Predictive value of forearm muscle oxygenation parameters for climbing-specific finger endurance and competitive climbing performance

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a valid and reliable method to assess forearm muscle oxygenation in sport climbing, focusing on evaluating single parameters. The study assessed the predictive value of various NIRS parameters in climbing-specific settings, during intermittent finger endurance testing and in a simulated climbing competition. Methods 52 recreational climbers (28.5 ± 6.3 y) performed an intermittent finger endurance test and 10 competitive climbers (20.2 ± 6.3 y) participated in a simulated lead climbing competition. Continuous-wave NIRS were used to assess oxygenation and blood volume changes. Results NIRS parameters predicted 26.4% of the variance in the intermittent test, with mean minima and maxima of O2Hb and mean maxima of TSI% of the single repetitions being the predictors. No significant differences existed between the last valid and the first nonvalid repetition on the combined dependent variable. For the simulated competition, a statistically significant difference between the 20 s intervals on the combined dependent variables was found with posthoc testing showing significant univariate within-subjects effects for HHb, tHb & TSI, but not for O2Hb. Conclusion The results indicate that for the intermittent test, high re- and deoxygenation abilities, and for the climbing competition, the accumulation of HHb concentration levels have the highest predictability.