Banff Mountain Film Festival: Review your results!
Banff Mountain Film Festival Results
Thank you for participating in In Reach Physiotherapy’s “Move before your Movie” at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Below is a summary of how you can interpret your results. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me!
How high is your high step?
ADAPTED GRANT FOOT RAISE (AGFR)
Standing 23cm from the wall with hands at shoulder height. Lift foot as high as possible. Measure floor to toe
AGFR
What does it mean?
o Looking for a discrepancy between the right to left leg
o A low AGFR/leg length ratio= reduced hip flexion. This moves the climbers bodyweight away from the wall making it harder to reach for and maintain grip on each hold
o Bending through the standing leg when lifting toe may indicate reduced quadriceps length in the standing leg
o Below are the measurements and correlation with climbing grades
VALUES FROM: Draper, N., Brent, S., Hodgson, C., & Blackwell, G. (2009). Flexibility assessment and the role of flexibility as a determinant of performance in rock climbing. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 9(1), 67-89.
How mobile are your shoulders?
INTERNAL ROTATION TEST
Align head, back of shoulders, mid and lower back against the wall. With elbows and shoulders at 90˚, drop palms towards the wall without rounding shoulders or back away from the wall. Measure wrist to wall
What does it mean?
o Looking for a difference right to left and shoulder blade compensation.
o Limited muscle length of mainly infraspinatus +/- teres minor
o Posterior joint capsule tightness (this is common in climbers)
o Poor shoulder complex alignment & posture (aka how the shoulder blade, collarbone, arm sits on the ribs due to muscular balance)
How mobile are your shoulders?
FLEXION TEST
Align head, back of shoulders, mid and lower back against the wall. Leading thumbs up, bring arms forward and overhead without arching back away from the wall. Measure wrist to wall
What does it mean?
o Looking for a difference right to left and back compensation
o Limited muscle length of mainly latissimus dorsi, shoulder joint capsule tightness, thoracic spine/midback stiffness (this is common in climbers)
How far is your flag?
REAR FLAG TEST
Rear step to 8 oclock= rear flag. Reach to 2 oclock with same hand with dowel perpendicular to floor. Measure toe to dowel
What is a rear flag?
o A rear flag is used when we are reaching with our opposite arm and flagging our opposite out behind our standing leg.
o It can be used when we want to move our body weight over ONE standing foot instead distributed between TWO feet (front climbing).
o Prevents barn-door/ falling off the wall when you only have a hand and foot available on the same side
o It allows us to reach further with straight arms and bodyweight closer to the wall= More energy efficient
What do your numbers mean?
o We are looking for a discrepancy right to left
o Flag length/body height= ratio of reach
o It’s a measure of proprioception, the ability to balance and stabilize on one foot
o It’s a measure of strength and ability to squat in your standing leg
How wide can you stem?
STANDING STRADDLE TEST
Stand at a starting point with toes pointing out and step as far as possible. Measure toe to toe
What do your numbers mean?
o Limited muscle length of mainly of long and short hip adductors
o A measure of hip joint mobility
o Straddle length/body height= ratio of leg reach
o An understanding of widths that can be straddled by the climber in climbing areas with dihedrals, chimneys, etc.
o Overextending to span a width greater than the climbers capacity may lead to injury
VALUES FROM: Draper, N., Brent, S., Hodgson, C., & Blackwell, G. (2009). Flexibility assessment and the role of flexibility as a determinant of performance in rock climbing. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 9(1), 67-89.
How dynamic is your dyno?
VERTICAL JUMP TEST
Measure standing height with arms over head. Stand 23cm from wall and jump. Measure distance between two heights
What do your numbers mean?
o A measure of explosive power
o Your max dyno height should be a palm width lower than your vertical jump test to avoid shock loading the fingers which could lead to injury
VALUES FROM: Patterson, David D., and D. Fred Peterson. "Vertical jump and leg power norms for young adults." Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science 8.1 (2004): 33- 41.
How strong is your grip?
NO-HANG GRIP STRENGTH TEST
Isometric contraction of the fingers= lock out fingers in ½ crimp. Stand with foot on either side of anchor on standing plate in a slight squat. Pull by straightening through knees & hips
What does your grip strength mean?
o Looking for a difference between right and left hand
o Exert a high force in a short amount of time (= quick reaction time) to avoid falling
o If your finger grip strength is less than your body weight it is recommended to climb with feet supporting and offloading bodyweight to avoid injury.
o https://strengthclimbing.com/finger-strength-analyzer/
Enter your height, arm span, weight
Choose your hangboard training mode based on how much hangboarding you do!
Choose “One-arm hang”
Added hang load= Your bodyweight – your grip strength results (if it’s a negative value put a “-“ before your number)
Edge depth 20 mm
Hang time 5 sec