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The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

2013; Elsevier BV; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.wem.2013.06.015

1545-1534

Wendy Hanna,

Graphite, nuclear technology, radiation studies

Rock climbing is increasingly popular, and the 2 main styles of climbing, leading and bouldering, require different training regimens and physical strength. This cross-sectional case-controlled study investigated grip strength differences among boulder climbers, lead climbers, and nonclimbers. Lead climbing was defined as climbing on higher walls (12–18 m) with the effective climbing time longer when compared with boulder climbing. Bouldering was defined as climbing on lower walls (4–5 m) for shorter amounts of time, generally using multiple attempts to complete the climbing problem. Although it has been shown that climbers have increased finger flexor maximal strength compared with nonclimbers, there have not been studies among different climbing types. This study compared climbing-specific maximal muscle strength and rapid force capacity of finger flexors between elite boulder and lead climbers. Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force and rate of force development (RFD) were tested for 2 climbing grips, crimp and open-crimp hand positions. Twenty elite French male rock climbers, 10 bouldering and 10 lead climbers, were matched to control subjects with no rock climbing experience. Grip strength was measured with an S-shaped strain gauge force transducer with a handmade L-shaped climbing hold. The dominant shoulder and elbow were fully extended, and the force was measured for 3-second periods for the 2 grip positions. The MVC and RFD among bouldering climbers were stronger than those of lead climbers and nonclimbers. The RFD had the largest difference among the 3 groups with a 38% difference in open-crimp position and a 34% difference in the crimp position. The authors proposed that bouldering requires more dynamic and explosive movements in comparison to lead climbing, and this study can help individuals tailor their training for each climbing style. Limitations of the study include a small sample size and possible crossover of finger strength capabilities between bouldering and lead climbing. (J Strength Cond Res. 2013;27:310–314) M Fanchini, F Violette, FM Impellizzeri, NA Maffiuletti.