Does long term sport rock climbing training affect on echocardiography and heart rate variability in sedentary adults? A randomized, and controlled study.

Aras Dicle, Akalan Cengiz, Koz Mitat, Ileri Mehmet

International Journal of Applied Exercise Physiology

Regular physical activity can cause some long term effects on human body. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of sport rock climbing (SRC) training at 70 % HRmax level on echocardiography (ECHO) and heart rate variability (HRV) for one hour a day and three days a week in an eight-week period. A total of 19 adults participated in this study voluntarily. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups as experimental (EG) and control (CG). While the EG went and did climbing training by using the top-rope method for 60 minutes a day, three days a week for 8 weeks and didn’t join any other physical activity programs, CG didn’t train and take part in any physical activity during the course of the study. Same measurements were repeated at the end of eight weeks. According to the findings, no significant change was observed in any of the ECHO and HRV parameters. However, an improvement was seen in some HRV parameters [average heart rate (HRave), standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of the averages of NN intervals in all five-minute segments of the entire recording (SDANN), percent of difference between adjacent NN intervals that are greater than 50 ms (PNN50), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN interval (RMSSD)] in EG. An exercise program based on SRC should be made more than eight weeks in order to have statistically significant changes with the purpose of observing an improvement in heart structure and functions.

Keywords: Echocardiography, heart rate variability, sport rock climbing

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