The Effects of Prioritizing Lead or Boulder Climbing Among Intermediate Climbers

Abstract

This study compared the effects of prioritizing lead climbing or boulder climbing on climbing-specific strength and endurance, as well as climbing performance. Fourteen active climbers were randomized to a boulder climbing training group (BCT: age = 27.2 ± 4.4 years, body mass = 65.8 ± 5.5 kg, height = 173.3 ± 3.8 cm) or a lead-climbing training group (LCT: age = 27.7 ± 6.1 years, body mass = 70.2 ± 4.4 kg, height = 177.7 ± 4.4 cm). The groups participated in a 5-week training period consisting of 15 sessions, performing either two weekly bouldering sessions and one maintenance-session of lead-climbing (BCT) or two weekly lead-climbing sessions and one maintenance-session of bouldering (LCT). Pre- and post-training, maximal force and rate of force development (RFD) were measured during isometric pull-ups performed on a jug hold and a shallow rung, and during an isolated finger-strength test. Lead-climbing and bouldering performance were also measured, along with an intermittent forearm endurance test. The pre-to-post changes were not significantly different between the groups for any of the parameters (P = 0.062–0.710). However, both the BCT (ES = 0.30, P = 0.049) and LCT (ES = 0.41, P = 0.046) groups improved strength in the isometric pull-up performed using the jug, whereas neither group improved force in the rung condition (P = 0.054 and P = 0.084) or RFD (P = 0.060 and P = 0.070). Furthermore, climbing and bouldering performance remained unchanged in both groups (P = 0.210–0.895). The LCT group improved forearm endurance (ES = 0.55, P = 0.007), while the BCT group improved isolated finger strength (ES = 0.35, P = 0.015). In addition to isometric pull-up strength, bouldering can increase isolated finger strength while lead-climbing may improve forearm endurance. A 5-week period prioritizing one discipline can be safely implemented for advanced to intermediate climbers without risking declined performance in the non-prioritized discipline.

Tests and Procedures for Measuring Endurance, Strength, and Power in Climbing—A Mini-Review

“…The fingers are typically positioned in a half-crimp grip on a climbing hold, likely providing a more sport-specific condition compared to handheld dynamometers (Ozimek et al, 2016;Marcolin et al, 2020). This and similar set-ups have displayed (1) ability to discriminate between performance levels (Grant et al, 1996;MacLeod et al, 2007), and (2) changes in finger strength following a training period (Stien et al, 2021a). Researchers have suggested that climbing-specific maximal strength and RFD tests performed standing on the ground with fixed elbows produced more reliable results (ICC = 0.94) compared to performing the tests with fully extended elbows (ICC = 0.88) (Michailov et al, 2018).…”

“…Still, handheld dynamometers have been reliable (Baláš et al, 2012;Medernach et al, 2015a), and able to discriminate between climbers and non-climbers (Quaine et al, 2003;Macdonald and Callender, 2011;Limonta et al, 2015;Assmann et al, 2020). Recently, tests that closely mimic the hold types and arm positions in climbing have been implemented (Levernier and Laffaye, 2019;Baláš et al, 2021;Rokowski et al, 2021;Stien et al, 2021a). Using climbingspecific test set-ups rather than handheld dynamometers could be especially important when assessing training effects and comparing different performance levels.…”

“…Typically, finger strength tests include fixating the elbow to potentially exclude force production from the arm-and back muscles (Grant et al, 1996;MacLeod et al, 2007;Marcolin et al, 2020;Stien et al, 2021a). This is usually achieved by positioning the elbow against a surface to restrict any movement, whereas the distance from the surface to the hold is adjusted to allow the finger flexors to exert force in the desired position.…”

“…In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, climbing included three disciplines (speed-, lead-, and boulder climbing). Bouldering is performed on low walls (<6 m) with few, difficult, and often highly explosive moves (White and Olsen, 2010), whereas lead climbing is performed on higher walls (10-30 m) and consists of 20 to 50 moves with repeated sub-maximal force generation (Stien et al, 2021a). Speed climbing is performed on a slightly overhanging 15 m wall with a standardized route (Levernier et al, 2020).…”

Differences in Upper-Body Peak Force and Rate of Force Development in Male Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite Sport Climbers

“…The cord had to be completely taut before the test began and no kipping with the legs or creating a countermovement were allowed. The force-time curves criteria have been described previously (Stien et al, 2021a ). The participants had to hang still on the rung (no more than ±5 N fluctuation in force for 1,000 ms) before exerting maximal force (Stien et al, 2021b ).…”