Intra and Inter-Session Reliability of Movement Velocity During Pull-Ups Performed at Small Climbing Holds.

Objectives: The synergy between arm and shoulder muscles, along with isometric finger flexor strength, are crucial for climbing proficiency. However, tests often assess these factors separately rather than in a unified action. This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-session reliability of the mean propulsive velocity (MPV) during pull-ups on a large hold and on small climbing edges.

Methods: Ten male climbers (self-reported maximal grade 6b-8b on French scale) participated in two identical sessions. During each session, participants performed two blocks of two pull-ups on a large hold and on four small climbing edges (25, 20, 15, and 10mm) in randomized order. The MPV was recorded using a linear position transducer.

Results: The MPV during climbing pull-ups at 20mm (0.75±0.16 m/s), 15mm (0.73±0.16 m/s), and 10mm (0.52±0.15 m/s) was reduced compared to a pull-up on a large hold (0.84±0.16m/s). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were good-to-excellent across hold sizes for intra-session (ICC 0.84-0.99) and inter-session (ICC 0.73-0.96) measurements.

Conclusions: The results suggest that the MPV assessed during climbing-specific pull-ups on small holds provides valuable insights into finger, elbow and shoulder muscle force capacities in a unified action. This test could be considered a sport-specific test for monitoring performance in climbers.