Hand Grip Strength Differences Between Adult Climbing Athletes and Physical Education Students

Abstract

Grip strength is considered an important factor in athletic performance for climbing, as it affects an athlete's ability to hold and/or transfer their body weight using different types of grips in demanding situations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in grip strength between male climbing athletes and physical education (PE) students. A total of 23 climbing athletes (age: 27.7 ± 7.93 years, weight: 71.43 ± 8.44 kg, height: 178 ± 0.7 cm, and years of systematic involvement: 9.25 ± 1.47 years, Mean ± SD) and 23 PE students (age: 19.34 ± 0.78 years, weight: 75.3 ± 9.39 kg, height: 179 ± 0.9 cm) who had no prior involvement in climbing voluntarily participated in the study. The evaluation was performed using the portable hand dynamometer Takei Grip Strength Dynamometer (Grip-D T.K.K.5101, Japan), in an upright position with legs apart, with the examined limb fully extended and positioned at a short distance from the trunk. Two trials were performed for each limb, each lasting 5’’, with a one-minute break between trials, and the highest value for each limb was evaluated. The results of the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), with age, height, and weight as covariates, revealed statistically significant differences in grip strength between the two groups. Specifically, climbing athletes demonstrated greater grip strength (right hand: 52.34 ± 1.94 kg, left hand: 50.23 ± 1.70 kg, Mean ± SE) compared to PE students (right hand: 42.11 ± 1.94 kg, left hand: 39.29 ± 1.70 kg). These findings confirm the positive effect of systematic and specialized climbing training on grip strength. Additionally, they contribute to the development of a database aimed at improving athlete selection, performance evaluation, and training effectiveness.