Abstract
The present study investigated the time course of repetitive maximal isometric grip strength, depending on the arm position, laterality (dominant vs. non-dominant side), and climbing level. The intervention aimed to provide a feasible indicator of maximal strength-endurance in climbing. Seventeen recreational (climbing level (CL): 6.8 (SD 0.5) on the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA) metric scale) and eleven ambitious (CL: 8.7 (SD 0.6) UIAA metric scale) climbers (age: 27 (8) years; BMI: 21.6 (1.9) kg/m2; ape index (arm span divided by body height): 1.05 (0.18); training volume: 2.2 (1.0) h/week). Participants completed maximal isometric handgrip strength (Fmax) tests in four positions (left and right hand beside the trunk as well as left and right hand above the shoulder) plus twelve repetitive work-relief cycles, lasting 4 and 1 s where isometric strength, heart rate, and perceived exertion were recorded. Fmax differed between groups in nearly all positions. A large side × position × time × group interaction was observed for repetitive isometric grip strength (p = 0.009, ηp2 = 0.71). However, subsequent post-hoc tests did not reveal a significant difference between groups during each testing position. Additional correlation analysis between asymmetry and CL showed an inverse relationship for ambitious climbers (r = −0.71). In conclusion, the degree of grip strength decline did not relevantly differentiate between ambitious and recreational climbers. Thus, the time course of handgrip strength seems to mainly rely on maximal grip strength during the first contraction.
Highlights
Recreational, ambitious, and elite sport climbing has gained notable popularity within the last two decades
As the data were collected within standard handgrip screening, an ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the German Sports university (127/2020)
As a climbing-specific anthropometric measure, the ape index was calculated as arm span divided by body height [13]
Summary
Recreational, ambitious, and elite sport climbing has gained notable popularity within the last two decades. Committee (IOC) in 2007 and the ongoing professionalization of sport climbing call for specific and valid measures to objectify individual performance levels in climbing. Such performance-determining parameters may serve as relevant outcome measures following a progressively conducted climbing training, e.g., for performance monitoring during the training periods of climbers on various level. Numerous studies in the past intended to derive and assess the performance parameters of climbing to contribute to a comprehensive sport climbing performance structure. A majority of these predominantly cross-sectional studies investigated, for example, aerobic energy costs [1,2], anthropometric determinants [3], anaerobic capacities of the forearm muscles [4], active and passive recovery [5], fingertip force [6], or work–relief ratio of load application [7]. Public Health 2020, 17, 9530; doi:10.3390/ijerph17249530 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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