The Testpiece Podcast

Andy Lamb has climbed multiple V16’s, flashed multiple V13’s, and placed as high as 3rd in Bouldering Nationals. But you’ve probably never heard of him because he’s not a professional climber, his Instagram is rarely updated, and his 8a scorecard is pseudonymous. And yes, Andy and Katie Lamb are brother and sister! Hear Andy’s unique path in climbing that is more relatable than other V16 climbers....

First go best go! Tim and Josh talk about flashing as a specific form of climbing. What it shows about the grade of a climb, what it shows about the climber, how to get better at flashing, and also the ethics behind a legitimate flash. Listen in as Tim completely changes Josh’s mind on flashing and then find out Josh’s best tip for flashing hard that he got from past guest, Carlo Traversi. SHOW NO...

History has been made — Katie Lamb is officially the first woman in the world to climb V16, Box Therapy!  Katie is an absolute master of the mental game for high level climbing. She treated us with a detailed breakdown of exactly what she does. How to approach projecting, how to make each try count, and the importance of persistence.  The podcasts starts out with Katie sharing with us the vision o...

Tim and Josh chat about Yosemite bouldering, gym climbing, bad setting, and the hard truth that just because you’ve climbed V8, doesn’t mean you’re a V8 climber. Then Tim and Josh answer some of the burning questions from listeners: When and how-to session with the local strong crew. How to deal with all the training advice on social media that is sometimes contradictory. How to handle with “morph...

When Mike Heinstein speaks about the climbing world, we listen.  That’s because Mike is an extremely successful entrepreneur with more experience in business than perhaps anyone in climbing 🤯. Mike has always been a life long climber and now that he’s done with his previous business, Art.com , he has set his sights on the world of climbing by opening up the innovative Mosaic Boulders in Berkeley,...

How do you fit it all in when you are busy? How do you decide what is important and what isn’t? What if you show up feeling like crap? This podcast is all about how to deal with the realities of a busy life while still progressing in your climbing. Tim and Josh have different approaches because they have different lives. Tim is a pro-climber who has to travel often and struggles to have a set sche...

Holy sh!t folks, this one was special. Nathaniel Coleman went deep on this pod in a way he hasn’t before elsewhere. He's an Olympic Silver Medalist, a 3x National Bouldering Champion (in a row!), and he FA'd the iconic Grand Illusion, a V16. Just one of these things would cement him as one of the top climbers in our sport. In the podcast Nathaniel shares what is actually going through hi...

You're Training Wrong, my dude. Maybe... In this podcast, Tim and Josh ask the question "Are we thinking about training all wrong?" This topic goes into the current state of "#Training", and figuring out how to answer The Fundamental Question: "How do we get better at climbing?".  Spoiler -- It's not a simple question. As Will Anglin says: "Climbing is...

Eric Jerome has multiple V15 FA’, he is a prolific developer, and he works in the climbing industry at KAYA .  But what made us want to talk to Eric on this podcast was his pursuit of the BEST boulders. Who doesn’t want to climb the best boulders?! First Eric had to answer the question “What makes one boulder better than another?” Join us on this journey as we dive deep into the origin of the “Sta...

Sequencing is one of the core abilities we must develop as climbers. It starts with the macro, but if you want to really solve that crux you have to go into the micro details.  But learning how to know where to look for efficiencies in the micro is hard. Tim and Josh try to demystify this process and show how to figure out where to eek out tiny bits of help in order to unlock that seemingly imposs...

An absolutely EPIC podcast with Will Anglin, one of the founder’s of Tension Climbing. Other than creating the coolest climbing brand that every “climber's climber” love, Will has coached for years, smashes V14, and dove deeper into training than most. Tune in to: Hear amazing stories from the legendary training center / “The Shop” at the Tension HQ. This is where the strongest in America get...

Lot’s of psyche but also some bad news on this one…  You can’t miss Tim’s reflections on his “favorite episode” with Jason Kehl!  Tim and Josh discuss some of the questions that were brought up in the first Testpiece Classroom. (Join them next month by signing up on  Patreon !) The podcast closes with a discussion about board climbing and why so many climbers gravitate towards them instead normal...

This was a dream come true for Josh — hearing straight from Jason Kehl himself about the FA of Evilution! But wait, there’s more. Jason’s impact within the climbing world is second to none. You’ve either climbed on one his FA’s, or climbed on a gym wall he’s designed, or grabbed a grip he shaped. Yes, he’s that prolific. Tune in and hear more from the absolute LEGEND, Jason Kehl! Find more from Ja...

Tim and Josh are extra psyched on climbing right now. They share what’s been going on in their training and the goals they’ve set for themselves. They also share some highlights and lessons learned from the David Fitzgerald interview last week. The topic of the day is about how to maximize your training while dealing with the reality of what facilities you have available. How do you train for a 60...

David Fitzgerald is “one of the most underrated climbers out there” per Jimmy Webb. If that doesn’t make you hit play immediately, keep reading because there’s more… On top of being a v15 climber (v16 soon!) with insane finger strength, he is also an extremely talented editor/videographer. You probably have seen his newest film with Keenan Takahashi, “A Little Life”, and if you haven’t yet… Why no...

The ’23 Boulder WC season is over and it was a banger! Even if comps aren’t your thing we all have a ton to learn from watching the best of the best battle it out. This season had some of the most impressive breakout talent — hear Tim and Josh talk about the 16 year old phenom, Sorato Anraku. And per usual, the pod starts with a review of the most recent guest — Jon Cardwell. There was a lot packe...

Jon Cardwell is one of the top sport climbers in the world with multiple 5.15’s sends under his belt. Oh ya, and the 3rd ascent of a legendary V15 you might have heard of, “The Game”.  And during this podcast you’ll see why. Jon is introspective, open minded, and relentlessly puts in the work. Join us while he shares how he has figured out how to send hard, and what he has learned from the all sta...

Most of the time we don’t have a coach sitting behind us giving feedback. So what do you when you are by yourself and stuck? How do you do learn to coach yourself when no one is around? Tim and Josh share how to use video, questions, and friends, to answer the questions “Why?” [did I fall]. Tim shows how this is one of the most important skills to develop in order to get better, forever. They use...

You care about climbing. I care about climbing. And so does Jamie Emerson. Because Jamie cares so much he is willing to dive into the minutiae to help us define our sport. The How and the Why behind how Jamie does this is fascinating and will hit home to all of us who love climbing so much. Jimmy Webb jokingly called him the “Sheriff” and somehow that nickname stuck. But that one word title doesn’...

 Is B-Pumo Ogikubo the best climbing gym is the world?   Japan has created some of the strongest climbers in the world, especially in the competition scene, and Tim wanted to know how they did it.  So Tim made the pilgrimage to Japan to see what all the chatter was about. He goes into the setting, the holds, the style, and the yakitori. PS -- Here's the tripod Tim mentions in his Pro-Tip: htt...

You know him, you hate him, Tristan Chen — the ‘Villain’ of climbing! We’re half-joking, Tristan is only the ‘Villain’ because it makes the climbing world more fun and he has opinions that he’s not afraid to share. And make no mistake, these opinions are not just to cause problems — they are well thought through and interesting. The truth is, most high level climbers are already having these conve...

Sometimes climbing can be intense. Maybe it’s in competition, maybe it’s being way off the deck and in serious danger, or maybe you just know it’s the last try you have because of skin, conditions, or the end of a trip coming. Tim and Josh share how to handle these situations, and even better, how to prepare yourself for these moments through training. Don’t just hope that you will rise to the mom...

Carlo Traversi ( @carlodenali ) is a professional climber that has mastered every discipline in climbing. 5.14+ trad, 5.15 sport, V16 boulders, USA Nation Team for over a DECADE! Carlo has done it all. On top of this, he founded one of the top gyms in the nation — The Boulder Field .  Tune in and learn how Carlo achieved all of this and how you can too. Don’t miss this one. Tim and Josh think it’s...

Tim and Josh dig into the topic of injuries. How to avoid them, how to work around them, how to train around them, and the mindset you need to get through them and come back stronger. They both have had their fair share and learned a lot from them. They are often make or break moments in your career, so tune in to hear from our mistakes and the our new best practices. Pro-Tip: Don’t get injured. J...

Jared Roth joined Tim and Josh for an epic pod! There was soooo much ground to cover because Jared has done it all in the climbing world. Be sure not to miss his stories about the early days in Bishop and his FA of the iconic Rastaman Vibration (stand start of Lucid Dreaming). But Jared is more than just an OG crusher with some of the best FA’s in America — he also now owns the legendary climbing...