Introduction
It is evident that climbing harder routes requires greater physical strength. The holds are generally small, moves can be long and the climbs themselves tend to be steep.
Higher performing climbers therefore tend to have stronger fingers, better endurance, more shoulder and upper body power, and higher anaerobic fitness (For reviews see Langer et al., 2023a; Saul et al., 2019; Stien et al., 2022).
However, climbing performance depends, not only on physical characteristics, but also on sport-specific coordinative-technical skills, tactical-cognitive, psychic and social abilities, and constitutional factors. For example in the multivariate study by Magiera et al. (2013), mental characteristics explained around 41%, technical 53%, and physical 62% of climbing performance.
While training for climbing should consist of either climbing/bouldering or performing semispecific exercises with movement patterns similar to climbing (Langer et al., 2023b), it remains unclear if choosing between bouldering or climbing during training has a greater impact on performance as well as on strength and endurance outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to examine if prioritizing one discipline over the other can lead to specific improvements without sacrificing general climbing abilities.
Detailed Summary
Who participated in the study?
- 14 active climbers participated, with 7 in each group.
- Both sexes were included: 6 males and 1 female in the lead climbing group, and 5 males and 2 females in the bouldering group.
- Climbers were intermediate to advanced with a self-reported red-point grade of at least 6b+ for women and 6c for men.
- Participants had significant climbing experience, averaging 5 to 8 years, and did not specialize in either discipline.
How was this study conducted?
- Participants were randomly allocated to lead climbing training (LCT) or boulder climbing training (BCT) groups.
- The study included tests before and after the training intervention
- Isometric Pull-Up
- Measured under two conditions: on a 23mm rung with a half crimp grip and on a jug hold. Participants were anchored to the ground holding a 90-degree elbow angle, before pulling as strongly as possible for about ~3 seconds. The rate of force development was measured using a force-cell.
- Finger strength
- Measured using a custom tabletop apparatus to avoid inclusion of large back muscles with a 23mm rung gripped in a half-crimp finger position.
- Forearm endurance
- Using the same setup as the finger strength test, participants performed intermittent contractions at 60% of their maximal finger strength. Each contraction lasted 7 seconds, followed by a 3sec rest.
- Bouldering performance
- Participants were assessed on three boulder problems graded 6B+ to 6C+. They had 4 minutes on each problem, followed by a 3min rest. The number of completed moves on each problem was summed to generate an overall bouldering score.
- Lead climbing performance
- Evaluated on a 6c+ route on an 18m wall with a progressively steeper incline. Participants were allowed one attempt and the high point was recorded.
- Isometric Pull-Up
What did the training program look like?
- 5-week training period with 3 sessions per week: 2 primary discipline sessions and 1 maintenance session for the other discipline.
- Boulder Climbing Training (BCT) Group
- One quality session projecting a hard boulder, maintaining a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) ≥ 7, allowing for rest intervals of 3-5 minutes between attempts.
- One volume session, with participants completing 5 sets of 4 consecutive boulders at a lower intensity (RPE ≤ 6) and resting for 5 minutes between sets.
- The maintenance lead climbing session was of low intensity, with RPE ≤ 3.
- Lead Climbing Training (LCT) Group
- One quality session with a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) ≥ 7, performing 3 sets of 2 consecutive lead climbs, followed by 10 minutes of rest between sets.
- One volume session, where participants performed as many climbs as possible within an hour, at an intensity of 3 ≤ RPE ≤ 6, with short rests of at least 3 minutes.
- The maintenance bouldering session was of low intensity, with RPE ≤ 3.
Conclusion and practical application
Central conclusion
- Both training types improved climbing-specific strength but not climbing performance.
- Lead Climbing Training group improved intermittent forearm endurance.
- Boulder Climbing Training group improved isolated finger strength.
- Training program design
- Alternating focus periods on lead climbing and bouldering can achieve balanced improvements in strength and endurance based on the training modality.
- Maintenance session
- Including low-intensity sessions of the non-prioritized discipline maintains overall climbing ability.
- This periodization model involving frequent changes between different training methods is called the ‘undulating model’ (Api & Arruda, 2022)
- Applying this periodization model is especially relevant if you aim to train different strength characteristics within a limited amount of time. That is especially relevant if you are both, a boulderer and lead climber.
Corollary or secondary conclusions
- Strength training
- Incorporating strength training within training for climbing has been shown to enhance climbing performance and climbing-specific strength outcomes (For reviews see Langer et al., 2023b; Stien et al., 2023). While not all effect sizes/interaction effects were significant, the training groups improved their climbing performance and strength test outcomes in all of the studies, whereas, for the control/climbing-only groups, this was mostly not the case.
- Performance monitoring
- Assessing climbing-specific strength and endurance metrics helps track progress and adjust training programs.
- The reviews from Langer et al. (2023a) and Stien et al. (2023) identified evidence-based tests for tracking performance.
What questions remain about the subject addressed by the study?
- The study’s short duration and low intensity may not be sufficient to produce distinct differences between the two training methods. Therefore, further research is needed to examine the long-term effects and higher-intensity training on climbing performance.
- It remains unclear if the results are generalizable to elite climbers due to the intermediate-to-advanced level of participants.
- The small sample size and potential baseline heterogeneity challenge the statistical power and generalizability of the findings.
Original Study
Stien, N., Frøysaker, T. F., Hermans, E., Vereide, V. A., Andersen, V., & Saeterbakken, A. H. (2021). The effects of prioritizing lead or boulder climbing among intermediate climbers. Frontiers in sports and active living, 3, 661167.
References
Api, G., & Arruda, D. (2022). Comparison of periodization models: a critical review with practical applications. Journal of Applied Sports Sciences, 2, 77-105.
Langer, K., Simon, C., & Wiemeyer, J. (2023a). Physical performance testing in climbing—A systematic review. Frontiers in sports and active living, 5, 1130812.
Langer, K., Simon, C., & Wiemeyer, J. (2023b). Strength training in climbing: a systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(3), 751-767.
Magiera, A., Roczniok, R., Maszczyk, A., Czuba, M., Kantyka, J., & Kurek, P. (2013). The Structure of Performance of a Sport Rock Climber. Journal of Human Kinetics, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2013-0011
Saul, D., Steinmetz, G., Lehmann, W., & Schilling, A. F. (2019). Determinants for Success in Climbing: A Systematic Review. Journal of exercise science and fitness, 17(3), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2019.04.002
Stien, N., Frøysaker, T. F., Hermans, E., Vereide, V. A., Andersen, V., & Saeterbakken, A. H. (2021). The effects of prioritizing lead or boulder climbing among intermediate climbers. Frontiers in sports and active living, 3, 661167.
Stien, N., Riiser, A., Shaw, M. P., Saeterbakken, A. H., & Andersen, V. (2023). Effects of climbing-and resistance-training on climbing-specific performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biology of Sport, 40(1), 179-191
Stien, N., Saeterbakken, A. H., & Andersen, V. (2022). Tests and Procedures for Measuring Endurance, Strength, and Power in Climbing-A Mini-Review. Frontiers in sports and active living, 4, 847447. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.847447