Original articles Energy cost of sport rock climbing in elite performers

Objectives—To assess oxygen uptake (V~O2), blood lactate concentration ([Lab]), and heart rate (HR) response during indoor and outdoor sport climbing. Methods—Seven climbers aged 25 (SE 1) years, with a personal best ascent without preview or fall (on sight) ranging from 6b to 7a were assessed using an indoor vertical treadmill with artificial rock hand/foot holds and a discontinuous protocol with climbing velocity incremented until voluntary fatigue. On a separate occasion the subjects performed a 23.4 m outdoor rock climb graded 5c and taking 7 min 36 s (SE 33 s) to complete. Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured using a telemetry system and [Lab] collected at rest and after climbing. Results—Indoor climbing elicited a peak oxygen uptake (V~O2climb-peak) and peak HR (HRpeak) of 43.8 (SE 2.2) ml/kg/min and 190 (SE 4) bpm, respectively and increased blood lactate concentration [Lab] from 1.4 (0.1) to 10.2 (0.6) mmol/l (p< 0.05). During outdoor climbing V~O2 and HR increased to about 75% and 83% of V~O2climb-peak and HRpeak, respectively. [Lab] increased from 1.3 (0.1) at rest to 4.5 mmol/l (p< 0.05) at 2 min 32 s (8 s) after completion of the climb. Conclusions—The results suggest that for elite climbers outdoor sport rock climbs of five to 10 minutes’ duration and moderate diYculty require a significant portion of the V~O2climb-peak. The higher HR and V~O2 for outdoor climbing and the increased [Lab] could be the result of repeated isometric contractions, particularly from the arm and forearm muscles. (Br J Sports Med 1999;33:14–18)