Fitness and Training HEART RATE RESPONSES AND PERCEIVED EXERTION FOR BEGINNER AND RECREATIONAL SPORT CLIMBERS DURING INDOOR CLIMBING

JEFFREY M. JANOT, JEFF P. STEFFEN, JOHN P. PORCARI, AND MARGARET A. MAHER. Heart rate responses and perceived exertion for beginner and recreational sport climbers during indoor climbing. JEPONLINE 3(1):17, 2000. The purpose of this investigation was to compare heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of beginner and recreational sport climbers during indoor climbing. Seventeen beginner (10 M and 7 F) and 17 recreational (10 M and 7 F) sport climbers climbed two routes that varied in difficulty (route 1 = 5.6, route 2 = 5.8 on the Yosemite Decimal Scale). HR responses were recorded at pre-climb, during climbing, and during recovery using a Polar XL HR monitor. RPE values were recorded after each climb using the Borg 15-point RPE scale. Significant differences (p < .05) in pre-climb HR, climbing HR, and RPE were found between beginner and recreational climbers, but not for recovery HR (p > .05). In addition, pre-climb HR responses were significantly higher (p < .05) than recovery HR in beginner climbers only. As expected, HR responses during climbing were significantly greater (p < .05) for route 2 compared to route 1 due to the increased difficulty of route 2. These results indicate that HR and RPE responses differ between beginner and recreational climbers during most conditions. The differences between the beginner and recreational climbers could be attributed to route familiarity, varied efficiency in climbing technique, a pressor response, or anxiety. These data show how climbers with varied skill levels respond during climbing and provide climbing instructors with information that may assist in designing climbing programs based on the individual skill of the climber.