Ideal Muscularity for Rock Climbing

[@bobbybersta3374]

10:28 "this is actually a really effective strategy for people with legs"

[@Jsoccer1999]

😂😂

[@johannmustermann2136]

Great, I have humongous calves by genetics🙄

[@jjgoodboy]

I have two legs but I know a dog with 4 legs. I have seen animals with dozens of legs but I’m not sure if they count as people. Maybe I should reach out to PETA for an answer 🤔. Incidentally spiders have eight legs but I suppose one could argue that they actually have eight arms and zero legs. Yeah that must be right, it would explain why you never see spiders out running in the evening and then fasting to lose leg weight.

[@guitarguy17555]

Mani, you just inspired me, ive been overweight my whole life and in the last half year dropped from 101 kg do 74 kg. Doing nothing but climbing, driving my bike and eating healthy. You are exactly my height 173 cm. And ive been really struggling dropping those last 5 to 7 kilos. But seeing you and realizing i have come so close to actually being really fit makes me wanna keep pushing and reaching my goal. Thanks Mani :)

[@ManitheMonkey]

Glad to hear that! Keep crushing!

[@DekarNL]

Great job man.

[@guitarguy17555]

@@DekarNL thanks man

[@Saundersstrong]

@@guitarguy17555 Maybe you can employ some fasting or low carb eating to shed the last few pounds , both methods are tried and true.

[@guitarguy17555]

@@Saundersstrong i would very much like to try that, do you have any suggestions on diets or fasting programs?

[@winedineclimb]

I was always confused hearing about the weights of the top guys, despite they are so packed with muscles. But then I realized that they are also really small in body height. (few exceptions). You only get a measurement when Jan Hojer is in a final round with the other guys. Looks like a dad with his 5 kids. 😂

[@Schyluer]

Literally LOL'd

[@christkind3067]

Starting with climbing was the start of being happy with my chicken legs for the first time :D

[@davidham1330]

Lolll same

[@billymcondon]

Literally lol

[@taerrar3882]

Well i came from soccer so ehhhhhhh

[@samdunkksu2b129]

I think part of the difference is modern climbing, bouldering in particular uses more explosive movements, while the old style was slower and more controlled, which could correlate to time under tension.

[@2fast4me9]

Im by far not a pro climber but i really wanna improve my climbing. Im 179cm with about 74kg at 9% bodyfat. Sometimes I feel Im too heavy for climbing but on the other hand I dont wanna look like a "zniachtl". Its really hard to find a good balance between good performance and a good physique.

[@ManitheMonkey]

same here actually, feeling kinda heavy AND climbing hard seems almost like an additional challenge, while losing weight for an ascent almost feels like cheating :P a pity it works so well

[@galingong]

Under ~10% you're definitely not heavy. As Mani said, genetics are heavily involved, but you should stay in a body fat range that's the lowest possible - one, that you can maintain, with a healthy diet without too much effort and sacrifice. For me, it's ~9-10%, for anything lower than that, I have to eat too little and if you eat too little, performance goes downhill pretty quickly. I track what I eat, how much I weight and how I perform, it helped me a lot determining what the "ideal" is, and what happens if I deviate from that. Just my 2 cents, it's possible that you can go leaner without sacrificing performance though.

[@eric.jerome]

Don't worry about it too much... I'm 175cm and have climbed a couple 8B+ at 84kg bodyweight...

[@91722854]

5:28, looks like I'm customising my in-game avatar, if there were ever a rock climbing game

[@Saundersstrong]

Hey Mani ..interesting point with the evening run, i will have to try this next time. I have cycled my whole life and have thick quads so im not sure how to work around this other than to just keep climbing and getting stronger . I am working on grip strength, flexibility and muscular endurance !

[@Alexis-hc5jl]

8:40 Thanks for this message Mani because it is really important to notice that. This is exactly what happened to me. I was almost realising my climbing dream (doing 8a routes) and for that I went to almost 3 or 4% body fat. But even if a the time I looked strong and my mind was strong it wasn't the case for my body and I started to injure myself a lot. Listen to your body guys

[@milan761]

Probably not 3-4% if you get close to 5% you can barely train and 3% is almost deadly. But Iam happy for you that you found a solution.

[@johnnycage435]

You’d be dead anything below 5 almost

[@Hanuman_]

Really interesting video and well thought out!

[@jujuloctodon3579]

You are my ray of sunshine , thank you

[@ManitheMonkey]

trying my best over here :P

[@babsds0]

I'm not sure if you mentioned this already, but I think bodyweight plays a much more important role in sport climbing than it does in bouldering. You've still got heavier guys like Matt Fultz and Jimmy Webb bouldering v15 and harder, not to mention old school legends like Fred Nicole and Klem Loscott who are all big guys. In sport climbing I can't think of anyone apart from Chris Sharma who weighs more than 75kg and climbs harder than 9a. I'm guessing that on short intense problems, the extra power that heavier climbers have maybe somewhat compensates for the excess weight that they're carrying, but on longer routes the disadvantage is too much.

[@begga9682]

agreed

[@RJ-is9ko]

Never heard of anyone desperately trying to lose weight to deadlift more. Simply get stronger to climb better regardless of your size.

[@Llucius1]

I am born lean as well , I would say for diet , it is kind of like the more I work out the more I could eat , I guess I am genetically harder to overeat as my body just dont allow it to happen unless I work really hard that day. I snack during that day as well. I kind of always wanted to be muscular , but I could only go lean skinny. My height is 163 cm (5"3) ; weight 50 kg (I weight like 48 Kg before I started fitness training).

[@qawi272]

Personally I would just go Wolfgang Güllich style and peak out at 9a.

[@paddygthatsme]

Can you share info on some of the side effects you experienced from pushing your body to a lower body % over the long term? People who do over a long period may not be aware of these negative effects compared to acute side effects. E.g mood, energy, concentration, recovery, etc

[@claytonpuranen]

I thought your point about running the night before to deplete your muscle glycogen stores in your lower body was a very high level detail to performance climbing and I have never heard of anyone talk about this before. I use hot yoga the night before to deplete my body of muscle glycogen and tons of excess water and salts in in my body. I do rehydrate of course but it is a net loss of water due to the lost salts and depleted glycogen. the muscles used to do yoga are almost all pushing muscles so this does not have any effect on my climbing the next day, such as finger flexor muscles and pulling muscles, but i am much lighter and leaner. I just wanted to tell you about this so you can consider it as well. Thank you for the great content.

[@jboyle453519]

you should write a climbing book with all the good thoughts and data you have in all your videos

[@samulikilpinen1233]

Very good observations in the video I think. I've had some first hand experience when it comes to body types and climbing, from the "not-so-gifted" perspective :D . I've climbed for a year now, I love it and I can see it being a lifetime thing. However, as of now I weight 90kg, was 96 when I started and while I definately got some flap to loose, when I was the thinnest I've ever been in my early 20's I still weighted 77 kilos. And I was so thin my mother thought I might have a eating disorder. I'm not that tall either, 183cm, but I have the so called "farmhand" physique. Never going to run 100m under 10 seconds but can lift stuff like a back mule type of thing. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say here is that if you are a big-boned fella or gal, don't let it stop you. If anything, the sense of achievement is even greater when you develop physically and techically and start sending stuff you don't look like you should be able to.

[@hhdd23]

Cool content, although unknowingly pushed euro-centric ideals using the example calf size must be smaller than arms for top level climbers. Agree this body type is more commonly seen in the world cup bouldering series but not completely true when we look at Miho Nonaka (2nd highest ranked female in Japan) or looking Jain Kim (10+ years of podium-ing in Korea world cup). Still a good video in terms of entertainment! Keeping pushing good content!

[@wilfriedmoreau9733]

I personally think that really strong climbers may get heavier these days. For example, Adam Ondra must have put on a little bit of muscle over the last years instead of losing weight. There used to be really lean climbers such as Sachi Amma on competitions but we don't see any nowadays... On the side of Outdoor climbing, Seb Bouin has a Bodyweight that is over the average and is pushing the boundaries.

[@ManitheMonkey]

The fact is that everybody (especially strength athletes I think), tends to get heavier with age. The teenage boy stick figure days don't last for ever, at some point testosterone comes into play and shapes the body heavier. Which is one reason why in so many weight dependant sports people peak in their low twenties. With climbing it's a bit different because experience is so huge, but from a pure physical standpoint the same. I don't know Seb's numbers, what's his stats?

[@jonkrause6714]

Good vid. “Chicken legs” reference in climbing video is awesome. 😂Would agree most favored body type is ecto with maybe Chris being at cusp of ecto/mesomorph? Having met a lot of pros-and my being a meso with large legs, I felt fat next the lean machines (male and female). Most important is just have fun, climb your way, and progress at your pace.

[@cbrowne1283]

As someone who has fluctuated weight wildly over the years, I am always confused when I hear people talk about a baseline or 'natural' body weight. For me - my weight is always a reflection of whatever my dietary and lifestyle habits are, and as such can always be adjusted. I feel that people have less of a baseline or genetically predisposed weight, rather more of a baseline lifestyle that they usually revert to. Calorie absorption and it's relation to expenditure is the only relevant factor in determining whether you lose or gain mass - and it is an inevitable process. You cannot store excess energy without gaining mass, and you cannot use excess energy without losing it. Appetite and the mental/physical effects of a deficit or surplus will differ for everyone - and your ability to retain lean mass will also differ depending on genes and lifestyle, but the underlying principle is carved in stone. Just to reiterate - all bodies are made through lifestyle and diet, whether it is conscious effort or not.

[@etiennepagex1756]

I dont think you ever should worry about that unless you aim to be a pro climber most of us will be extremely happy to climb 5.13 and ive seen people of all body type send these routes I think the biggest factor for most people isnt genetics and body type but the amount of climbing being done

[@fritzbox6764]

around 7:00 Also they train for several hours a day, other than us regular people, and burn a lot more calories. Some of them train like 5-6hours a day, probably burning more than 1000kcal extra.

[@PeterPan-ox9jw]

3:43 Güllich klettert im Himmel die härtesten Routen. Ist vor langer Zeit bei einem Autounfall gestorben. Und ja er hat das Campus-board erfunden. Benannt wurde es nach dem Gym in dem er trainiert hat.

[@shravan7949]

yaa u are right not every person's body type is the same and GENETICS, I wish I had it favored me

[@WisdomThroughGod]

Thanks for the tip for people with legs hahaha. I have pretty big legs because of hockey and training

[@mateotoro2395]

Really nice video, but I think that gaining some antagonist muscle might be good for injury prevention. I measure about 183cm and weight 69 kg now as I am "bulking" a bit these days. 6 months ago I was around 63kg, really thin, but I had constant tweaks in my elbows and fingers, nothing important but still annoying. Right now I climb about half a grade harder and feel much better. Still, I will only get up to around 71kg and then lose some weight.

[@thebusko]

Drew Ruana and a lot of the U.S team that send V15 and up use weight training to get way stronger and they do not gain weight. I think Eric Hörst also mentioned him using weights and not gaining weights as well.

[@Ard3z]

Quite a burdain to carry "12 years of playing football" -legs. Now I just try to do nothing with them to get them smaller :D

[@gba.87]

Before Chris Sharma climbers were definitely thinner than nowadays, find me an example of non-skinny climber from the 80s... Gullich was 68 kg at 178 cm

[@marcopervo]

I was among one of the bulkier climbers back then, weighing in at 5'10", 165 lbs, with broad shoulders, visible biceps, and muscular legs. I could still do one arm lock-offs and dyno on small holds and climbed mostly overhanging rock. Weight didn't seem to be a limiting factor until I hit 185 lbs.

[@gba.87]

@@marcopervo Strong dude! Btw I am not saying that weight is necessarily the limiting factor. But it is a generally accepted fact that sport climber focused much more on reducing weight back in the 80s-90s than nowadays, where the focus is much more on training and increasing power. So I find the video quite inaccurate in this respect. Wouldn't you agree?

[@chrissmithdoe2100]

Alex Huber (more 90s though)

[@carlozuzic2617]

I just noticed I wasn't subscribed... I've been watching your videos all year haha

[@solonthorberg]

I´m definitely going to try to fast after this sunday!

[@JohnChadAnthonyFlea]

Do you think that the low body weight thing is also so crucial for boulderers? Jimmy Webb is one of the the best (probably momentarily best) boulderers around and is 183cm (6.00394 ft) tall and around 78kg (171lbs) heavy.

[@ManitheMonkey]

absolutely, although not to such a degree as in sport climbing. Jimmy has a heavier body type for a high end guy which is visible with bare eyes (let's not forget that 78kg at 183cm is actually pretty normal for normal people, it could be much worse), but he is also super lean body fat wise, thereby pushing his body into high end mode in terms of what he can influence. Would be interesting to see him trying not super bouldery 9b routes and stuff.

[@rhian2033]

Ahh good to know, I'm 184cm and stable at 80kg, I'm losing the fat I had and putting on muscle (October last year I weighed 95kg and got to 80kg almost 2 months ago)

[@talorb633]

My calves are close to 17.5 inches and I don’t even work them out getting my forearms bigger would be insanity lol. I just started climbing and I’m about 210 I plan on cutting body fat to 195 building ligament and forearm/finger strength and just being a different climber I guess I enjoy it a lot I’m 22 I’ve been a 4-5 times and I’ve completed some v5s consistently guess we will see how it goes lol

[@boss06140]

Is working out back muscles/core complimentary to climbing or will it hinder you due to excess weight?

[@MythAvatar]

Mani, I am currently training hard as we are stuck inside. My exercise is split up between finger strength, pull strength & antagonistic training to avoid injuries in places like the elbows, shoulders & wrists. I have always had big legs (for my size, calf muscles too), and I like them. I can't help but feel like they are holding me back however, but it would be unhealthy both mentally and physically to deliberately try to lose leg weight to improve my climbing performance. What is your opinion on both that & gaining muscle for pulling power/lock offs etc. in regards to whether or not is healthy, as opposed to "optimum" as you've discussed in the video.

[@edufortuny329]

How can you deliberately lose leg mass if it is your genetics?

[@MythAvatar]

@@edufortuny329Well for a start my calves are bigger because of how I walk, other than that i'd have to do research. But I wanted to talk about should, over could.

[@ManitheMonkey]

hm, for me it's just a question of how specialised you want to be. if your existence evolves around climbing, focus on finger strength (fore arms) and keep everything else as lean as possible (while having a reasonable amount of flexibility and core will also help). If you don't care so much, yeah it's cool to have some lats for looks (from doing pull ups), probably also not unhealthy, but won't help a lot for climbing I fear unless you can do those pull ups on crappy ass holds.

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

I eat only meat, fish and eggs and keep perfect weight all year around 152lbs/69kg @ 6'0" 189 cm. Climbing up to 8b/8b+ age 63. Carbs are poison for me, I used to get sick and injured often. Now even energy and pain-free. I also run 40 miles/60km per week (calves much bigger than forearms lol).

[@ManitheMonkey]

Hey Freestyle! Good to hear from you again, 69kg @ 189cm is crazy lean wow. 8b/+ @ 63 is super impressive, can perfectly well imagine that it works out on a carnivore style diet though, there's definitely something to this stuff, I also did some experiments. Where I'm at the moment there's excellent fish, meat, eggs and raw local cheese (feta), great times. I'm pretty far behind your running volume though, and my legs are still big, it's a big genetic thing as well. How long are you carb free now?

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@@ManitheMonkey I was low-carb/keto since 2015, then went 98-99% carnivore (but still dairy) a year ago, and since the shutdown a few weeks ago strictly meat/fish/eggs. I stopped alcohol a year ago (one or two drinks since) and stopped weed with the shutdown also. I feel amazing and feel stronger now training at home and gymnasics in parks than with gym access. My running is now going towards sprints, since the training complements well with climbing for me (aside from the leg size which I don't see as a huge obstacle, maybe costs a letter grade). It will be interesting to see how this season goes. I have a 5.14a 23m roof FA in the works now for two years, I feel this is the year. Trying hard keeps me young. It is motivating to see your progress, and I agree with 97% of your views in Q/A etc.. I feel you will have a long and productive career, just mind the aches and pains (carnivore is a HUGE advantage there, I have zero problems even with the hardest training).

[@hannes3422]

Es wäre super wenn du ein Video über deine Erfahrungen mit Seilen machen würdest. Wie lang sie halten, worauf man bei Pflege und Lagerung achten soll, Sicherheitsrisiken und sowas in der Richtung. Klettere immer mit einem Kumpel dessen Seil schon zehn Jahre gute Benutzung am Buckel hat und fühlt sich bei weiten Stürzen teilweise sketchy an. Würde mich sehr interessieren was du dazu zu sagen hast.

[@GrogePodge]

Do any pro climbers ride around in wheelchairs as much as possible to intentionally atrophy their legs?

[@marcopervo]

In the 1980s top French climbers avoided long approaches to avoid building up leg mass.

[@Petra999]

Wtf is this comment lmao

[@stofferplata1482]

Interesting but i don't totally agree on the "muscular" top climbers of the past. There are some exceptions like Patrick Edlinger french climbing legend who was quite lean and (very) flexible. Best performance 8c("Agincourt" in Buoux repeated by Seb Bouin short Time ago in a nice video) and 8a solo.Take Care and enjoy the greek diet!

[@SnowmansApartment]

i gained 10 kg during the lockdowns.. totally see how much weight plays a role xD

[@raphaelgallais-pou8673]

POOMP DA MOOSCLES !

[@sevs802]

I’m sure I know less on the matter than you, but, I disagree with the comment that you only need muscle in your forearms. Climbing is obviously a very complex sport for your entire body. I tend to think that you need power transfer from your feet all the way through to your fingers, so, there must be some advantage to having muscle development throughout the body, so long as that muscle is conditioned for your particular climbing goals. As an example, I think stability and strength in the shoulder, along with pectorals (for compression) would both be immensely helpful for powerful boulder moves.

[@Schyluer]

Mani, I have been doing IF IIFYM on a deficit with Nutrient Partitioning (eating most my food before and after working out or climbing) Im 6ft4 170 lbs, want to get rid of 2% more body fat but am feeling stuck even though im in a deficit of prob 500-700 calories a day. Would LOVE to hear your diet specific to getting lean and shredded. I got nothing else to do during quarantine but get strong and shredded anyways. =/

[@tomgodec294]

I agree with the keto stuff lost ~8kg and am filling really good on it but it is so lame diet and repeatitive

[@ManitheMonkey]

Agree. And I lack the "punch" that carbs appear to give me, despite greater body weight.

[@hannes3422]

@@ManitheMonkey me too. I was doing lifting in the past and had 7kg more than now. But now I feel so much more explosive and strong even in activities such as wrestling. I believe the amount of calories I had to process in order to maintain that artificial muscle state made me feel sedated in a way. Now with 185 and 79 kg I feel like that's my optimal athletic weight.

[@FatTony071984]

Hi, I just watched some of your older videos. Do you have one explaining why you went back to eating meat?

[@py2706]

Very interesting Mani, to exhaust your leg gylcogen stores at night, lose a couple kilos, prior to send day.

[@TheXeeman]

im 6'2 125 lbs, it does help a bit but i have to get stronger to use it to my advantage

[@gregorio8827]

That doesn’t make any sense... are you sure that numbers are right? If thats the case you should bulk up AT LEAST 20 pounds... more like 40 actually

[@anapaulaventura9676]

What about women?? Do you think a body type Like margo hayes is the ideal?? Lean and strong??

[@spiffo5349]

With women I wouldn't imagine the story changes much, if at all. However it is understandably more difficult for women in general. Compared to men, women's body fat percentage is naturally higher and ability to develop and maintain muscle mass is naturally lower without the help of high testosterone levels. These factors both negatively impact climbing ability. This just means that, on average, women have to work harder than men to increase their strength:weight ratio.

[@ManitheMonkey]

Yes, lean and strong will always help, 100% agree with Spiffo, the laws of finger strength/body weight ration apply also here. I might add that although women can be a lot lighter than men (not saying that it's healthy though), they are usually significantly shorter, which could be the main factor preventing them from taking down harder routes/boulder problems.

[@flaboyant]

Mani you should check out that great video from Dave Macleod interviewing Neil Gresham kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2PamIuZlMefl9E There is a part where Neil speaks about his low carbs high fat diet. And something about your vegan times that we could think about, is just that you were younger. I’m actually the same hight and the same weight than you (and probably more or less the same age). And when I was 18 I use to compete in kick boxing at under 59kg. Then at 20 I was more around 63. And my diet never really changed.

[@Adam-ck2me]

Is 78kg a good weight for 192cm.

[@punittrehan8845]

who are these two guys from your thumbnail?

[@augustlavdal6187]

I started traning legs and started squirting because of my freind, I used to weigh like 70 kg's like Adam Ondra and I am at his height. Now I weigh 75 kgs because of my legs beeing a big factor. But I also like to ski.. so, idk what I should do tbh. I think Adam is like 72 kgs nowdays, and a 3 kg diffrence is actually not that big :)

[@woutlombaert]

68 kg alot ? 😅 90 kg and 175 cm haha I feel light at 80 kg

[@rafaelsanna96]

i want to take a new step, climb v11 this year, out doors, but im also trying to get stronger so im suplementing with creatine and whey protein, almost every day, im still skinny but i gained some weight, like 5 kg, it seems this weight just makes me "look" stronger, but im not climbing any harder, tbh it seems the other way, i think getting strong and look big its not for me... The guys that climb the same level as me in my gym, v8 to 10 have like arms twice my size LOL (almost) im like really really skinny, i guess i most have strong fingers (?) since i climb for like almost 10 years, and i',m pretty tall for my weight, 65 kg 1.80 cm

[@BiggieChungulus]

6'0 180 lbs, still getting stronger 💪 EDIT: It's all in my fucking legs, I cycle everywhere and I have beefy fucking legs, how do I get smaller legs lmao

[@chewbrocka9465]

I’m 6ft 142lbs and my forearms are same size as my biceps lol

[@jacksonswilde]

Hey mani, this may seem a bit weird but I was wondering if you would want to gain muscle weight for climbing? I used to be 59-60kg 182cm just normally but I was really weak in the arms and shoulders even though i trained just as hard as other who could do hard lockoffs and such. You mention that want be be as lean as possible, but the pros who are around that 182/3 are like 5kg heavier. Do you think I should gain a few kgs, if so how do I know when its enough? .

[@chrissmithdoe2100]

grow your muscles and joints as strong as you feel they need to be in order to execute all climbing moves, then start thinking about weight...

[@arnolodo]

late night evening run. How is that gonna look like? How long or like how many kilometers?

[@danalmad]

Mani, do you really have any facts about how lean or muscular Wolfgang Güllich really was, compared to the nowadays top climbers? Or is that point just guessed about?

[@rosshowieson1641]

Climbing has helped me love and appreciate my body in ways I never knew how. I’m quite happy now to weigh 56kg standing at 173cm tall :)

[@FelishaWild]

I'm 50 years old and am the same height as Adam Ondra. However he is roughly 35 pounds less than I am and I'm pretty solid. I don't think I'll be going up any 9c's in my lifetime.

[@jonahhusak1037]

Hey mani! I'm also an avid climber around the same height as you, I have really heavy legs from years playing footy. I sent my hardest (.13c/d) at 155lb. I improved faster and developed stronger tendons at 140-145lb. (The ten pound differences as far as finger strength was the most noticeable gain) During this quarantine should I focus on dropping my weight back down? I'm around 150/160lbs Or building more strength/finger strength?

[@Boddah.]

What's your reach.

[@dangerdave138]

Bridwell's mustache will always be the ideal

[@tobyg9998]

Even if you don’t have a project the next day, is it still wise to go for a run, like every evening or should you do running in more moderation, like once every two or three days instead?

[@sensorpixel]

Out of curiosity: Where exactly are you in this video? Is this lake Como in Italy?

[@massimofrancese4152]

I would say it is Leonidio

[@theodoreharrold]

Chris Sharma is definitely the odd climber out, since he's technically he's still the 2nd best outdoor sport climber in the world. The fact that he manages this at a much higher weight and also at what would seem like a pretty average diet is insane. I'm currently at a very similar weight to him as well as height and I wonder if the key to climbing hard at this weight is to be very dynamic?

[@Gannicius]

How do you define him as the second best? Because I'd wager that Seb Bouin out climbs him. Alex Megos is certainly much better than Sharma. Stefano Ghisolfi is arguably considerably better than Sharma. As for Bouldering there's literally a dozen of people that Sharma couldn't touch, half of them are 16-20 years old and will no doubt still improve.

[@ManitheMonkey]

Chris is in fact one of the most neglected genetic freaks out there. Look at when and how he started climbing, compared to Adam Ondra for example. It's crazy how fast he got stronger, in a time when the sport was a lot less developed. And what he still could do at an older age. (very little indoor training by the way, but lots of outdoor bouldering, which goes to show one more time that hard outdoor milage is what counts for hard outdoor climbing).

[@Gannicius]

@@ManitheMonkey I couldn't agree more, his style was quite revolutionary too. I just think his position in the top climber is well below 2nd these days. He was 2nd 10 years ago, he's fallen off a lot since then.

[@sma91dc78]

Whats chris secret? im not joking here but its a lot of weed

[@elfriederich]

@@sma91dc78 if it would be that easy... he climbed A LOT, has the right mindset, is mentally very strong, has an incredible strong wrists/fingers/core/shoulders and a lot of talent as well

[@GiantPanther]

Mani, this is something I wonder a lot about myself. I"m 5'5(165cm) and 132lbs(~60kg), if we were approaching this from a weightlifting perspective, I would go up to 77kg! But weightlifters do have tons of overall strength and pulling strength, which are good for climbing (coupled with finger strength). So as you've noticed as well, many top level climbers are lighter than heavier, but I wonder if this is more a selection effect. Children climbers are always light, as you age you tend to only gain weight, and your finger strength will tend to gradually increase as you age and climb more. It seems that high level climbers almost always build finger strength quickly and easily, and they stay light. If you're a competition climber, you would have great success maintaining the body type you talked about, and you would expect that there is a suppression effect for what I would characterize as a bulking phase. To me, I wouldn't expect climbing to be different from other sports in terms of bulking and cutting, and yet we never see it really, to the extent we'd expect in other sports. Do you think it's possible that the need to perform has dissuaded high level climbing from allowing a heavier, stronger athlete from succeeding. Someone like Cailer Woolam deadlifting 430kg at 98kg bodyweight is a level of strength unseen in climbing, where most high level will probably/easily be 2x bodyweight deadlift, 4x+, or even 3x, I somewhat doubt. If you could, theoretically, and certainly fingers can support a decent weight given the heavier climbers, have the optimal overall upper body strength, especially pulling, and commensurate finger strength, could you compete. At least for me, since I don't climb at an ultra high level, I've taken to trying to push myself without going down in body weight, just to see what happens, really. Not that I intend to bulk and weightlift, but it's an interesting thought experiment. Lighter climbers lends itself to success, so the heavier, or potentially heavier climbers tend to unfortunately wash out of the sport, as they aren't getting those podiums in the short term, but what if they could have usurped some of the lighter guys eventually.

[@haydenmcallister6647]

So we are all in agreement that like all high level climbers are on PED’s correct?

[@austinrodriguez8573]

What makes you think that? These guys don’t really have unobtainable bodies naturally. They certainly are not on anything hyperbolic. Maybe they take something to help boost recovery?

[@Enzo34]

Care to elaborate?

[@La0bouchere]

@@austinrodriguez8573 Megos definitely seems to have GH effects in his skin. The main thing is how much volume they do for training, seems unlikely that someone who does 4+ hour sessions nearly every day would need to take gear just to recover from that kind of stimulus, especially since being that lean will almost definitely drop test levels to the floor.

[@Refleuri2]

How do you measure your body fat %? With a specific scale? Or can you do it with a normal one?

[@jackdaniels2657]

Mesomorph is actually ideal body structure

[@jonpk4760]

You said that Wolfgang güllach is still climbing really hard. ??

[@ManitheMonkey]

I meant he climbed very hard although he was a very muscular guy. Unfortunately he is not amongst us anymore, would have been awesome to see the guy continue getting stronger. He may be saluted!

[@tomrunge5232]

Very useful video. Genug Englisch für heute😅

[@lavente5253]

Ashima is actually vegan and als Megos said recently, that he is nearly completely plant-based

[@elfriederich]

Same for Ondra

[@kengfaihui9575]

I love bouldering but I don’t wanna become SKINNY

[@seanrobinson1824]

interesting, I myself am 5 foot 4 with a weight of 59 Kg I was stable at 62 but somehow I lost 3 without realising. I do to have only been weight working the top half of muscles groups I think safely for my small stature I should for climbing probably only need to go down to 56 at the most. diet wise not the greatest junk food always sneaks in but because I do so much I think it just burns off quickly. just find it interesting that what you have mentioned is where I ive been going with my own training. hopefully ill be able to jump a grade when I can next get back to the wall. anyways keep up the cool videos, much appreciated. maybe do one about dealing with times such as we are in now to stay motivated and focused on the goals.

[@hansmuller7507]

There is no need for animal products in diet, maybe Megos, Ondra and all the others say they feel! not so strong without animal products but theres no scientific evidence that there are Nutrients you can't get with a well balanced vegan diet. (P.s I'm not vegan yet)

[@josetanago]

It is at least questionable whether this myth now vs old era body weight. Probably bias due to the image of wolfan gullich (or kurt albert in the picture), but not sure this is really from a serious comparison of less say the top10 or top50,... or so called best climbers of that time vs the current ones. This is just the percepcion of a person, but not funded in any serious comparison. I can think in so many top climbers of the 80's or 90's and even more earlier (70s,...) that dont fit in the muscular model of Gullich. ANd you say that from Gullich on it change to skinnier top climbers. So, take the example of Ben Moon, that was at same time than gullich and climbing as hard or even more (ben moon did the world first 8c+, maybe even 9a, a year before action directe by gullich), or many other top climbers of their time (Jerry moffat, or the french guys, pattrick edlinger, le menestrell brothers,...

[@josetanago]

and also it is very much male centered as well. Women are also climbers, and I think also in women there is not a clear pattern over time that current climbers are skinnier than before.

[@tathtath]

Don't forget that 90s were the golden age of steroids (especially US) and bodybuilding! Just google images Tony Yaniro and other folks from that era :). Vitamin S baby please. I like this saying "When money gets involved, playing around is over". I wouldn't be surprised, that when professional climbing is getting more popular/more lucrative steroids come in play. Not all of them make you big like Arnold, some make you lean or recover from heavy workout, so you can train 7hours a day. PS. I am not judging anyone! Just discussing :)

[@ManitheMonkey]

definitely a valid point.

[@Hjj.sjsjzksk]

I think climbers legs look cool because their slim

[@dynamo5326]

Me who's 5"6' and is 133lbs 😭😂

[@dietmartreptow8940]

Do not talk about climbing - do it ! Where - ? - off course after the Corona - on GOZO . Small Island in the MED - NOT Malta ! Train hard for our new routes ! gozo-climbingdotcom

[@santiagogiroski]

What about Alex Honnold? He seems to be of the more muscular type, right?

[@matwis2044]

If I'm not mistaken he is also vegan. But his type of climbing is obviously different from what mani is talking about so im not sure it's a good comparison.

[@robwarden6973]

Alex is very thin and about 5.10 tall

[@ruttonoise69]

"... because I'm putting up muscles too quickly", said no one ever :D

[@nyu3492]

rutto noise For climbers often the tendon strength gains have trouble keeping up with the muscle gains.

[@somebassdude]

I'd have to lose 23 kg haha

[@FutureInsyte]

Come on man, not very responsible to promote eating habits like this to your audience. You have cherry picked pro athletes from past and present to legitimise your argument, and created a narrative of climbers getting skinnier, which I think is completely untrue, especially in the competition and bouldering world. There is some truth that for the right, or wrong, person dropping weight below your bodies natural state can help for certain climbs. If so you need to be properly informed, understand the consequences and have the support to prevent it becoming habitual. Someone certainly should not have watched a KZbin video that essentially tells them having an eating disorder will make them climb like Ondra. If you want a pro's insight, rather than Mani's view of the pro's, go watch Ondra's video.

[@alede5206]

The best genetics for lead is 1m85 65kg(marathonian bodytype) but the best genetics for bouldering is 1m60 65kg (gymnastic bodytype)

[@gustopher6500]

No, ideal height for lead is shorter than ideal height for bouldering

[@alede5206]

@@gustopher6500 Curently Adam Ondra do the most 9c lead outdoors. And when it come to outdoors bouldering short lean dudes can bypass all the move with iron cross (example: hoseok lee). And when it come to indoor. Route setters average the bodytype so not only 0,01% can do the route

[@gustopher6500]

@@alede5206 Adam ondra does not have perfect genetics for climbing, his greatest strength is how he can try extremely hard constantly, much harder than most people can push themselves to. If you look at other elite lead climbers you'll see that being tall is not optimal.

[@gustopher6500]

@@alede5206 indoors ofcourse is on the shorter end of average, where you can just about reach every hold comfortably while remaining at massive strength to height ratio.

[@alede5206]

@@gustopher6500 Which short elite climber did a 9c lead outdoor climbing?

[@Limbaugh_]

I’m jacked, L I guess

[@Allemaalmensen]

Are there no women climbing or what? You focus only on male bodytypes and role models.

[@mrnijacatzz]

Meat diets don't have any advantage over vegeterian diets and that is coming from a meat eater.

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

Actually they do.I eat no plants and am now at my lifetime strongest in my 60s

[@ManitheMonkey]

Well it's hard to judge without having a good comparison (since you already eat meat). Try excluding all animal products for a significant period and see what happens (rather don't, if apart from athletic performance also health is important to you). I've been there, and I can tell that health wise it's a different playground.

[@jonahhusak1037]

Eh I think I build more muscle and eat less calories when I eat meat. I just cook some mean lean chicken and fish. I tried vegan but it got to tedious and I felt weaker after a month or so lacking protein/having nut related bloating. It did help me lose weight and develop more discipline and I think that is a HUGE takeaway lots of people dont realize

[@Petra999]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 bullshit logic

[@LaurinKeul]

Pressing 0:00 for the laughs.

[@MattAngiono]

I know it's anecdotal, but i'm now vegan and feel I'm a stronger climber than before, despite being much older! Do it for the animals, we must stop the abuse! I've found there's no downside as an extreme athlete so what's stopping you!

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

Vegan is the most destructive diet for the planet and animals (wild ones). You cannot eat without killing. I choose humanely killed livestock over eco-killed wildlife.

[@MattAngiono]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 that's COMPLETELY WRONG! IT'S THE OPPOSITE! The number one reason we destroy the environment is ANIMAL ABUSING AGRICULTURE! If you care about the environment and wild animals that's the FIRST REASON TO BECOME VEGAN! Most destruction is done for animal feed, and the concentration of animals leads to extremely toxic "dead zones," whether it's "sustainably" raised or not... Do some research!

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

@@MattAngiono Agriculture as currently practiced in the U.S. is mostly degenerative whether you eat plants or animals. If you want to truly minimize your impact and be kind to animals and the Earth in a sustainable fashion, you must eat regeneratively raised animals. This is not possible with plant crops especially when they are shipped all over the globe out of season. Plant cropping destroys the soils and all of the animals birds and waterways that rely on them. Cattle raised on regenerative grazing are a net benefit for the Earth as they mimic the herds of grazing animals that have always existed and on which our human evolution has depended. joyce-farms.com/blogs/news/a-regenerative-secret

[@MattAngiono]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 this is just ahhhh excuse to ABUSE ANIMALS because it's giving you pleasure! Vegan permaculture is absolutely efficient and sustainable! If the world went vegan, 80% of farm lands could be turned WILD AGAIN, which is obviously better for the environment than toxic cattle

[@MattAngiono]

@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 also, where is all that water coming from?🤔

[@codyheiner3636]

Glad to hear you're no longer vegan

[@Jsoccer1999]

Can’t believe you went back to contributing to the murder of innocent animals

[@asantos704]

What a load of bollox