Nick Ranelli

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I am a climbing coach out of Philadelphia. I work with outdoor climbers and competition climbers that are motivated to get better at our favorite sport!

Check out the different services I offer and see how I can help you smash your climbing goals!

05/07/2026

Join us for the premiere of The Carnivore Cave.

A climbing story of mentorship, persistence, and the pursuit of personal limits.

🗓️ Saturday, June 20th
📍 Tufas Boulder Lounge
⏰ 7:00 PM

Rooted in:
Community.
Growth.
Perseverance.

A film celebrating the culture behind climbing.

Bringing together local athletes, filmmakers, and vendors.

RSVP in bio.

See you there.

04/25/2026

THE SECRET TO POGOS

If pogos feel impossible for you, it’s because your timing is off.

Typically, the issue lies in the climber’s timing and direction of movement.

Here’s the breakdown👇🏼

1️⃣Perspective (Most climbers get this wrong)

A pogo isn’t for power; it’s for assistance.

The momentum generated from the pogo reduces the power requirement from your upper body and creates flow.

2️⃣Timing (The common problem)

A pogo only helps if your pull matches it. Don’t let the momentum outrun your pull.

If you pull at the top, it’s too late.
If you pull too early, you lose the assist.

Pull as your foot hits peak height.

3️⃣Direction

Where the foot goes, the body follows. In addition to properly timing the pogo, you need to kick towards the hold you’re going to.

Kick through the hold, not just up.

4️⃣Mechanics

Stay tight through your core while letting the leg swing freely.

You’ll notice in the video that my pogo leg is mostly straight with some knee flexion, allowing a longer lever to create more momentum while maintaining tension.

Next time you’re working on a pogo, apply these adjustments and watch the magic happen!

Strong climbers miss pogos all the time; it’s a movement problem, not a strength problem.

If you want help training movement intentionally, remote coaching spots are available!

🔥Personalized Training Programs & Direct Mentorship
🔥Structured Skill Practice
🔥Periodized Strength Training
🔥In-Depth Mental Conditioning

Comment “COACH,” and I’ll send the link to apply!

04/20/2026

STOP LOSING SWINGS - DO THIS INSTEAD

Can’t control swings?

You’re over-relying on your fingers instead of body position.

This is the scorpion position👇🏼

🔹Feet drive behind you
🔹Chest drives forward
🔹Shoulder blades come together

This position makes you instantly stronger on the swing, every time.

You don’t control the swing after you catch it—you control it AS you catch it. Do this instead👇🏼

🔥As you go for the hold, pull your shoulder blades together and drive your chest forward.

Most climbers try to fight the swing.
The best climbers redirect it.

🔥Practice this on the wall by intentionally jumping between positive holds.

Practice👇🏼
🔹Jump between good holds
🔹Hit the scorpion position
🔹Lock it in AS you latch

Strength matters. Positions decide.

If you want to actually fix your movement—not just get stronger—comment “COACH,” and I’ll reach out with details on how to apply for remote coaching.

🔹Personalized Training Programs & Direct Mentorship
🔹Structured Skill Practice
🔹Periodized Strength Training
🔹In-Depth Mental Conditioning

04/14/2026

WHY YOU KEEP BACKING OFF MOVES (EVEN WHEN YOU’RE STRONG ENOUGH)

How often do you hesitate to do a particular type of move?

You know the fear I’m talking about. The move is insecure, and your brain floods with what-if scenarios.

Fear isn’t random—it follows a pattern.

The most common reason I see climbers struggle to commit is that they’re too focused on what they CAN’T control.

Fear follows a 3-step loop:

1️⃣ Trigger
You feel unstable → your brain flags danger
(It’s not height—it’s uncertainty.)

2️⃣ Response
“What if I slip?” → hesitation → backing off

3️⃣ Reward
You avoid the move → your brain reinforces hesitation

👉🏻This is why fear keeps showing up.

But fear doesn’t have to win — here’s how you can change the story👇🏼

🔥 Analyze The Beta:
Be patient. Break the move down until every hand + foot placement is predictable and there’s no uncertainty left in the movement.

🔥 Identify The Trigger:
Pinpoint exactly what creates the insecurity.
Solve that = reduce fear.

🔥 Visualize & Speak Success:
Picture yourself sticking the move confidently — in both first- and third-person views. Additionally, speak to yourself as if you’ve already done the move with conviction.

Clarity kills hesitation.

Confidence is built, not felt. Don’t let fear control you; turn it into a tool. Focus on the climbing and your self-talk because that’s what’s in your control and NOTHING ELSE.

If you want help training your mind and building rock-solid confidence, remote coaching spots are available!

🔥Personalized Training Programs & Direct Mentorship
🔥Structured Skill Practice
🔥Periodized Strength Training
🔥In-Depth Mental Conditioning

Comment “COACH,” and I’ll send the link to apply!

Every climber deals with this at some point.

04/10/2026

WHY MOST CLIMBERS FAIL CAMPUS PADDLES

Campus paddles aren’t about power—they’re about precision and positioning.

Master these 3 components 👇🏼

1️⃣Hand Positioning

Because we need to pull with our upper bodies during this movement actively, we need to find the ideal hand position on each hold that gives us maximum pull in the desired direction.

Here’s what most climbers get wrong 👇🏼

A common mistake I see is climbers focusing solely on where their torso is during the movement and almost ignoring the hand position on the holds.

👉🏻Bad Hands = Wasted Momentum

2️⃣Timing

You can’t pause mid-move—so timing has to be automatic. When to pull and kip.

As your hands connect and your body moves through space, the tension you intrinsically feel will change throughout the movement.

When your body is in a straight line to the end position, you pull and kip to complete the movement.

Emma’s cue to pull and kip for the finishing jug is that split second where tension increases.

👉🏻Move Too Early/Late = You’ll Miss

3️⃣Pull & Kip

The other common mistake I notice is climbers relying on their momentum to carry them through the entire movement.

It’s crucial to actively pull through with your upper body and kip your hips as you enter the ideal ending position of these campus paddles.

👉🏻Momentum Starts It. Pulling Finishes It.

Emma didn’t hit this right away.
She learned to feel the timing—and everything clicked.

Movement is the multiplier. Train it as it matters.

If you want help training movement intentionally, remote coaching spots are available!

🔥Personalized Training Programs & Direct Mentorship
🔥Structured Skill Practice
🔥Periodized Strength Training
🔥In-Depth Mental Conditioning

Comment “COACH” and I’ll send the link to apply!

03/25/2026

TRAJECTORY IS KING

If you keep barn-dooring on slab, it’s not a strength issue.

Positions > Power is a movement principle that will come up just about every session.

Slab is no exception to this rule.

A common issue climbers experience when performing these quick stand-up moves is falling away from the wall as they approach the hold.

They stand up.
They grab hold.
They barn-door off.

Incorrect Trajectory -> Barn-Door Effect -> Position & Hold Become Impossible to Control

Your body goes where your setup sends it.

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to fix the incorrect trajectory.

By creating space from the wall—space you can use to correct your trajectory.

This is exactly how Emma sniped this slot.

At first, she was experiencing the same issue with her body barn-dooring away from the wall as she grabbed the handhold.

Initially, her chest was against the wall as she initiated the movement, causing her to fall away from the wall.

The fix she made was to lean her right shoulder and chest away from the wall right before she stood up for the slot, allowing her to find the ideal ending position.

She didn’t try harder. She moved better.

Movement is the multiplier. Train it intentionally.

If you keep barn-dooring, download the self-assessment in my bio.

03/23/2026

ACCURACY STARTS WITH THE EYES

You’re not missing because you’re weak—you’re missing because you can’t aim.

Most climbers will try moves over and over again, falling for the same reason every time.

On every failed attempt, my hands were too low on the paddle and I was struggling to latch the hold. I kept missing.

I realized I wasn’t aiming well; my visual gaze was too broad.

If you can’t point to the exact spot you’re grabbing, you’re guessing.

The simplest way to improve your accuracy on the wall is to stop looking at the whole hold.

Looking at an entire hold doesn’t allow you to find that perfect spot at a high percentage. You might get lucky at times, but it’s unreliable.

As soon as I shifted my focus to the top of the hold, I consistently landed my hands in the ideal position and latched the move on command.

Nothing changed but my focus.

Before you move, decide exactly where your hand is going to land.

This is called visual targeting.

Pick your target before you leave the hold.

If you’re missing moves and don’t know why—this is exactly the problem.

Take the assessment in my bio.

03/20/2026

WHY MOST CLIMBERS FAIL MANTLES (And How To Fix It)

Ever stall halfway through a mantle? You push, flail, maybe even throw yourself over — but nothing sticks. Most climbers fall into the classic trap.

You’ve likely fallen into the classic trap with mantles.

The 🔑 to mantles isn’t just about brute strength (though dips definitely help)!

It’s about technique — and most people miss this one detail👇🏼

🔥Here’s the trick:
🔹Push and lean over your foot
🔹Stand up instead of muscling up
🔹More space = smoother mantle

Center of Mass controls stability — move it over your base and the mantle flows.

Watch Emma: she stalls, shifts over her foot — mantle unlocked!

Shifting your focus to your foot lets you lean over, making it easier to stand up and finish the mantle smoothly!

Try this in your next session if you struggle with mantles!

I’ll be breaking mantles down at my next clinic: The Art of The Mantle

Saturday, April 25th @ Tufas Boulder Lounge

If your mantles and topouts feel desperate, this clinic is for you.

Movement multiplies strength — train it intentionally.
Link in bio to sign up.

03/19/2026

Regionals 26’

2026 wasn’t the start I’d hoped for. However, exactly what was needed.

Team Primal showed up and trusted the process, getting everyone through to divisionals comfortably!

Special congrats to:

Emma: 🥇 Boulder, 🥈 Lead (F-17)

Maya: 🥇 Boulder

We’re not done. Divisionals 🔜

03/11/2026

YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE

Your brain can literally reduce your power output before you even jump.

Your self-talk dictates how you perform.
Belief is the first step toward growth.

Your nervous system responds to your self-talk.

🔹Positive belief INCREASES commitment and power.
🔹Negative self-talk can literally REDUCE motor unit recruitment.

Yes, your body responds physiologically to positive self-talk.

That’s exactly what was happening here with Abby’s triple clutch.

Watch the video.

She finds the positions.
Her timing is right.
Her hands hit the holds.

Yet she still can’t latch the move.

During the session, I realized she didn’t actually believe she could stick the move.

She was limiting her own physical capabilities before she even jumped.

The central nervous system downregulates power output when failure is predicted. That’s exactly what Abby was doing.

As soon as I realized Abby was doing this, we shifted how she was talking to herself. She started rephrasing her thoughts.

We went from:
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
to
“If I just grab and pull as hard as I can, I can do this.”

Not just belief, but also what needs to happen to unlock the move.

Knowing the exact beta + believing with conviction are 🔑.

Now this triple clutch is part of her warm-up circuit 🤯

She didn’t get stronger.
She just believed.

If you predict failure, your body prepares to fail.

Have you ever missed a move you know you should have stuck?

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

http://www.primalmovementfitness.com/

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