goal

52:58 - IG Q: Thoughts on the minimum BMI requirement

57:29 - Outro and where to find Anna

Rodrigo is a boulder & lead climber from team Brazil. He actually started climbing fairly recently in 2018, but since then has been a 2x south american cup winner and is working his way up the ranks on the world cup circuit! In this episode, we talk about what makes training and climbing in Brazil difficult, how he feels like a “weaker” climber due to starting out as a chubbier kid, and mindset tips he uses while competing.

Guest links:

Rodrigo’s Instagram

Reference links:

Brazilian Hold Brand - Crux

Night Moves - Outdoor Brazilian Climbing

Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/

Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Join the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp

Join Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:28 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:29 - Starting climbing only 8 years ago!

7:24 - How to mentally recover from knee injury

10:38 - The importance of hold and movement exposure

13:57 - Living in Australia

16:38 - Competing in Prague with a knee brace

21:45 - The difficulties of climbing hard in South America

25:31 - Brazil climber funding

30:19 - Climbing scene in Brazil

36:15 - Thoughts on the upcoming 2025 Brazil WC

39:27 - Mindset and overcoming being a "weaker" climber

48:43 - Once a fat kid, always a fat kid

51:47 - Discord Q: Top 3 slab tips

56:13 - Discord Q: Thoughts on limiting country participation? Does it actually help smaller nations?

1:02:20 - Discord Q: Outdoor climbing projects in Brazil?

1:05:19 - S/O to South American climbers and where to find Rodrigo

Niklas Wiechmann and Jake Mason are routesetters from "Another Setting Podcast" but you may already be familiar with them because Niki was my FIRST ever podcast guest and you are probably familiar with Jake from the Bouldering Bobats. In this episode, we absolutely TRASH US gym hold selection and setting, they give their opinions on worldwide setting styles, comp formats, and moves to LEAVE BEHIND in 2024, and we discuss freelance vs world cup routesetter pay.

Guest links:

“Another Setting Podcast”

Niki’s Youtube

Jake’s Youtube

Niki’s Instagram

Jake’s Instagram

Reference links:

The hold that doesn’t need to exist

Routesetting workshops through Frankenjura Academy

Dockmasters 2025 - January

Studiobloc masters 2025 - March

Quarryman

Thank you Mad Rock for sponsoring this episode! Use code 'notrealclimber' for 10% off your ENTIRE order, even if you're a returning customer! https://madrock.com/

Learn more about the podcast at www.thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast.com

Follow on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Join the FREE community in Discord! https://discord.gg/QTa668g8zp

Join Patreon for a welcome gift, deleted scenes, and question priority: www.patreon.com/thatsnotrealclimbingpodcast

Timestamps of discussion topics

0:00 - Intro

1:33 - Mad Rock Shoutout!!

2:29 - Stretching!

5:36 - The bromance + getting into setting

10:23 - Settings trends in each country

15:10 - TRASHING hold selection in US gyms

24:54 - Lack of style in world cups

32:26 - Setting for Brawl on the Wall

42:28 - Fun experimental comp formats

48:08 - Niki's setting future + Frankenjura academy

52:58 - How will setting innovate?

57:12 - STOP setting these moves and START setting these!

1:01:41 - World Cup setter dreams or freelancing + pay

1:09:04 - Another Setting Podcast

1:11:57 - Discord Q: Why is it rare to find footwork-intensive climbs in gyms?

1:14:53 - Discord Q: How important is hold selection in order to force a move?

1:19:27 - Discord Q: What is the "jug ladder" of parkour routes?

1:23:47 - Words of widsom + Where to find Niki and Jake