This may be the most important podcast you've heard in a long time...or, perhaps, ever! If you engage in hard finger training, frequently push your physical limits, and/or occasionally experience tendon or joint pain...then this podcast could be a game-changer for you. Traditionally, tendons and ligaments (such as the A2 pulleys of the fingers) have been viewed as inert structures that changed little after adolescence. We now know, however, that these connective tissues are dynamic and metabolically active. New studies provide clues as to how athletes can play an active role in developing stronger, more robust, and higher performance connective tissues. This is a revolutionary distinction for hard-training climbers...and it may change the way you train, eat, and recover going forward. This podcast is the second in a series on sinew training for improved health and enhanced performance. Revisit podcast #33 for an introduction to the topic. Podcasts #34 and #35 will break much new ground on the topic of training for climbing--don't miss them! RUNDOWN 0:15 – Introduction to this series of 4 podcasts on connective tissue training—this is revolutionary information. 2:07 – Question: What sport is as hard on tendons and ligaments as climbing? Is there one? Perhaps not. Consider that finger flexor tendon pulleys are just 1 to 2 mm thick, yet they have to carry a large percentage of a climber’s body weight. 4:00 – Collagen-based tissues carry the load, from muscle to fingertips, with every hold you grab…every move you make…every lunge you make! 6:30 – The best climber in the world isn’t the best if he’s injured. Injuries, big and small, are setbacks that change your trajectory. 7:35 – New paradigm: Your top priority in training for climbing: Develop stronger tendons, pulleys, and muscle matrix. 8:45 – Sinew have poor blood flow, and therefore may be poorly nourished. 9:30 – Key distinction: collagen breaks down with every intense work. Collagen synthesis takes 72 hours (or more) to remodel the connective tissue. 11:00 – Too much collagen breakdown and too little recovery time between workouts may lead to injury. 11:50 – Sinew gets much of their nutrition from fluid diffusion during mechanical loading (climbing and training). Therefore, consuming Supercharged Collagen 30 to 60 minutes training is the optimal nutritional protocol for supporting collagen synthesis in finger tendons and ligament pulleys. 15:30 – Anything you can do to promote collagen synthesis and connective tissue remodeling is a game-changer for a hard training climber. It’s with this goal in mind that I founded PhysiVantage. 16:30 – Learn about my new brand PhysiVāntage and our flagship product, Supercharged Collagen. This is a totally novel and premium produce. 19:40 – The genesis of PhysiVāntage—almost three years in the making. Here’s the back story. 22:00 – How decreasing collagen turnover after age 30 slows recovery and may increase the risk of injury. 25:50 – Most important amino acids for collagen synthesis are glycine, proline, hydroxyproline—these are hard to come by if you don’t consume a lot of meat. 27:30 – I created Supercharged Collagen to provide climbers with the perfect glycine and proline-rich pre-workout supplements for feeding their sinew the nutrients for optimal collagen synthesis. It’s research-based and athlete-tested. 32:00 – A quick research review. Here are six of the more than a dozen studies that I drew on in developing Supercharged Collagen. 41:20 – 6 questions and answers… 41:45 – Question #1: Will Supercharged Collagen fix my injury? (No, but it may enhance your rehabilitation program and, possibly, accelerate your return to climbing.) 43:20 – Question #2: How much Supercharged collagen should I consume each day? (One to three servings per day, depending on your situation.) 45:15 – Learn the benefits of doing a brief (15 minutes) “protective workout” each morning. This may be the biggest secret to building stronger tendons and ligaments