Hormonal response during official bouldering competition.

Background: Sports competitions present a highly stressful environment for the athletes. The stress that is produced because of physiological or psychological demands could influence athletes' performance. This study aimed to understand the dynamics of stress biomarkers during official national bouldering climbing competition.

Methods: Twelve sport climbers ([6 females] average age: 20.3±5.21 years, body height: 174.0±10.27 cm, body mass: 64.7±10.80 kg, training age: 10.3±2.40 years) took part in this study. Their saliva cortisol (C) and alpha-amylase (AA) were sampled during the official climbing competition (qualification and final).

Results: The results showed that C had higher values post- (qualification, 1.02±0.43 µg/dL; final, 0.46±0.27 µg/dL) than precompetition (0.45±0.24 µg/dL; 0.29±0.68 µg/dL, respectively). A similar trend can be observed in AA, with higher values post- (qualification, 156.07±133.24 U/dL; final, 199.09±51.24 U/dL) than precompetition (88.18±80.24 U/dL; 88.72±51.24 U/dL, respectively). Furthermore, C had a significantly higher response prequalification (0.45±0.24 µg/dL) than prefinal (0.29±0.19 µg/dL), with the same response post both competition rounds (qualification, 1.02±0.43 µg/dL; final, 0.46±0.27 µg/dL).

Conclusions: Overall, the results showed a strong endocrine and nervous system response. These findings lead to the conclusion that sports climbing competitions present a highly stressful environment for athletes, both physically and psychologically.