Project Description
Marina Inoue on Short-Person Training and Body Image Issues
Date: November 27th, 2019
About Marina Inoue
Marina Inoue is a 33-year-old climber and tattooer who lives out of her van and travels all over to climb. She’s a friend of mine and when we first met, I remember immediately bonding over how short we both were. That’s why her accomplishments as a climber, having sent 5.13d and V11, are so impressive to me. She’s 5’2″ and has gotten a lot stronger in recent years, so we talk about the specifics of her training and how she stays strong even while living on the road. She also talks about training with Nate Drolet and how some of his drills made her a more dynamic climber. For more details about her training, Marina wrote an article for us: How I Trained for Dark Age V11.
As a short climber, she struggles with a lot of the things I struggle with, including getting shut down on moves that normal-sized people have no issues with. That can sometimes lead to ego bashings and anger, and she talks about how she stays positive out there, and how she’s sent some routes that were categorically not short person friendly.
Marina is also very open on social media about some issues she has with her body image. Since I can relate with her on that, and I know that many other women can as well, I asked her to talk about those things on this episode. We do a bit of a deep dive on this topic and I really appreciated her willingness to be brutally honest and say things that aren’t normally said publicly. Hopefully this conversation will help others open up and have conversations themselves.
Marina Inoue Interview Details
- Why she loves living in her van
- Things she’s most proud of in climbing
- How she trains to overcome height
- Getting shut down due to height – how she deals
- How she navigates ego as a short climber
- Some of her struggles with body image and weight
Marina Inoue Links
- Marina Inoue Instagram: @marina_inaway
- Marina’s article on training: How I Trained for Dark Age V11
Training Programs for You
Do you want a well-laid-out, easy-to-follow training program that will get you stronger quickly? Here’s what we have to offer on TrainingBeta…
- Personal Training Online: www.trainingbeta.com/matt
- For Boulderers: Bouldering Training Program for boulderers of all abilities
- For Route Climbers: Route Climbing Training Program for route climbers of all abilities
- Finger Strength : www.trainingbeta.com/fingers
- All of our training programs: Training Programs Page
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Photo Credit
Photo by Matt Pincus @mpincus87 of Marina in Nurse Ratchet V7 in Hueco Tanks
Transcript
Coming soon.
TrainingBeta is a site dedicated to training for rock climbing. We provide resources and information about training for routes, bouldering, finger strength, mental training, nutrition for climbers, and everything in between. We offer climbing training programs, a blog, interviews on the TrainingBeta Podcast, personal training for climbing, and nutrition for climbers.
I started climbing at 59. Got addicted! Yep, I arrived late to the party (but did climb my first two outdoor 5.11s this summer in Montana). Now, at 62, I can perhaps offer a different perspective on body image issues than many of your listeners. My KIDS are 41 and 39, so my view of life has decades of practice. A lifetime athlete, as a youngster I always longed to look willowy like a ballet dancer, but I’ve totally changed my tune on that. I was over 5’3″ tall, but have gotten shorter –rats!! — and have always been muscular. Now, I am delighted to have this short, strong, active body!! Muscles age REALLY, really well over time. How many granny climbers start this sport (and mean business!!)? Right? When I’m tempted to look in the mirror and cringe I say, “Yo, when you are 72 you’ll just WISH you looked this good, kiddo!” Perspective is everything!! I’m also a photographer and I see other people of ALL ages as beautiful. Guaranteed that if I looked at myself the way I look at other people I’d be MUCH kinder, much more impressed & embracing. Again, it’s perspective, and it’s taking the time to put that perspective into practice. I’m still learning and I intend to get good at this; both climbing AND healthy self image. Final note: of all my days, good or bad or in between, my survival rate is 100%. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that valuable fact, know what I mean? (Betcha you do!)
Thanks for this lovely perspective, Jan! And that’s amazing you started climbing at 59 and got addicted – such a fun way to maintain those muscles! Thanks again – very nice to hear from someone with a balanced view of themselves 🙂
I also have a seriously unhealthy relationship with sugar despite an otherwise healthy diet! Nicely stated. I’m lucky to have a metabolism that (so far) covers me, and as a guy I don’t face the awful social stigma that women do. Just wanted to give 2 cents of support and reassurance that I’ll try to do my part changing narratives out there about body image.
Thank you, Scott!!! 🙂
Great interview. Loved the openness about body image, weight, correlation with climbing ability. I’m a dude, and can relate to having a negative relationship to food/weight, constantly thinking about it. Couldn’t have said it better myself.