Aerobic Profile of Climbers During Maximal Arm Test

Abstract

This study compared measurements of upper body aerobic fitness in elite (EC; n=7) and intermediate rock climbers (IC; n=7), and a control group (C; n=7). Subjects underwent an upper limb incremental test on hand cycle ergometer, with increments of 23 W · min⁻¹, until exhaustion. Ventilation (VE) data were smoothed to 10 s averages and plotted against time for the visual determination of the first (VT1) and second (VT2) ventilatory thresholds. Peak power output was not different among groups [EC=130.9 (±11.8) W; IC=122.1 (±28.4) W; C=115.4 (±15.1) W], but time to exhaustion was significantly higher in EC than IC and C. VO^{2 PEAK} was significantly higher in EC [36.8 (±5.7) mL.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹] and IC [35.5 (±5.2) mL.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹] than C [28.8 (±5.0) mL.kg⁻¹.min⁻¹], but there was no difference between EC and IC. VT1 was significantly higher in EC than C [EC=69.0 (±9.4) W; IC=62.4 (±13.0) W; C=52.1 (±11.8) W], but no significant difference was observed in VT2 [EC=103.5 (±18.8) W; IC=92.0 (±22.0) W; C=85.6 (±19.7) W]. These results show that elite indoor rock climbers elicit higher aerobic fitness profile than control subjects when measured with an upper body test.

Key words

climbing - VO_2PEAK - ventilatory thresholds

References

• 1 Bertuzzi RCM, Franchini E, Kokubun E, Kiss MAPDM. Energy system contributions in indoor rock climbing.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2007;  101 293-300
• 2 Billat V, Palleja P, Charlaix T, Rizzardo P, Janel N. Energy specificity of rock climbing and aerobic capacity in competitive sport rock climbers.  J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1995;  35 20-24
• 3 Booth J, Marino F, Hill C, Gwinn T. Energy cost of sport rock climbing in elite performers.  Br J Sports Med. 1999;  33 14-18
• 4 Faria IE, Faria EW, Parker D. Metabolic and ventilatory response to cross-country skiing classical and double arm poling exercise.  J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1996;  36 1-6
• 5 Grant S, Hasler T, Davies C, Aitchison TC, Wilson J, Whittaker A. A comparison of the anthropometric, strength, endurance and flexibility characteristics of female elite and recreational climbers and non-climbers.  J Sports Sci. 2001;  19 499-505
• 6 Green JG, Stannard SR. Active recovery strategies and handgrip performance in trained vs. untrained climbers.  J Strength Cond Res. 2010;  24 494-501
• 7 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. International Journal of Sports Medicine – Ethical Standards in Sport and Exercise Science Research.  Int J Sports Med. 2009;  30 701-702
• 8 Jackson AS, Pollock ML. Generalized equations for predicting body density of men.  Br J Nutr. 1978;  40 497-504
• 9 Meyer T, Lucía A, Earnest CP, Kindermann W. A conceptual framework for performance diagnosis and training prescription from submaximal gas exchange parameters – theory and application.  Int J Sports Med. 2005;  26 (suppl. 1) 38-48
• 10 Pires FO, Hammond J, Lima-Silva AE, Bertuzzi RCM, Kiss MAPDM. Ventilation behavior during upper body incremental exercise.  J Strength Cond Res. 2010;  epub ahead of print
• 11 Pollock ML, Gaesser GA, Butcher JD, Després J, Dishman RK, Franklin BA, Garber CE. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;  30 975-991
• 12 Rodio A, Fattorini L, Rosponi A, Quattrini FM, Marchetti M. Physiological adaptation in noncompetitive rock climbers: good for aerobic fitness?.  J Strength Cond Res. 2008;  22 359-364
• 13 Roecker K, Prettin S, Sorichter S. Gas exchange measurements with high temporal resolution: the breath-by-breath approach.  Int J Sports Med. 2005;  26 (supp. 1) S11-S18
• 14 Sanada K, Kearns CF, Kojima K, Abe T. Peak oxygen uptake during running and arm cranking normalized to total and regional skeletal muscle mass measured by magnetic resonance imaging.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005;  93 687-693
• 15 Sheel AW, Seddon N, Knigth A, McKenzie DC, Warburton DER. Physiological responses to indoor rock-climbing and their relationship to maximal cycle ergometry.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;  35 1225-1231
• 16 Schöffl V, Möckel F, Köstermeyer G, Roloff I, Küpper T. Development of a performance diagnosis of the anaerobic strength endurance of the forearm flexor muscles in sport climbing.  Int J Sports Med. 2006;  27 205-211
• 17 Swaine IL. Cardiopulmonary responses to exercise in swimmer using a swim bench and a leg-kicking ergometer.  Int J Sports Med. 1997;  18 359-362
• 18 White DJ, Olsen PD. A time motion analysis of bouldering style competitive rock climbing.  J Strength Cond Res. 2010;  24 1356-1360
• 19 Watts PB, Drobish KM. Physiological responses to simulated rock climbing at different angles.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998;  30 1118-1120
• 20 Watts PB. Physiology of difficult rock climbing.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004;  91 361-372
• 21 Weston SB, Gray AB, Schneider DA, Gass GC. Effect of ramp slope on ventilation thresholds and VO_{2 PEAK} in male cyclists.  Int J Sports Med. 2002;  23 22-27

Correspondence