Hey Next Grade Academy family! 109+ members I’m so stoked you’re all here. If you download the app (Skool) this community is much easier to use + there’s free courses (x4) in the classroom section. Also, I wanted to share some inspirational movies and books based on climbing I love. Below I have a list of my hit list, no fluff just great content. I’ve watched all of these movies multiple times, some of the books I have read twice. All heavily focused on climbing and inspired me to be a better climber Movies: Valley uprising Meru The dawn wall The alpinist Free solo Books: Touching the void - Joe Simpson Classic Krakaur - Jon Krakauer Either Dreams - by Jon Krakauer The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers - by Arno Ilgner Alone on the wall - Alex Honnald Push - Tommy Caldwell P.S. I’ve been making a new long video each week, but I’m on an adventure in Peru with family currently, so I will not be able to make any videos for the first 3 weeks of may BUT then I’m in Vancouver back in the mountains so I can start pumping out great resources for everyone. So stoked for that Thanks for all the support so far! Let’s keep the good vibes going. Old photo from “sky walker” I 5.9(?) trad multi pitch in Squamish!!

I’ve been slacklining a lot recently, I feel that it has definitely helped with my balance a lot. I have yet to really test if it would work to help climbing. I’m gonna find out today though. What do you guys think? Either way I totally recommend it. Super fun and js an excuse to get friends out.

If you do, what does that look like? If you don’t, why not? This is my stretching routine right now. I modify it every once in a while, and I program it into the app Bend so it does all the timing for me when I’m at the gym. I do each stretch for 30 seconds, and I try to do it with an intensity of a 6-7 out of 10, (not painful, but intense!) It takes 17 minutes as part of my warm up, leaves me feeling loose, and I’ve seen huge mobility gains.

My minimum warmup is 5-10 minutes and is super simple. I do this 3 times: 1. 6 each side -Dynamic stretch "Greatest stretch ever" video here - preps my hips, back, shoulders a bit as well. Just gets everything in end range. I will play around a bit on the yoga mat before and after as well if I'm feeling stiff - found a video on youtube of it and put it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CiWQ2IvY34&t=9s 2. Hangboard on progressively thinner holds - I want to warm up my finger tendons for the really little holds. A physio once taught me you need to put a ton of load on the fingers to warm them up. Set 1 - juggy holds in the hangboard, Set 2 - set a bit more thin, Set 3- set I go till failure and try to keep it under 10 seconds to make sure I'm loading them a lot I absolutely hate being injured so this is how I prevent that, havent had a finger injury in a few years since being disciplined with this warmup. Also I'm definitely getting more flexible slowly What do you guys do? Or are you warming up at all?

I sent two of my projects yesterday “Three’s Company” and Unnamed left of bandito on trad yesterday. The first one s a hard 5.8 (easier for tall people) and the second one is a 5.9. Very happy about it.