The Connection Between Resistance Training, Climbing Performance, and Injury Prevention

Abstract

Background Climbing is an intricate sport composed of various disciplines, holds, styles, distances between holds, and levels of difficulty. In highly skilled climbers the potential for further strength-specific adaptations to increase performance may be marginal in elite climbers. With an eye on the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, more climbers are trying to maximize performance and improve training strategies. The relationships between muscular strength and climbing performance, as well as the role of strength in injury prevention, remain to be fully elucidated. This narrative review seeks to discuss the current literature regarding the effect of resistance training in improving maximal strength, muscle hypertrophy, muscular power, and local muscular endurance on climbing performance, and as a strategy to prevent injuries. Main Body Since sport climbing requires exerting forces against gravity to maintain grip and move the body along the route, it is generally accepted that a climber`s absolute and relative muscular strength are important for climbing performance. Performance characteristics of forearm flexor muscles (hang-time on ledge, force output, rate of force development, and oxidative capacity) discriminate between climbing performance level, climbing styles, and between climbers and non-climbers. Strength of the hand and wrist flexors, shoulders and upper limbs has gained much attention in the scientific literature, and it has been suggested that both general and specific strength training should be part of a climber`s training program. Furthermore, the ability to generate sub-maximal force in different work-rest ratios has proved useful, in examining finger flexor endurance capacity while trying to mimic real-world climbing demands. Importantly, fingers and shoulders are the most frequent injury locations in climbing. Due to the high mechanical stress and load on the finger flexors, fingerboard and campus board training should be limited in lower-graded climbers. Coaches should address, acknowledge, and screen for amenorrhea and disordered eating in climbers. Conclusion Structured low-volume high-resistance training, twice per week hanging from small ledges or a fingerboard, is a feasible approach for climbers. The current injury prevention training aims to increase the level of performance through building tolerance to performance-relevant load exposure and promoting this approach in the climbing field.

The effects of five weeks of climbing training, on and off the wall, on climbing specific strength, performance, and training experience in female climbers—A randomized controlled trial

“…For intermittent finger hangs, Winkler et al [ 52 ] found that a hang to rest ratio of 7:2 seconds is most representative of the climbing movement. For this study the hang-time was slightly increased, while rest times were strongly increased in order to adjust the intensity for individuals without previous fingerboard training experience, and to reduce risk of injury [ 11 , 14 ].…”

“…Consequently, it is advised to engage in prolonged participation in conjunction with climbing-specific strength training to ensure progress in climbing and climbing-specific factors, and to lower the susceptibility to injuries [ 6 – 11 ].…”

“…The effects of muscular endurance training, for example, have been investigated by only very few studies [ 12 , 13 ]. This is despite the fact that especially muscular endurance training with low intensities is recommended for lower-level climbers and climbers without experience in climbing-specific training [ 11 , 14 ]. In two studies, Hermans et al [ 13 , 15 ] reported that muscular endurance training including non-climbing-specific exercises such as pull-down, seated bench press, seated rowing, seated shoulder press, biceps curl, forearm press, and forearm curl leads to an improvement in climbing-specific tests but not in climbing performance.…”

Assessing the Impact of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation-Based Fingerboard Training versus Conventional Fingerboard Training on Finger Flexor Endurance in Intermediate to Advanced Sports Climbers: A Randomized Controlled Study

“…Climbing training often involves activities closely resembling competition scenarios, such as bouldering sessions on climbing walls [18] or grip-specific strength and endurance training [19]. Existing studies underscore the positive impact of fingerboard training on climbing-specific performance [20][21][22]. A meta-analysis highlighted that resistance training enhanced performance in climbing-specific assessments, such as dead-hang duration or finger strength, compared with standard climbing training [18].…”

Editorial: Injuries, injury prevention and training in climbing

“…New climbing gyms are opening every year in every major city. With growing popularity and increasing performance levels, a need for evidence-based knowledge on injury prevention, testing, and training has emerged ( 2 , 3 ). In particular, climbing research is in its infancy, but the literature is expanding rapidly ( 4 – 7 ).…”