TBP 269 :: Ravioli Biceps on Moonboard Training and Mindset

Ravioli Biceps is one of the best Moonboard climbers in the world, so I was pretty excited to have him on the show. In 2021 he did all 280 (and counting) benchmarks on the 2016 Moonboard set, climbing up to V13. In total, he has sent 3500 problems on the 2016 board. Just take that in for a sec…

His Instagram feed is a beta encyclopedia–for Moonboard enthusiasts and fans alike–of his latest Moonboard ascents. He’s one of the people who are consulted when making the decision about whether a boulder should become a “benchmark” and he’s also a prolific setter himself.

And he does all of this while working long hours every week. So I wanted to talk to him about how he approaches the Moonboard, how he trains for it, his mindset around it, and whether the board is the goal or if he’s training for something outside (or both).

I received a lot of questions from our audience for Ravioli, and we had a fun time going through all of those at the end of this interview!

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why he loves board climbing so much
• The problem with the 2019 set
• The feeling he gets from thousands of people doing his boulders
• Hardest boulders he’s done on the Moonboard
• How his board climbing translates to outdoor climbing
• Thoughts on each of the boards
• How often he climbs
• How he trains
• How he works climbing into his grueling work schedule
• His positive mindset and how he maintains it
• The book club he belongs to
• Why he’s called Ravioli Biceps
• His thoughts on height advantages on boards
• Who should NOT be climbing on boards

Listen on iTunes or Spotify

Bonus: Ravioli’s Diet, Traveling to Moonboard, and His Message to Other Climbers

In a bonus episode for subscribers on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, Ravioli and I spent a while talking about how he eats in general and what he eats before his Moonboard sessions, as well as his experiences with traveling and competing on the Moonboard. And finally, I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to say to climbers – any advice or message he had.

You can find all of that bonus content and the uncut, ad-free video and audio versions of the episode on my Patreon page.

Work with One of the TrainingBeta Coaches

Both Matt Pincus and Alex Stiger are currently taking new coaching clients! Both of them help climbers from all over the world get stronger and more skillful at climbing. If you work with them for a month of training and coaching, this is what you can expect:

• Introductory zoom call to get all of your details, goals, strengths, injuries, etc
• Create a training plan that you’ll access via the TrueCoach app
• Contact throughout the month either on zoom or on TrueCoach for encouragement and tweaks to the plan
• Clearly laid out instructions about what to do in your indoor and outdoor sessions
• You’ll gain strength, tactics, and confidence in your climbing abilities

If you want Matt or Alex to help you with your climbing, whether they’re with bouldering or route climbing, click the link below to get started.