Strength training is one of the most common things climbers tell me they want to do, and also one of the most common things they quit.

Not because they are lazy. Not because they do not care. But because it makes them sore, tired, and like their climbing sessions are getting worse instead of better.

In this episode, I break down why that experience is so common and why it does not automatically mean strength training is wrong for you.

We talk about:

• The difference between normal soreness and fatigue and actual problems
• Why most climbers are overdosing relative to their current capacity
• How recovery and fueling are often the missing pieces
• Why capacity explains why some athletes can lift and climb on the same day while others feel wrecked for days.

If strength training feels like it is competing with your climbing, this episode will help you understand what usually needs to change so it supports your climbing instead.

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In this episode, I sit down with my friend and client Dani, a somatic psychotherapist and climber, to talk about how the body and mind communicate — and what it really means to feel your feelings.

Dani shares how her own journey through chronic illness, trauma, and movement led her into somatic therapy, and we explore the deep overlap between her work and the kind of pain science–based rehab I do with climbers. We talk about why so many people struggle to slow down, why emotions show up as physical sensations, and how both somatic therapy and strength training can help you rebuild trust with your body.

Whether you’re navigating pain, dealing with stress, or just curious about what it means to actually “listen to your body,” this episode will help you see how awareness, curiosity, and compassion can change the way you move — and the way you heal.

WE TALK ABOUT:

• What somatic therapy really is (and why it’s not just for trauma work)

• The connection between emotions, sensations, and pain

• Why we tend to intellectualize our feelings instead of feeling them

• The role of awareness and curiosity in both therapy and rehab

• How pain stories and beliefs shape the way we experience symptoms

• The concept of allostatic load and how life stressors impact recovery

• Overlaps between pain reprocessing, graded exposure, and nervous system regulation

• Practical tools: the feelings wheel, body sensation lists, grounding and self-hold techniques, and how to start a dialogue with your body

• Why climbers might already be practicing somatic therapy on the wall — and how to bring more awareness to it

Healing isn’t just about fixing tissue or solving a movement pattern — it’s about learning to listen, slow down, and rebuild trust in your body.
Somatic therapy gives language and space to sensations, while strength training and rehab build the capacity to act within that space. Both help you reconnect with your body instead of fighting against it.

CONNECT WITH DANI:

🔗 somaticswithdani.com📱 Instagram: @somaticswithdanni

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This episode breaks down the truth about muscle imbalances and asymmetry in athletes. Natasha and Ryan explore why asymmetry is normal, why it often gets blamed for injuries without evidence, and why strength training and load tolerance matter far more than chasing perfect symmetry. They walk through current research, explain how injuries change asymmetry rather than the other way around, and discuss why the best rehab focuses on building strength, restoring confidence, and exposing the body to sport-specific loads instead of “fixing imbalances.”

TAKEAWAYS:

• Research consistently shows that asymmetries increase after injury, not usually before.
• Small side-to-side differences are normal in climbers and most athletes.
• Asymmetry rarely predicts injury on its own.
• Chasing perfect symmetry distracts from the real rehab goal: restoring load tolerance.
• Training at a challenging but tolerable intensity often reduces perceived imbalances.
• Most “imbalances” resolve as strength and confidence return.
• Regular exposure to climbing-specific forces matters more than corrective exercises.
• Functional strength and movement quality are better benchmarks than symmetry numbers.
• Pain, deconditioning, and fear can create the sensation of imbalance.
• You are not broken for feeling uneven. It’s a normal adaptation to training or injury.

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