Training Beta Podcast 132 | Charlie Manganiello and Alex Bridgewater: 5 Common Training Mistakes Climbers Make

About Charlie Manganiello and Alex Bridgewater 

Charlie Manganiello and Alex Bridgewater are both trainers at Steve Bechtel’s gym, Elemental Performance & Fitness, in Lander, Wyoming. They’re also both online trainers/coaches at ClimbStrong.com. They work closely with Steve Bechtel every day, and they’ve become stellar trainers themselves. They are both instructors at the Performance Climbing Coach seminars, and we have an event coming up in Murfreesboro, TN on October 4-6th, 2019 if you’re interested in upping your knowledge about climbing training.

Bio for Charlie from Elemental:

Coach Charlie specializes in strength and metabolic training, mobility coaching, performance climbing and skiing programming. Charlie believes that with simple programming, consistent effort and emphasis on technique and proper form, heavy strength training is transformational in how individuals are able to improve their athletic abilities as well as how they perform in the other aspects of their lives.

Charlie has been on the podcast before, talking about how to train for multiple sports in a year, and this is Alex’s first time on the show. After having spent a lot of time with Charlie at the Performance Climbing Coach seminarsand when I stay with him in Lander, he kind of feels like a brother to me, so having him on the show was a treat. Charlie is super energetic, funny, a great athlete, and a trainer that any client could relate with – he’s easy to be around and he knows his stuff.

Bio for Alex from Elemental:

Coach Alex specializes in strength and metabolic training and performance climbing programming. Alex believes that each athlete can achieve progress towards their goals through focused technique coaching in combination with habit changes that use simple reminders and daily systems to improve our body awareness and intentionality around physical well being, nutrition and performance.

I’ve also gotten to know Alex over the last few years, and he’s a smart, funny, quick-witted guy. He’s passionate about climbing and a very effective climbing trainer, which you’ll hear in this interview. So obviously I like these guys a lot! Hopefully you will too.

I had them on the show to talk about the mistakes they see people making in their climbing training. Charlie and Alex have the privilege of working with clients in person and online every day, whether it’s in the Elemental gym or online through www.climbstrong.com (Steve Bechtel’s climbing training website). They see it all, and they see it often.

We wanted to discuss the most common things they see people doing “wrong” with their training, and how you can avoid making those same mistakes (or correct them if you’re currently making them). I chime in a bit on this one as well because I see the same kinds of issues with my nutrition clients, whose training I often will consult on.

Charlie Manganiello and Alex Bridgewater Interview Details

• What it’s like working for Steve Bechtel
• Most common mistakes they see clients making
• Not recovering enough
• Decision paralysis: how do I train?
• Having unrealistic goals
• Not changing their habits to fit their goals
• Training too short term to make gains
• Overtraining
• Other issues we all see in clients

Our Upcoming Performance Climbing Coach Seminar

Charlie and I, along with Steve Bechtel, Kris Hampton, Tyler Nelson, Mercedes Pollmeier, and Chris Heilman, will be teaching at the next Performance Climbing Coach Seminar in Murfreesboro, TN on October 4-6, 2019. You don’t have to be a coach to attend – you just have to have an interest in climbing training. Over the course of 3 days, you’ll learn about the following from all of us:

• Program Design
• Fundamentals of Strength Training
• Athlete Testing
• Sports Psychology
• Mindset Training
• Drills for Climbing
• Optimizing Nutrition for Climbing
• Mobility for Climbing
• See the full schedule

If you’re interested in joining us, please check out the event on performanceclimbingcoach.com. We’d love to see you there!

Charlie and Alex Links 

• Instagram: @charlie_manganiello and @agbridgewater
• Instagram for Performance Climbing Coach: @performance.climbing.coach
• Instagram for ClimbStrong: @climb.strong
• Coaching by Alex and Charlie at ClimbStrong: www.climbstrongcoach.com
• First podcast interview with Charlie
• Charlie and Steve’s new book: Unstoppable Force: Strength Training for Climbing