Functional and Performance Determinants in Climbers: Examining the Role of Mobility, Stability, and Fatigue Across Proficiency Levels

Functional and Performance Determinants in Climbers: Examining the Role of Mobility, Stability, and Fatigue Across Proficiency Levels

The primary objective is to understand how motor skills and fatigue affect climbing performance in indoor and outdoor climbers, also comparing elite and amateur climbers.

Aims:

• Assess differences in selected joint range of motion, isometric strength, and dynamic stability between elite and intermediate climbers.
• Evaluate the impact of the fatigue protocol on functional performance and cognitive outcomes across climbers of varying skill levels (intermediate vs. advanced).
• Examine the impact of general joint hypermobility, as indicated by Beighton Scores, on functional climbing performance.
• Association between cognitive factors (e.g., attention, memory) and motor skills.

Research questions:

• Do elite climbers have better joint mobility and balance than amateur climbers?
• How does fatigue affect performance and reaction time and cognitive function?
• Does having flexible joints (joint hypermobility) make climbers better athletes
• What are the performance differences between indoor and outdoor climbers?

This study will help identify key skills and physical traits that improve climbing performance. It will also explore how fatigue and flexibility impact safety and performance in different climbing environments.

Detailed Description

This study investigates the functional and performance determinants in indoor and outdoor climbers, focusing on mobility, stability, fatigue, and skill level. The protocol will compare elite and intermediate climbers through various physical and cognitive assessments conducted before and after a climbing-specific fatigue protocol. The goal is to identify key biomechanical, physiological, and cognitive factors that influence climbing performance and fatigue resistance in both climbing environments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• primary sport discipline - climbing (bouldering/lead rock or other)
• Healthy (without injury, pain, or symptoms) at the time of the study
• Participation in climbing training (minimum 3 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

• pain or other symptoms related during study
• rheumatological disease
• neurological disease or balance disorders
• orthopaedic disease
• genetic disease
• cardiovascular system disease
• surgeries of upper and lower limb in the last year
• surgeries of spine in the last year
• a primary sport other than climbing.
• taking medications that may affect balance.
• use of orthopedic supplies during the study