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,*,Click to edit Master title style,Click to edit Master text styles,Second level,Third level,Fourth level,Fifth level,Physiological effects during outdoor pursuits, indoor rock climbing, and high ropes course activities,By: Ross Buchinger,1,1996 Surgeon Generals Report on Physical Activity and Health,This report suggests that Americans accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity on most days of the week.,Currently 60% of American adults are not regularly active and 25% of the adult population in not active at all,A generally accepted principle of exercise adherence is that if exercise is found to be enjoyable by the participant then adherence tends to improve,Outdoor pursuits, rock climbing, and high ropes course activities may be beneficial in the area of exercise due to its exciting nature,2,Physiological effects, in this context, can be described through changes in:,Heart rate (HR),Muscular strength,Muscular endurance,Cardiovascular endurance,Flexibility,VO2 Max,Rate of perceived exertion (RPR),Blood lactate levels,3,Outdoor pursuits, climbing wall, and high ropes course are defined as:,Outdoor pursuits: any activity that incorporates the knowledges and skills associated with moving through the natural environment in a nonmotorized, noncompetitive, nonmechanical fashion,Climbing wall: a wall with handholds and footholds, often located indoors, that is designed to provide practice at rock-climbing,High ropes course: a pre-fabricated course, built of utility poles, cables, and bolts, that is built by a contractor, or it can be a course that is hand built in a wooded area, where ropes and wire is attached to different trees. Courses usually range from 25 feet through 50 feet tall. In order to climb up onto the course participants usually must climb, such as by using a cargo net, ladder or an artificial climbing wall. (),4,Questions to ponder,What are some of the benefits of rock climbing? Are the fitness benefits of rock climbing significant enough to bring it into our Physical Education curriculum?,How do students benefit from experiences on a high ropes course?,Would it be possible to implement outdoor pursuits if statistics showed they can be provide significant fitness benefits?,5,Key findings in research,In a study conducted on the fitness benefits of continuous rock climbing on a treadwall, a significant improvement was found in body composition, joint flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance following an 8 week training program (Watts & Drobish, 1988),In addition, all of the participants reported that rock climbing was a challenging and satisfying activity,6,Key findings (cont.),In a similar study, nearly continuous climbing twice a week (for 7 weeks) for 15-20 minutes yielded the following results:,Significant improvements in their body composition, joint flexibility, and muscular strength,Lost two pounds of fat weight, added two inches of hip-trunk flexibility, increased their leg strength by seventeen pounds, and increased their arm strength by seventeen pounds,Climbing level, climbing distance, and climbing time improved,The control subjects made no significant improvements,7,Key findings (cont.),In a 1997 study, Mermier et al. completed a thorough study on easy, moderate, and difficult climbs and associated heart rates, blood lactate, and VO2. Findings:,Mean HR during the three climbing trials increased to 142, 155, and 163 beats per minute for the easy, moderate, and difficult climbs respectively.,Blood lactate showed significant increases,Modest increases in VO2,8,Key findings (cont.),Calorie Expenditure,Hardy and Martindale (1982) found sport climbing also compares favorably with other activities such as walking, cycling, playing tennis, and swimming in terms of similar rates of energy expenditure.,9,Key findings (cont.),A large body of research supports the relationship between coronary heart disease, hostility propensity, and elevated neuroendocrine levels. (Barefoot, et al., 1983; Williams, 1986),Such a relationship indicates that a higher level of health correlates with a lower level of neuroendocrine response.,Bunting et al. (2000) found the higher fit participants in an outdoor adventure programming study to exhibit lower neuroendocrine levels during the stress of adventure tasks when compared to the lower fit participants.,This study, therefore, corroborates the findings of a majority of studies suggesting that physical fitness allows thebody to maintain greater homeostasis of the neuroendocrine response system.,Purposeful active toughening may be possible and beneficial to ones health (discussion after define active toughening),10,Key findings (cont.),Adults may need to take caution:,At least six people, all males over the age of 50, died in the United States from heart attacks on ropes courses or climbing towers (Priest and Montelpare, 1995),Priest and Montelpare, (1995) conducted a study in which heart rates were between 126-197 beats per minute. Bunting and colleagues have seen adults surpass 200 beats per minute.,This type of shock to the human body may cause unfortunate events to happen,Strong correlations from this same study have created an equation for high ropes courses to use as a procedural to curb some of the recent unfortunate health events (discussion on 6 variables),11,Key findings (cont.),Outdoor pursuit studies:,Cross country skiing:,Expert cross-country ski racers have been shown to possess very high aerobic power scores when measured as maximal oxygen uptake. Studies attempting to identify predictors of racing success in cross-country skiing have pointed to maximum oxygen uptake as a significant factor. (Watts et al., 1993),Backpacking:,Legg and Mahanty (1986) found significant increases in oxygen consumption while walking with a pack containing 35% of body weight.,Deer hunting:,Heart rate and metabolic responses were nearly maxed out in a study near LaCrosse, WI (Peterson et al., 1999).,12,Conclusion,Researchers are only starting to open the doors on physiological effects of outdoor pursuits, rock climbing, and high ropes course activities,With todays technology and revision of previous studies, results will only become more pronounced and clear cut in regards to the fitness benefits associated with outdoor pursuits, rock climbing, and high ropes course activities.,13,Recommendation/Implication,I would strongly recommend the addition of outdoor pursuits, indoor rock climbing, and a high ropes course facility, particularly at the high school level.,Students, as well as adults, need to be participating in physical activities at a young age that they enjoy so they continue to do these activities to increase their quality of life as they age. These activities certainly provide exciting, challenging, and satisfying activities to achieve this.,14,Reference Page,Bunting, C. J., Tolson, H., Kuhn, C., Suarez, E. & Williams, R. B. (2000, 2nd Quarter). physiological stress response of the neuroendocrine system during outdoor adventure tasks.,Journal of Leisure Research, 32(2),191-207.,Bunting, C. J., Little, M. J., Tolson, H., & Jessup, G. (1986). Physical fitness and eustress in the adventure rctivities of rock climbing and rappelling.,The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 26,11-20.,Bunting, C. J. (1995, May). Physiological measurements of stress during outdoor adventure activities.,The Journal of Experiential Education, 18(1),5-10.,Grant, S., Hynes, V., Whittaker, A., & Aitchison, T. (1996, January). Anthropometric, strength, endurance and flexibility characteristics of elite and recreational climbers.,Journal of Sports Sciences, 14,301-309.,Hardy, L. & Martindale, K. (1982). Some physiological parameters in rock climbing.,Physical Education Review, 5,41-44.,Janot, J. M., Steffen, J. P., Porcari, J. P., & Maher, M. A. (2000, January). Heart rate responses and perceived exertion for beginner and recreational sport climbers during indoor climbing.,Journal of Exercise Physiology, 3(1),1-11.,Knight, C. A. & Caldwell, G. E. (2000, February). Muscular and metabolic costs of uphill backpacking: are hiking poles beneficial?,Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(12),2093-2101.,Legg, S. & Mahanty, A. Energy cost of backpacking in heavy boots.,Ergonomics, 29, 434-436.,Mermier, C. M., Robergs, R. A., McMinn, S. M., & Heyward, V. H. (1997, February). Energy expenditure and physiological responses during indoor rock climbing.,Journal of Sports Medicine, 31,224-228.,Peterson, A. T., Steffen, J., Terry, L., Davis, J., & Porcari, J. P. (1999, February). Metabolic responses associated with deer hunting.,Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 31(12),1844-1847.,Priest, S. & Montelpare, W. (1995, May). Prediction of heart rates on a ropes course from simple physical measures.,The Journal of Experiential Education, 18(1),25-29.,Steffen, J.P. & Porcari J.P. (2002). A comparison of selected physiological responses to indoor rock climbing in beginner and advanced sport climbers.,Journal of Exercise Physiology 6(3),10-17.,Watts, P.B. (2004, February). Physiology of difficult rock climbing.,European Journal of Applied Physiology, 91,361-372.,Watts, P. B., Hoffman, M. D., Sulentic, J. E., Drobish, K. M., Gibbons, T. P., Newbury, V. S., Mittelstadt, S. W., OHagan, K. P, & Clifford, P. S. (1993, August). Physiological responses to specific maximal cxercise tests for cross-country skiing.,Canada Journal of Applied Physiology, 18(4),359-365.,Wescott, W. L. (1992, January). Fitness Benefits of Rock Climbing.,American Fitness Quarterly, 10,28-31.,15,