Should Rock Climbers Run? The Truth about Cardio and Climbing
Hooper’s Beta Ep. 55
Intro
I have to admit, we had a lot of fun with this topic we are about to get into. It’s a highly debated topic in climbing. There’s passion on both sides. Some will say you need it, others will say it’s trash. So what are we talking about?… running!
This video will be all inclusive. We will cover the 3 reasons for and 3 reasons against running if you’re a climber.
Be sure to stay tuned until the end (or just scroll down the page)!! After the “for” and “against” sections I’ll finish with the most important section: The “ultimate takeaway” which will have my recommendations on if you should or should not run and how to incorporate running if we decide that’s best.
Let’s start with the “FOR” running side of things. We will talk about the benefits of running for your general health, how it can help you recover faster between climbs and may have some impact on those longer routes, and finally, we will talk about the most important aspect, the psychological component.
FOR
General Health
Although this is one of the more important components of running, I think we all know that running is good for your general health, so I don’t need to go too deep into it. Let’s be real, running improves mortality, can reduce blood pressure, can help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, etc. In fact, studies have shown that even running at slower speeds is associated with a significant reduction in death from all causes of cardiovascular disease. We’ve known it for a while, it’s good for your health. What else?
Recover Faster
OK, more climbing specific: cardiovascular training can help you recover faster between and during climbs.
Research has shown that elite climbers had a higher VO2 Max than regular climbers. VO2, if you don’t know, is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during incremental exercise. Basically, it’s your ability to use oxygen during strenuous activity. The higher the VO2 max, the higher your aerobic capacity. Think Lance Armstrong vs. Emile. Lance will crush Emile on those hills. Don’t worry Emile, I’m sure lance can’t climb for shit! (Sorry Lance, maybe you’re actually a good climber and I didn’t know. Pardon my ignorance.)
Basically, there is research and there’s general logic that if your body can utilize oxygen better and you have an improved aerobic capacity it may help to optimize your climbing, particularly on longer routes.
Research has also shown that more difficult climbing routes will elicit increases in heart rate (HR) and lactic acid (LA). We also know that cardiovascular training can increase lactate thresholds. Meaning, you are better able to handle increased levels of lactate because your body can process it better and actually USE some of that lactate before it accumulates at higher levels in your body. So, by having a better aerobic baseline, you may be able to handle lactate better, and you can manage your heart rate better, meaning you may have better endurance and you are more likely to recover better on your rests, whether that be between climbs or just at the jug break after the 4th clip.
Quick Note: One thing that’s always important to remind people of: there is no “one size fits all” training. If you are going to incorporate running into your routine to improve your cardio. Make sure you take notes. See if it actually does improve your climbing and if it makes you feel better on those longer routes, because if it doesn’t it may not be for you.
Finally, and to me personally, the most important aspect of running is the psychological component.
Psychology
Maintaining your mental health is just as important, if not more important, than your physical health. Too often we overlook our mental health for our physical performance and even physical appearance. Training your mind is just as important as your body. That’s why this is the most important aspect in the for category to me. If running makes you feel great, just do it.
There is plenty of research out there about the positive effects of exercise and mental health. The research repeatedly suggests that regular physical activity can significantly improve mental health and lessen symptoms of depression anxiety and stress. It is even suggested that physical activity can enhance mental well-being as equally as psychotherapy. In fact, just 20–40 minutes of aerobic exercise can improve anxiety and mood for several hours (Mikkelsen, K)
The two reasons why researchers think exercise has such a positive impact on our mental health (not accounting for endorphins and what not, which we know is a positive), is due to the “distraction hypothesis” and the “mastery / self-efficacy hypothesis”.
The distraction hypothesis suggests that in addition to the physiological benefits of exercise, there is a “mental time out” that exercise provides for us. It can be a time out from worrying, stressful, or negative thoughts. This time out can provide a mental boost to improve mood and lead to a sequela of additional benefits.
In addition to the distraction hypothesis, the mastery or self-efficacy hypothesis states simply that the effects of completing an important or effortful task brings about a feeling of “mastery” which itself can elevate mood. Completing a hard or challenging task brings us empowering thoughts, and those can have a significant impact on our mood both in the short and long term.
In relation to this, I think another important aspect to touch on here is the importance of distraction away from climbing. It is also shown in literature that too much training in any sport can have negative effects, not only physically, but mentally as well. Changing gears and going for a run (if you enjoy it) is a good mental and physical break from the demands of climbing. It can allow you to reset and get back to enjoying your training for climbing.
So what’s the take away? If running is important for your mental health: DO IT! BUT! Stay tuned, I’m going to use all the research I’ve gathered to make some recommendations about how you should be running at the end of this video if your focus is still on climbing (which if you’re still reading this, I sure hope it is!)
OK, for all you running haters out there, time to sit back and enjoy the reasons why NOT to run if you’re training for climbing.
AGAINST
OK so, let’s turn things around here, and talk about why you shouldn’t run.
The first, and I think most important aspect, is time. The second thing we will talk about is specificity of your training, and the third and final reason against it for climbing, is that it’s not the mecca weight loss tool you may think it is if you’re trying to lose weight for climbing. These components will all become super clear when we discuss our ultimate takeaway.
Time
Time is paramount in many aspects of our life, and training is no different. Most of us aren’t professional athletes. We don’t have all day to train. Rather, we have jobs, dogs, family, and friends. We have climbing, we have hobbies, and we have… running? Nope. You don’t have the time! You need to focus your time on one thing if you want to be good or great at it. If running is taking away from climbing, it is not helping your climbing. The famous Ron Swanson once said “Never half-ass two things, whole ass one thing”. This is true even outside of climbing. You don’t often meet a fantastic Doctor who is also a Lawyer. Heck, let’s be more specific. The best neurosurgeon out there isn't also the best orthopedic surgeon. They spend their time specializing in certain components. If you are trying to be great at climbing, you need to dedicate time to climbing. It’s that simple.
OK, but what if I have plenty of time to spare, is this still a factor then? Yes! Time also plays a role in two more big ticket items, physical adaptation, and recovery.
You see, there is this ‘R’ word that I think is severely underappreciated. REST. Rest is huge! Proper rest is what allows athletes to perform at their peak. I don’t just mean rest as in sleep, but I mean actually recovering. Heck, that may even mean 2 consecutive days of not training. This recovery time is huge! If you are running on your rest days, you aren’t truly resting. Rather you are taking away your physical adaptation time. You see, the body only has a certain capacity to heal and recover. It even has these satellite cells which are “called” to damaged areas of the body to help them heal and recover faster. If you are running on your rest day, the body has to divide it’s resources. It will send some satellite cells to your arms and hands to get them stronger, but will also send them to your legs to repair from all the running you did. You are stealing your time from climbing and giving it to running. This will not make you a better climber.
Earlier I used the example of a neurosurgeon not being the best orthopedic surgeon, that’s in a sense related to specificity. Which is our second reason why not to climb.
Specificity
Training specificity basically states that training responses or adaptations are tightly coupled to the mode, frequency and duration of exercise performed. This means that the vast majority of training-induced adaptations occur only in those muscle fibers that have been recruited during the exercise regimen, with little or no adaptive changes occurring in untrained musculature. Think, running = better at running. Climbing = better at climbing. Duh right? Further, the principle of specificity predicts that the closer the training routine is to the requirements of the desired outcome the better will be the outcome. (Hawley JA)
Sounds simple right? Training for climbing, will make you better at climbing. Training for running, is not going to make you better at climbing, but rather, better at running.
Weight Loss
The third reason is not meant to be a stab at running in general, but is informative I promise…
If you’re a climber looking to lose weight, running is not necessarily the solution. It is not the mecca of weight loss programs you may have hoped for.
Quick side note: To be fair, weight loss starts and ends in the kitchen. If you truly want to lose weight, you need to monitor your diet. Running for 30 minutes may burn approximately 300-400 calories. Or… just don’t have that huge tablespoon of peanut butter.
In fact, instead of running…. Go climbing! Or do some whole body strength training for climbing! Not only is it a better use of your time, and is more specific, but it also has a huge impact on weight loss.
Doing strength training (or bouldering) may not appear to have the same immediate weight loss component, but what it does is ramp up your metabolism for longer.
Resistance training stimulates increased muscle protein turnover and actually has a dual impact on resting metabolic rate.
First, as a chronic or long term response, resistance training results in greater muscle mass that necessitates more energy at rest for ongoing tissue maintenance. A 1.0-kg increase in trained muscle tissue may raise resting metabolic rate by about 20 cal (APA Westcott)
Second, as an acute response, resistance training causes tissue microtrauma that requires relatively large amounts of energy for muscle remodeling processes that may persist for 72 h after the training session. (APA Westcott)
BAM! So, there you go. Go bouldering, or do some resistance training FOR climbing. And it is a good use of time, it is specific, and it helps with weight loss.
My Recommendation
OK, so we have heard some compelling reasons for and against running. We’ll get to the ultimate take away in a second, but here is my recommendation.
If you enjoy running, or if you have the time, or if you just love being outside and running is a good excuse, and you can control your running intensity, then do it. My recommendation is running short distances, at a mild to moderate intensity, preferably planned on the same day that you do other training.
OK, but why all of those things?
Multiple studies have shown that you don’t have to run very far or very fast for it to be effective and have the benefits for your general health that we mentioned before. In fact, studies have shown that mild to moderate levels of running have the greatest impact, even greater than strenuous running. So, if you can control the distance and intensity, you get all the health impacts without the cost. Remember, running takes away healing time. The harder and further you run, the more your body will have to heal which takes away from your healing time for climbing.
Why on the same day? There are studies that show that cardiovascular training can have a negative impact on strength training, BUT, doing cardio on the same day you do strength training can minimize the negative effects. So, if it works out? Climb, train, etc then run later and at a mild to moderate pace for just a few miles and your set!
OK so in summary of my recommendation broken down into simple terms?
Run once maybe twice a week (i’ll stick with once, thank you very much)
Run for no more than 30 minutes or 3 miles (whichever comes first)
Don’t allow your heart rate to go more than 75% of your theoretical max (so keep it under 160, approximately) to keep the intensity down.
A simple way to measure your 75% max HR =
Take 220 and subtract your age to get a theoretical max HR.
Example 32 year old: 220 - 32 = 188 BPM. 75% of this = 141
So, it would be ideal to try and keep your HR below 140,
Ultimate take away
I promised you an ultimate take away…. So here it is
Do what you want. Do what makes you feel good. I know that may seem like a copout answer, but the most important aspect may be the psychological aspect. We often place so much focus on our body, and forget how important the mind is. Maybe make a compromise with yourself and only do shorter, less intense runs. But don’t rob yourself of that pleasure if you want to do it.
Do I run? Yes, barely. I don’t love running, but I love listening to podcasts, I love being outside, and I’m not the best at just sitting still. If I need to allow my upper body and fingers to rest, but I badly want to get some sunshine…. I’m going for a short 3 mile run, and I’m doing my best to keep my HR between 140-150. On the other hand, If the aforementioned reasons just don’t apply to you, and you just don’t love running ...don’t!
Thanks for tuning in! Until next time: Train. Climb. Send. Repeat.
Research
TITLE
Specificity of training adaptation: time for a rethink?
CITATION
Hawley JA. Specificity of training adaptation: time for a rethink?. J Physiol. 2008;586(1):1-2. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2007.147397
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Training specificity, which holds that training responses/adaptations are tightly coupled to the mode, frequency and duration of exercise performed (Hawley, 2002). This means that the vast majority of training-induced adaptations occur only in those muscle fibres that have been recruited during the exercise regimen, with little or no adaptive changes occurring in untrained musculature. Furthermore, the principle of specificity predicts that the closer the training routine is to the requirements of the desired outcome (i.e. a specific exercise task or performance criteria), the better will be the outcome.
TITLE
Exercise and Mental Health
CITATION
Mikkelsen, K., Stojanovska, L., Polenakovic, M., Bosevski, M., & Apostolopoulos, V. (2017). Exercise and mental health. Maturitas, 106, 48-56. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.09.003
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The physical effects of exercise include reduction of blood pressure, enhanced cardiovascular fitness, weight loss, and prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s
versus non-aerobic (muscular strength, flexibility and relaxation) exercise regimes showed that anxiety scores were improved similarly in both groups
This research repeatedly suggests that regular physical activity can significantly improve mental health and lessen symptoms of depression anxiety and stress
TITLE
The Effect of Physical and mental Stress on the Heart Rate, Cortisol and Lactate Concentrations in Rock Climbers
CITATION
Magiera A, Roczniok R, Sadowska-Krępa E, Kempa K, Placek O, Mostowik A. The Effect of Physical and Mental Stress on the Heart Rate, Cortisol and Lactate Concentrations in Rock Climbers. J Hum Kinet. 2018;65:111-123. Published 2018 Dec 31. doi:10.2478/hukin-2018-0024
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The results indicated that more difficult climbing routes elicited increases in HR (especially relative values) and LA concentrations
TITLE
Cardiovascular and metabolic responses during indoor climbing and laboratory cycling exercise in advanced and élite climbers.
CITATION
Limonta, E., Brighenti, A., Rampichini, S. et al. Cardiovascular and metabolic responses during indoor climbing and laboratory cycling exercise in advanced and élite climbers. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 371–379 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3779-6
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Interestingly, in spite of the similar peak V̇ O2 and fH values, peak climbing velocity was higher for the élite climbers, indicating a better climbing efficiency at maximum climbing velocity
The relationship between fH and ̇VO2 during climbing differed from that observed in cycling.
it was concluded that aerobic capacity plays a secondary role in climbing
For this reason, specific training components to improve peak aerobic power in climbers should be employed to optimize performance.
TITLE
Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health
CITATION
APA Westcott, Wayne L. PhD Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health, Current Sports Medicine Reports: July/August 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 4 - p 209-216
doi: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Resistance training stimulates increased muscle protein turnover (39) and actually has a dual impact on resting metabolic rate.
First, as a chronic response, resistance training results in greater muscle mass that necessitates more energy at rest for ongoing tissue maintenance. A 1.0-kg increase in trained muscle tissue may raise resting metabolic rate by about 20 cal·d−1 (124).
Second, as an acute response, resistance training causes tissue microtrauma that requires relatively large amounts of energy for muscle remodeling processes that may persist for 72 h after the training session.
Research has shown significant increases in resting metabolic rate (approximately 7%) after several weeks of resistance training (17,22,64,89,112,137).
more recent studies have revealed a similar elevation in resting energy expenditure (5% to 9%) for 3 d following a single session of resistance training (55,60).
Participants who performed a high volume resistance workout (8 exercises × 8 sets each) averaged an 8% (trained subjects) to 9% (untrained subjects) increase in resting energy expenditure for 3 d after the exercise session (55).
Beginning participants who performed either a moderate-volume resistance workout (10 exercises × 3 sets each) or a low-volume resistance workout (10 exercises × 1 set each) averaged a 5% increase in resting energy expenditure for 3 d after their respective exercise sessions (60).
Based on the findings from these studies, regular resistance training may increase energy expenditure at rest by 100 cal·d−1 or more
TITLE
Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk
CITATION
Lee DC, Pate RR, Lavie CJ, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Leisure-time running reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk [published correction appears in J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 Oct 7;64(14):1537]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64(5):472-481. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.058
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Running, even 5 to 10 min/day and at slow speeds <6 miles/h, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. This study may motivate healthy but sedentary individuals to begin and continue running for substantial and attainable mortality benefits
TITLE
Dose of Jogging and Long-Term Mortality
CITATION
Pahlajani, Dev. “Dose of Jogging and Long-Term Mortality—the Copenhagen City Heart Study.” Yearbook of Cardiology 2016, 2016, pp. 218–218., doi:10.5005/jp/books/12834_65.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Light and moderate joggers have lower mortality than sedentary nonjoggers
Light jogging is in relation to pace, quantity, and frequency of jogging
Light jogging = 6 METS
Moderate jogging is in between but also 6-12 miles per week
50-120 minutes per week
Pace of 6-7 miles per hour
Strenuous jogging = >12 METS
Strenuous joggers have a mortality rate not statistically different from that of the sedentary group
Can cause transient acute volume overload of the atria and right ventricle, with transient reductions in right ventricular ejection fraction and elevation of cardiac biomarker levels
Months to years of repetitive injury in some people may lead to patchy myocardial fibrosis, particularly in the atria, interventricular septum, and right ventricle, creating a substrate for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.
In general, runners compared to non runners, runners had a mean improvement in life expectancy of 3 years
Most favorable running regimen for reducing CV mortality in one study was 6 miles per week, 3 running days per week, and a pace of 7 miles per hour
That means just running 2 miles at a time
TITLE
Hemodynamic and cardiorespiratory predictors of sport rock climbing performance
CITATION
Fryer, S. et al (2017) 'Hemodynamic and cardiorespiratory predictors of sport rock climbing performance', Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/ JSC.0000000000001860
KEY TAKEAWAYS
There is some benefit to a higher VO2 max particularly on easier routes
Forearm oxidative capacity is more important than just VO2 max for the general body
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
Written and Produced by Jason Hooper (PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CAFS) and Emile Modesitt
IG: @hoopersbetaofficial