Tim FerrissMy Climbing Supplements Explained in 11 Minutes
Tim Ferriss
Beta alanine for climbing 0:00
Beta-alanine is the first supplement discussed. It is a dietary supplement the speaker returned to after getting back into rock climbing and training seriously for about two months. He wanted help with endurance on the wall, where you can use your arms too much and burn out your forearms.
Study results and timing 2:01
He points to a small randomized, double-blinded study of 15 elite climbers taking 4 g a day for 4 weeks. The beta-alanine group showed 57% longer before falling on longer traverses, with 21 seconds more improvement than placebo. He says the benefit took about two to three weeks to show up and did not help short bouldering much.
Side effects and caution 5:30
He takes about 6.4 g a day, or eight pills, using a sustained-release version to reduce paresthesia, which means body tingling. He says the effect may come from carnosine saturation in muscle, and he notes that the evidence base is fairly large even if the climbing study was small.
Other supplements and quality 5:30
He also mentions collagen peptides with vitamin C before training, and says the type of collagen matters because you want high-edged collagen rather than bone sources. He warns that psyllium husks can carry heavy metals and says he checked testing results for Yerba Prima and Organic India. He also says seaweed chips can contain a lot of microplastics.
Creatine and travel 8:00
Creatine is not the main thing he wants for climbing because it can add water weight, though he still likes it for lifting. He says too much can cause GI trouble and, for him, hand and foot cramps at 10 g a day, so he settled on 5 g. He also describes a delayed-release creatine with beadlets and Novaspheres that he can finally take without upsetting his stomach, even when traveling.
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