EP 24: Paige Claassen — Pre-Send Rituals, Breathing Techniques, and Learning from Each Attempt

Paige Claassen is a professional rock climber and the founder of the Southern Africa Education Fund. We talked about pre-send rituals, breathing techniques, how she changed her diet to improve recovery, recent training, how she structures bouldering and outdoor sessions, learning from each attempt, and favorite crag snacks.  

Support on Patreon:

patreon.com/thenuggetclimbing  

Show Notes:  

http://thenuggetclimbing.com/episodes/paige-claassen  

Nuggets:  

1:55 – “Coming to you live from my closet!”  

3:04 – Frangog  

4:44 – Learning to try hard, and reminding yourself that “I’ve sent in the past when things weren’t perfect”  

8:26 – ‘Just Do It’, deep audible breaths, and clicking into the moment  

11:45 – Pre-send rituals, working with a biokineticist, and activation points  

14:28 – Paige’s thoughts on audible breathing  

17:36 – Breathing beta, composing yourself, and “Everyone loves climbing on jugs”  

19:03 – ‘Odin’s Eye’, eating more protein, training differently, and becoming a different climber  

24:21 – Gym bouldering for power 

27:15 – How Paige structures a bouldering session, and focusing on quality over quantity  

28:59 – Training seasonally, and how Paige structures outdoor climbing sessions  

30:33 – Day on day off  

31:34 – Finding what works for you, and owning it  

32:06 – A mental shift to not performing in the gym  

33:24 – “I just love projecting.”  

34:31 – Believing in the process, tricep pushups, and recent training during quarantine  

39:42 – Losing ten pounds by eating more fat, protein amounts, and collagen for fingers and skin  

44:20 – Southern Africa Education Fund (SAEF), building school buildings, and a new playground  

49:24 – Mentorship, open and learning, and living in an exciting time  

51:43 – Gratitude for family  

53:14 – Current favorite climbing snack, and “I’m not afraid of carbs.”  

56:01 – Fish tacos and buffalo cauliflower  

57:35 – ‘Shadowboxing’, 5.15 as a goal, and climbing more 5.14+ routes in North America  

59:58 – ‘Dreamcatcher’  

1:00:50 – Learning from each attempt, frustrating to fun, and “if we’re not having fun there’s no point  

1:02:35 – “Treat yourself as you would treat others.”  

1:03:20 – Completing the Yurdin family (minus Kasbah)