Breaking Beta | The Science of Climbing

Is Isometric Finger Testing Reliable? Which Edges are Best?

In the Season 2 premiere, Kris and Paul take a look at two papers that deal with measuring isometric finger strength in climbers:
The reliability and validity of a method for the assessment of sport rock climber’s isometric finger strength
Authored by Dave Giles, Oliver Torr, Thomas Randall, Remus Knowles, and Stephen Atkins; published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in January, 2020.
&
Which is the most reliable edge depth to measure maximum hanging time in sport climbers?
Authored by Eva López-Rivera, Juan José González-Badillo, and Vanesa España-Romero; published in Gait & Posture in October, 2021.
 
They’ll attempt to determine whether or not isometric finger strength has been proven reliable in predicting climbing ability, and if how it’s measured affects this reliability.
 
New episodes of Breaking Beta drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!
And please, tell all of your friends who claim their $2000 force gauge is the only valid way to measure their finger strength, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Season 2 of Breaking Beta is proudly supported by Gnarly Sports Nutrition. For a limited time, Breaking Beta listeners can take 15% off their purchase using the code BETA15 at checkout! Or simply click the link above to shop and have the discount automatically applied.
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | International Rock Climbing Research Association Test Battery

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that introduces and assesses a battery of ten tests designed specifically to measure climbing performance.
Performance Assessment for Rock Climbers: The International Rock Climbing Research Association Sport-Specific Test Battery
By: Nick Draper, David Giles, Nicola Taylor, Laurent Vigouroux, Vanesa Espana-Romero, et al. Published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, Human Kinetics, 2021.
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Flexibility Assessment and the Role of Flexibility as a Determinant of Performance in Rock ClimbingBy: Nick Draper, Simon Brent, Gavin Blackwell, and Chris Hodgson; published in the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport in 2009.
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul ADDENDUM | The Male / Female Performance Gap in Climbing

For a few weeks after recording the episode on the IRCRA postion statement, some of my comments didn't sit quite right with me. They weren't false, but they weren't the whole story. In this addendum episode we look at a little more of the complete story by examining the paper:
Female excellence in rock climbing likely has an evolutionary originPublished by Collin Carrol in Current Research in Physiology, 2021
Thanks to Irene Di Lauro for sending this paper in! 
 
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | How Should Climbing Research Be Standardized?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a position statement paper from the International Rock Climbing Research Association that seeks to bring uniformity to how rock climbing research is collected and presented.
Comparative grading scales, statistical analyses, climber descriptors and ability grouping: International Rock Climbing Research Association Position StatementBy: Nick Draper, David Giles, Volker Schöffl, et al; published in Sports Technology, 2016.
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Reporting climbing grades and grouping categories for rock climbing By: Nick Draper, Jorge Couceiro, Simon Fryer, Tabitha Dickson, David Winter, Greg Ellis, Michael Hamlin, Jerry Shearman, and Chris North; published in Isokinetics and Exercise Science, January 2011.
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | How Do We Choose and Read Research Papers?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss the process they use to choose and read research papers, both for Breaking Beta and for their own interests as climbers and coaches.
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Beall’s List of Potential Predatory Journals and Publishers
How to (seriously) read a scientific paper by Elisabeth Pain; published on Science; March 21, 2016.
Ten simple rules for reading a scientific paper by Maureen A. Carey, Kevin L. Steiner, and William A. Petri Jr.; published on PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY; July 30, 2020.
How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists by Jennifer Raff; published on Violent Metaphors; August 25, 2013.
How to read scientific papers quickly (and effectively organize them for a literature review) published on Genius Lab Gear.
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | Are Your Statistics Even Significant, Bro?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss statistics and their significance with data analyst and fellow Power Company coach, Dale Wilson.  He explains his views on statistical models, p-values, and more — and breaks down how we should be looking at all this data as climbers.
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
Scientists rise up against statistical significance by Valentin Amrhein, Sander Greenland, and Blake McShane; published in Nature 567 (305-307), 2019.
800 scientists say it’s time to abandon “statistical significance” by Brian Resnick; published on Vox; March, 22, 2019.
Systematic review of the use of “magnitude-based inference” in sports science and medicine by Keith R. Lohse, Kristin L. Sainani, J. Andrew Taylor, Michael L. Butson, Emma J. Knight, and Andrew J. Vickers; published on PLOS ONE; June 26, 2020.
 
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram 
If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Better Call Paul | What Did We Learn From Season 1?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss what they learned from Season 1.  They break down the specifics — from finger strength to injury prevention, flexibility to nutrition — that they’ll be incorporating into their own coaching and training going forward.
 
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who are confused and overwhelmed by the amount of jumbled and conflicting training info out there, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Better Call Paul | Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Which Finger Strength Protocol is Best for Endurance?

In this episode, Kris and Paul bring things full circle, ending the season with another hangboard study from Eva Lopez:
Comparison of the Effects of Three Hangboard Strength and Endurance Training Programs on Grip Endurance in Sport Climbers
authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzalez-Badillo; published in the Journal of Human Kinetics in 2019.
They’ll attempt, once more, to determine whether or not scientific evidence exists in favor of a single hangboard protocol being more effective than the rest. Tune in to find out if we have a clear winner in the ring between Max or Intermittent Hangs, or if Paul and Kris are destined to be discussing hangboard studies for many more seasons to come!
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:
From Episode 1: The Effects of Two Maximum Grip Strength Training Methods Using the Same Effort Duration and Different Edge Depth on Grip Endurance in Elite Climbers authored by Eva Lopez Rivera and Juan Jose Gonzales-Badillo; published in Sports Technology, 2012.
 
Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please, just like in Episode 1, tell all of your ridiculous friends who still claim that they know the best hangboard protocol, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram 
If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Is Creatine Useful for Climbers?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss two papers that try to clear up the rumors surrounding one of the most popular supplements in sports nutrition:
International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Safety and Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation in Exercise, Sport, and Medicine
authored by Richard B. Kreider, Douglas S. Kalman, Jose Antonio, Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Robert Wildman, Rick Collins, Darren G. Candow, Susan M. Kleiner, Anthony L. Almada, and Hector L. Lopez; published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2017.
And:
Common Questions and Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?
authored by Jose Antonio, Darren G. Candow, Scott C. Forbes, Bruno Gualano, Andrew R. Jagim, Richard B. Kreider, Eric S. Rawson, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Trisha A. VanDusseldorp, Darryn S. Willoughby, and Tim N. Ziegenfuss; published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2021.
They’ll attempt to determine whether or not creatine really is the secret to getting swole, or if it’s just going to cause your kidneys to eventually fail.  Tune in to find out if all those Olympians in the early ’90’s were really on to something, or just angling to get on GNC’s payroll.
 
New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who cite those 1982 studies that say you'll look like a bodybuilder if you use creatine, not that that's necessarily a bad thing, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
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If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.

Sport Climbers vs. Boulderers: Who is Stronger?

In this episode, Kris and Paul discuss a study that dares to touch THE ultimate strength debate climbers love to argue about:
Comparison of Climbing-Specific Strength and Endurance Between Lead and Boulder Climbers
authored by Nicolay Stien, Atle Hole Saeterbakken, Espen Hermans, Vegard Albert Vereide, Elias Olsen, and Vidar Andersen; published in PLOS ONE in 2019.
They’ll attempt to determine whether or not there’s actually scientific evidence determining if the stronger climbers are those toting crash pads or hauling ropes. Tune in to find out if all that time you’ve spent hanging draws means you’ll never send your bouldering buddies’ warmups, or if all their top outs have done nothing to prepare them for clipping chains.
 
*Additional studies/resources mentioned in this episode:Haemodynamic Kinetics and Intermittent Finger Flexor Performance in Rock Climbers authored by Simon Fryer, Lee Stoner, Adam Lucero, Trevor Guy Witter, C. Scarrott, Tabitha Dickson, M. Cole, and Nick Draper; published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.
International Rock Climbing Research Association (IRCA), Reporting Grades in Climbing Research, Climbing Grade Conversion Chart
 
New episodes drop on Wednesdays. Make sure you’re subscribed, leave us a review, and share!And please tell all of your friends who slowly and frustratingly sport climb their way up boulders, maybe even wearing a harness, that you have the perfect podcast for them.
 
Breaking Beta is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and Crux Conditioning, and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. Find full episode transcripts, citations, and more at our website.
Follow Kris and Breaking Beta on Instagram 
Follow Paul and Crux Conditioning on Instagram 
If you have questions, comments, or want to suggest a paper we should cover, find us at our Community + Knowledge Hub.
Our music is from legendary South Dakota band Rifflord.