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Wednesday, April 18, 2018

My paper on The effect on finger endurance of Max Hangs vs. Int Hangs vs. a combination.


Versión en español

As I advanced a couple of days ago through social media, I'm happy to announce that past January one of my latest research articles was accepted for publication in The Journal of Human Kinetics, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. This means you'll be able to read the paper without the need to pay for a subscription or a fee.

Pending the assignment of a DOI (digital object identifier), when the full text paper will be available, here is the abstract, as a little teaser and following this link you will be able to download the preprint version. It is important to remember that, though the abstract gives you a general overview of the contents, it is advisable to read the full text when it is available. By doing so you’ll get all the nuance that will help you understand the methodology and judge the results in the context of its particular experimental design in order to arrive to your own conclusions and eventually extract something useful for your training.

So, without further ado, here it is, brief but intense. Hoping you’ll be eager for more, enjoy it!

“Comparison of the Effects of Three Hangboard Strength and Endurance Training Programs on Grip Endurance in Sport Climbers”


Note. This article has been accepted for print in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Human Kinetics. The full text shall appear in the InPress section in the upcoming weeks; then the DOI will be assigned and the whole manuscript will be available online in the journal website. The abstract appears here in its accepted, peer-reviewed form, as it was provided by the submitting author.

Article title: “Comparison of the Effects of Three Hangboard Strength and Endurance Training Programs on Grip Endurance in Sport Climbers”

Authors: Eva López-Rivera1; Juan José González-Badillo2

Affiliations: 1 Faculty of Sport Sciences, Castilla La-Mancha University, Toledo, Spain. 2 Faculty of Sport Sciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain.

Journal: Journal of Human Kinetics.

Acceptance date: 31 January 2018.

Abstract


Intermittent isometric endurance of the forearm flexors is a determinant factor of sport climbing performance. However, little is known about the best method to improve grip endurance in sport climbing regarding maximal or intermittent dead-hang training methods. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of three 8-week finger training programs using dead-hangs (maximal, intermittent, and a combination) on grip endurance. Twenty-six advanced sport climbers (7c+/8a mean climbing ability) were randomly distributed among three groups: maximal dead-hangs with maximal added weight on an 18 mm edge followed by MaxHangs on minimal edge depth; intermittent dead-hangs using the minimal edge depth, and a combination of both. The grip endurance gains and effect size were 34% and 0.6, respectively, for the group following maximal dead-hang training, 45% and 1, respectively, for the group following intermittent dead-hang training, and 7% and 0.1, respectively, for the group applying the combination of both training methods. Grip endurance increased significantly after 4 weeks in the group performing intermittent dead-hangs (p = 0.004) and after 8 weeks in both groups performing intermittent dead-hangs (p = 0.002) and MaxHangs (p = 0.010). The results suggest that the intermittent dead-hangs training method seems to be more effective for grip endurance development after eight week application in advanced sport-climbers. However, both methods, maximal and intermittent dead-hangs, could be alternated for longer training periods.

Key words: rock climbing, dead-hang training, intermittent isometric training, strength, endurance, climbing performance.


A collage of pictures capturing some moments of my -hard but also enjoyable - researching days with my dear "guinea pigs". Massive thanks, without all of you, this wouldn't have been possible!! Note: The pictures are from 2004 and 2010, excepting that one of my hand, from 2011)


From today (5 July of 2018), you will be able to find and if you wish, to download the preprint version of the paper here.

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