Can We Measure How Different Energy Systems Contribute to Climbing?

Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper that investigates how different energy systems contribute to climbing performance:

Climbing-Specific Exercise Tests: Energy System Contributions and Relationships With Sport Performance

Authored by Marcin Maciejczyk, Michail Lubomirov Michailov, Magdalena Więcek, Jadwiga Szymura, Robert Rokowski, Zbigniew Szygula, and Ralph Beneke; published in Frontiers in Physiology in January, 2022.

They’ll explain the different energy systems and how they were measured in the study using three finger flexor muscle tests. They’ll consider how well these measurements can act as reliable performance indicators for climbing.

Special thanks to AJ Sobrilsky at Excel Physical Therapy in Bozeman and also the Climb Strong team for suggesting this paper!

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