For most of my initial climbing life, I lived in Salt Lake City, where I got my bachelor's degrees in Social & Behavioral Science (why I love tattoos) and Human Biology.

After undergrad, I had a few ideas as to what I wanted to do for work (ethnography, social work, and teaching) until deciding to go study with my father, who worked at what I’d consider a “modern” chiropractic school.

I went this route over PT school because the education and increased scope of practice in my state of Utah were similar. It was a great way to hang out with my dad at a professional level and get an education at the same time.

While finishing my four years of chiropractic school, I also finished a master’s degree in sports science & rehabilitation (exercise science).

This program was designed for chiro’s interested in working with, and rehabilitating athletes specifically. This is when I became interested in understanding connective tissue injuries, training, and rehabilitation.

Because I was studying for both programs, working full-time as an anatomy and physiology tutor, and had two kids, I opted to write a systematic review on patellar tendinopathy as my final project.

After graduate school, I studied for the CSCS (certified strength & conditioning specialist) exam and opened a clinic in Salt Lake City with the intent of helping individuals better understand injuries and rehabilitation.

This is where I stopped being a chiro. I’ve never believed in, and still don’t to this day, some of the weird, outdated theories that accompany this profession (neither did my dad). I’m much more interested in educating people on how resilient their bodies are and how lifestyle and activity modifications are more critical for long-term health and prevention than becoming dependent on any conservative healthcare treatment. I was the student in school who would call out “bull $#!*” during class.

In grad school (what I’d do during the chiro treatment classes in my clinical years), and to this day, I love reading research papers. I value, appreciate, and admire researchers' tedious dedication to a small piece of information that belongs to a giant puzzle.

Because of that, I’ve used Instagram to share information I’m interested in, currently learning about, and think might be helpful to others. It’s not a great communication means, but it is a starting point.

As the modern review papers on climbing training suggest, we need to borrow the ideas of other sports and apply them to climbing. Our sport doesn’t have enough history to validate what we do.

With the help of social media, I’ve had the opportunity to teach courses worldwide on strength & conditioning and rehabilitation.

Due to having more “free time” during COVID-19, I created a lot of online courses for climbers worldwide. I was also doing some remote consulting at that time which brings us to my work in the present day.

I love climbing and working with primary climbers, but I don’t consider myself a climbing coach.

I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in climbing movement at all. I’m interested in helping people understand how their total training load influences injury risk.

Climbing technique, finger training, climbing volume, strength training, stretching, etc., all influence injury risk.

I aim to help people step back, look at the whole picture, and modify what they control (intensity, volume, variety, velocity), then progress it back to a more sustainable dosage.

I have a small office at The Industry in downtown SLC, Utah, where I take Zoom calls, do diagnostic ultrasound imaging for in-state clients, and write rehab/training programs.

Within the last two years, with the help of researcher Chris Beardsley, I’ve invested my time in trying to understand finger training physiology for climbers. The problem of finger length size, modes of training, frequency, duration, intensity, etc., is all so new that it deserves further exploration. Some climbers love challenging “conventional” training wisdom, while others cringe.

Within the last year, I’ve brought on a few additional coaches with their own level of expertise to the team. This helps provide a more well-rounded space for climbers with different needs. Some include technical coaching, sports psychology, mobility, and post-partum training. So be sure to check out the coaching page as well.

I’ve been married to my best friend for 17 years, I have four amazing kids, and I spend my non-work time practicing heavy metal guitar riffs, getting schooled on Fortnite with my three boys (an entire squad!), returning my daughter’s tennis serves and being in the desert with my family.

Thanks for visiting our page, and don’t hesitate to reach out through the contact form below if you have any questions.

Cheers, Tyler