Self-Improvement

The thoughts, stories, and ideas of professional athletes.

Self-Improvement Featured

Interview with Climbing Coach Matt Chapman: Part 2

Rock climbing coach Matt Chapman and I discuss the importance of losing, doing mental training with his athletes, and his incredible social media following.

Members only

Self-Improvement

Ferris Wheels, Reindeer, and High-Quality Leisure in Finland

Self-Improvement Featured

Interview with Climbing Coach Matt Chapman: Part 1

I chatted with Canada's most popular rock climbing coach, Matt Champan, to talk about his philosophies about competition, how he draws from other sports, and John Danaher's parable of the plank.

Self-Improvement

My Top 5 Takeaways After a Full Season on the IFSC Circuit

In my first full season on the IFSC Boulder World Cup circuit, I learned more about myself, my performance, and my preparation than any other season.

Members only

Competitions

Some Complicated Thoughts on Mild Success

Leveling up in the world brings on a whole new set of challenges, harder than the ones I've already faced.

Members only

Self-Improvement

Don’t Be a Fan: How to Become the Competition

Don't let the best in the world intimidate you. It's as simple as that.

Members only

Self-Improvement

The Training Camp Effect

Leaving your comfort zone is not an easy task, but if you can manage it, there are great gains to be had.

Members only

Self-Improvement

Pushing Further

For the longest time, I thought my best chance of getting really good at climbing was to specialize, and train exclusively for the discipline of bouldering, opposed to training for lead (rope climbing) or speed as well. For over four years, I did exactly that, and I became one of

Members only

Self-Improvement

Man and Machine

As an athlete, you’re constantly iterating on your training. Five years ago, my training was child’s play, at least compared to what I’m doing now. Whenever a new iteration comes about, I’m always disappointed I hadn’t been doing it all along. But I’m certain

Members only

Self-Improvement

You Have to Suffer

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years, thinking about what it means to be a professional athlete. Apart from the basics of diet and training, I’m moreover intrigued by what’s going on upstairs. There’s something special about a person that will devote every waking

Members only

Self-Improvement

The One Hit Wonder

In all my years of competing, I’ve come to an absolute conclusion: anyone can win a competition. Whether it’s a lucky turn of events, conditions that suit certain strengths, or a payoff of training, the results of a competition simply can’t be predicted. Underdogs keep winning championships

Members only

Self-Improvement

The Process

I started meditating because I wanted to be a better athlete. While that motivation is still present, meditation practice and theory has opened my eyes to its farther reaching benefits, benefits I once cared very little for. I held rock climbing up as the most important thing in my life.

Members only

Self-Improvement

Training on the 25th

Christmas day is a pretty major holiday. Most people get the day off work, there’s a good two, even three month ramp up, it even has its own genre of music. Along with it comes a certain atmosphere as well. Typically you think of a lazy day, with comfort

Members only

Self-Improvement

High Quality High Fives

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a competition climber. I have little business being outside, but recently I thought I’d work some leisure days into my schedule. This was my first season outside in two and a half years. I had injured myself on a boulder in my

Members only

Self-Improvement

The Question of Passion

People often question whether I enjoy training. After all, training takes up the majority of my athletic life. If you don’t enjoy training, you can’t possibly enjoy being an athlete, and if you don’t enjoy being an athlete, “Why are you doing it?” People aren’t just

Members only

Self-Improvement

What If Ego Isn't the Enemy?

I was recently reading Clyde Brolin’s Overdrive: Formula 1 in the Zone, when a line caught my attention: “On the way up you have to believe you are the best or you won’t make it anywhere near the top… Once you have a world title a major element

Members only

Self-Improvement

The Thunderstorm

In August of 2017, I was 16 years old and in Europe. I was there to attend the Youth World Championships in Austria, and my first Open World Cup (WC) in Germany. Qualifying to attend these competitions was, in a certain sense, scandalous. I injured myself shortly before youth Nationals

Members only

Self-Improvement

NO SUCH THING AS BAD DAYS

The first entry of my training log was dated March 12, 2018. The day I got the book, I opened the cover and wrote something in all caps along the top. It would guide every training session and competition round - everyday of my life - that followed. I wrote,

Members only

Self-Improvement

Rule #17 - Don't Be a Hero

People love heroes. Most of the highest grossing films in history portray some heroic protagonist who fights through turmoil and adversity to achieve a greater good. A key element of a hero is their affinity to putting themselves in harm’s way. We like seeing heroes take crazy risks in

Members only

Self-Improvement

May the Odds Be Never in Your Favour

The selection process for astronauts. A place where thousands upon thousands of people ended their dreams to go to space, and a place where a remarkable few broke out of the crowd. To date, there have been 560 astronauts selected around the world. Canada has contributed 14 to that number.

Members only

Self-Improvement

Body Image Part 2: The Scale

In climbing, you can benefit a lot from being light. Many sports are the same. For women in climbing, the bar is particularly high (or rather, low) for being light. A lot of athletes pull out all the stops to be as small as possible on competition day, sometimes to

Members only

Self-Improvement

Body Image Part 1: The Mirror

Members only

Self-Improvement

What Makes a Champion?

Many coaches have the dream of working with an Olympian or member of a National Team, but I couldn’t care less about that. I want a champion. If those titles seem synonymous, then we better clarify. Before I went to Canadian Open Nationals, I wrote a letter to myself

Members only

Self-Improvement

Never Let Yourself Give up: A Debrief

The 2020 Canadian Open Boulder National Championships - finals, problem one. I was ready. I knew it was going to be a dynamic start, so I was psyched out of my mind, ready to execute first try, ready to rip the holds off the wall and hand them to the

Members only

Self-Improvement

How to Try Hard

Few athletes can truly perform to the best of their abilities when they need to. Madison explains how to get motivation to try hard.