Lopera, M., P. Porcari, J., Steffen, J., Doberstein, S., Foster, C. (2011). The Effect of Indoor Rock Climbing on Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility Characteristics in Novice Climbers. Journal of Applied Sports Science, 1(1), 79-91. doi: 10.21608/jass.2011.84887
Maikey Lopera; John P. Porcari; Jeff Steffen; Scott Doberstein; Carl Foster. "The Effect of Indoor Rock Climbing on Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility Characteristics in Novice Climbers". Journal of Applied Sports Science, 1, 1, 2011, 79-91. doi: 10.21608/jass.2011.84887
Lopera, M., P. Porcari, J., Steffen, J., Doberstein, S., Foster, C. (2011). 'The Effect of Indoor Rock Climbing on Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility Characteristics in Novice Climbers', Journal of Applied Sports Science, 1(1), pp. 79-91. doi: 10.21608/jass.2011.84887
Lopera, M., P. Porcari, J., Steffen, J., Doberstein, S., Foster, C. The Effect of Indoor Rock Climbing on Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility Characteristics in Novice Climbers. Journal of Applied Sports Science, 2011; 1(1): 79-91. doi: 10.21608/jass.2011.84887
The Effect of Indoor Rock Climbing on Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility Characteristics in Novice Climbers
Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate changes in muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility in novice climbers following 7 weeks of indoor rock climbing and to determine if these responses are related to improvements in climbing performance. Method: Climbers (CL: n=14) and non-climbers (N-CL: n=10) were assessed before and after the study period. Tests included right and left handgrip and pinch grip strength, lat pull-down strength, arm-hang endurance, handgrip endurance, sit-and-reach flexibility, and total climbing time. The CL group completed a 7-week training protocol involving climbing 5-6 routes on an indoor climbing wall, 2x weekly. Result: The CL group had significant improvements in handgrip strength (7%), pinch strength (9%), handgrip endurance (26%), arm hang time (35%), and climbing performance (50%). There were no significant changes in the N-CL group. There were no significant correlations between improvement in climbing performance and change in muscle strength and endurance within CL. Discussion: The climbing performance of novice climbers can be improved in a relatively short period of time. However, the improvement is most likely due to improved climbing technique, than to improvements in muscular strength and endurance.