The physiological responses of sport climbing: a systematic review

• Main Author: Koh, Lynnette Siok Heng
• Other Authors: Govindasamy Balasekaran
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/73852
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Background: With the increasing popularity of sport climbing, coupled with the recent inclusion of the sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, a greater understanding of the physiological responses of sport climbing will aid in implementing training programs to maximise performance. Purpose: This review aims to summarize the physiological responses of sport climbing, such as heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption (VO2), and blood lactate (BL), by analysing and comparing relevant studies to improve climbing performance. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to investigate the physiological responses in sport climbers. A computerized search was made from databases Onesearch, Scopus and PubMed. 8 studies were extracted. A summary of the study findings was recorded in this review. Results: Factors such as climbing ability, route difficulty, and wall inclination all have an effect on HR, VO2, and BL. However, an insignificant difference of VO2 was observed in most of the studies, resulting in a disproportionate rise in VO2 compared to HR. There was also a significant increase in blood lactate levels post-climbing, and this was found to have a detrimental effect on climbing performance. Conclusion: Sport climbing is a multi-dimensional sport, and the changes in physiological responses can be attributed to many different components. A combination of factors, such as climbing ability, climbing route difficulty, and wall inclination, all result in a rise in HR, VO2, and BL. No single factor can fully explain the changes in physiological responses. Keywords: Rock Climbing, Sport Climbing, Physiological Responses