Physical Factors

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The primary physical factors that determine climbing performance are:
 

• Finger ,hand and wrist  strength and associated Rate of Force Development (RFD)

• Forearm muscular endurance

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• Upper Body Strength

• Upper Body Power

• Upper Body endurance

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• Climbing Specific Cardio Respiratory Endurance

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• Lower Body Strength

• Lower Body Power

• Lower body muscular endurance  - for alpinists and mountaineers : be able to walk up and down hill all day ,loaded with a pack

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• Postural Stability - "core strength"

• Flexibility/Mobility

• Body Composition - a lean build gives gravity less to work on. Strength and power mentioned above should be  considered relative to body mass.

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Other global factors to consider are resilience (injury reduction) and work capacity.

These factors have different relative importance according to the climbing discipline chosen : for example a boulderer does not have as high a need for general aerobic capacity compared to an alpinist. Emphasis will shift from the fingers/forearm flexors to the legs as one moves away from purely technical climbing into the realm of mountaineering.

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Reference :

Sport climbing performance determinants and functional testing methods: A systematic review (Faggian et al. ,2024)

 

Next : Mental Factors

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