Determinants for success in climbing: A systematic review

Abstract

Background The number of athletes engaged in climbing sports has risen. Specific physical and psychological skills are required. The objective of this review was to determine factors for high climbing performance. We evaluated physiological, biomechanical and psychological characteristics that simplify the ascent. We also assessed training and recovery strategies. Methods Medline (Pubmed), Cochrane Library and Google scholar up to September 2018. Results A low skinfold thickness, body fat and large forearm volume were anthropometric traits in successful climbers. Well-trained forearm flexors with high aerobic capacities lead to an efficient style. Hand grip strength and endurance, postural stability and optimized kinematic motions were favourable. Elite climbers had long finger and bent-arm hang times. Psychologically, an “iceberg profile” was typical. Constant training with fingerboard and dynamic eccentric-concentric training helped to push the “red-point grade”. Conclusion Hand, forearm strength and endurance are highly important elements in elite climbers. An efficient climbing style with perpetual focus and accuracy, high speed and low exhaustion due to adaption to repeated isometric exercise is helpful in the ascent, while low body fat and a large bone-to-tip pulp make it easier. Constant training is essential, e.g. eccentric-concentric training of finger flexors, which should be followed by active recovery.

Analysis of grip strength and somatotype features of armwrestling athletes of different skill levels

“…Handgrip strength is often used as an effective criterion for health-related and recreational activities [9][10][11], rehabilitation [12]. A review by Saul et al [13] is highlighted the main factors determining success in mountain climbing. These include the strength of the hand muscles and forearm.…”

Comparison of Grip Strength in Recreational Climbers and Non-Climbing Athletes—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…For the climbing sport, the rise in popularity came with a rise in the number of recreational climbing athletes [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Throughout the literature, highly advanced climbers, the elite of their profession, are well-characterized.…”

“…These studies characterize mainly elite and very advanced climbing athletes, while there is a lack of studies focusing on recreational climbers [ 1 ]. The trend of climbing sport spreading more and more into a leisure sports activity, however, punctuates the importance of focusing on this particular cohort, which might find itself underrepresented in current studies [ 12 ].…”

Innovative force sensor for indoor climbing holds – real-time measurements and data processing, design and validation

“…The chosen measuring range (2000 N), with a resolution of 10 N, imposed a lower limit of log2(200) = 8 bit for the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) in charge of digitizing the signal coming from the strain gauge bridges. In the frequency domain, even though the literature provides little data regarding the dynamics of forces generated by a climber, as, for example, according to Saul et al, 21 a bandwidth of 5 Hz was estimated to be sufficient to capture most of the features that are likely to be relevant in the analysis of the climbing movement. The ADCs were therefore required to have a sampling rate of at least 10 Hz to satisfy the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem and preferably higher to allow a suitable representation of the climber load in time.…”