Topic Guide
What Is Human physiology?
Human physiology is a subject covered in depth across 1 podcast episode in our database. Below you'll find key concepts, expert insights, and the top episodes to listen to — all distilled from hours of conversation by leading experts.
Key Concepts in Human physiology
Crack climbing
A specialized rock climbing technique where climbers insert their fingers, hands, or other body parts into natural rock cracks and then twist or torque them to create friction and achieve a secure hold. The episode explains this process "makes your connective tissue bigger" over time and, while inherently painful, can provide a "pleasant feel of safety" when executed with proper technique.
Functional strength (vs. generalized strength)
The principle that strength is specific to the task or movement it's applied to, rather than being a universal, transferable metric. Alex Honnold demonstrates this by explaining that a grip strength dynamometer doesn't measure the "strength that you need to do the things that you're trying to do" in climbing, contrasting it with a more specific climbing-related lift of 135 lbs on a 20mm edge.
What Experts Say About Human physiology
- 1.Alex Honnold asserts he does not possess "the world's greatest grip strength," challenging a common assumption about free solo climbers.
- 2.Standard grip strength meters, which measure general gripping on a bar, do not accurately reflect the specific, functional strength required for technical climbing.
- 3.Honnold demonstrated that specific climbing exercises, such as lifting 135 lbs off a 20mm edge, are more relevant to climbing strength than dynamometer readings.
- 4.His grip strength meter scores (62 and 63) were slightly higher than the host's (49-50), but Honnold attributed general strength differences partly to the host's larger size, being "25% bigger" than him.
- 5.Crack climbing involves inserting fingers into a crack and torquing them, a technique that physically "make your connective tissue bigger" and, despite potential pain, can offer a sense of safety.
- 6.The physical demands of climbing have resulted in Honnold having "quite wide fingers" and hands that look like those of "a stonemason," highlighting the long-term impact of the sport.