April 09, 2025

Louis Parkinson: A Masterclass on How to Improve at Indoor Climbing

1 hour 37 minutes

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Coach Louis Parkinson of Catalyst Climbing joins the show to explore:

His recent struggles with low self-esteem

The main differences between indoor and outdoor climbing

Why indoor grades are softer at the lower end

Movement styles that are unique to indoor climbing

The problem with boulder grades in general

Knowing when we're climbing too much (or not enough)

Utilizing indoor climbs to become more well rounded outdoors

The reason many climbers avoid dynamic movements (and how to fix it)

The shockingly small odds of getting seriously hurt

A comprehensive (and fun) 20-minute climbing warmup

The 3 simple movements that make up nearly all dynamic climbs

The huge benefit of not trying to send

How to accelerate learning on indoor climbs

How to coach ourselves as if Louis were in our heads

BIG THANKS TO THE AMAZING SPONSORS OF THE STRUGGLE WHO LOVE ROCK CLIMBING AS MUCH AS YOU DO:

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Shoutout to Matt Waltereese for being a Victory Whip supporter on Patreon! So mega.

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Check out the Catalyst channel on YT: @catalystclimbing

This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin, and edited by Glen Walker. The Struggle is carbon-neutral in partnership with The Honnold Foundation and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

And now here are some buzzwords to help the almighty algorithm get this show in front of people who love to climb: rock climbing, rock climber, climbing, climber, bouldering, sport climbing, gym climbing, how to rock climb, donuts are amazing. Okay, whew, that’s done. But hey, if you’re a human that’s actually reading this, and if you love this show (and love to climb) would you think about sharing this episode with a climber friend of yours? And shout it out on your socials? I’ll send you a sticker for doing it. Just shoot me a message on IG – thanks so much!

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By Ryan Devlin

4.7

171171 ratings