BREAKING BETA | Can We Measure Energy System Contribution to Climbing?

In this episode, from our other podcast, Breaking Beta, 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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Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.

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Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.