The influence of sampling site and assay method on lactate concentration in response to rock climbing

The sport of rock climbing has increased in popularity and as a focus for research. Previous studies have examined the physiological determinants for successful performance. Variation is evident between studies over lactate sampling sites and assay methods. The aim of this study was to examine the limits of agreement between the YSI 2300 analyser and the Lactate Pro for finger and ear capillary blood samples in a climbing context. Forty-five (31 males and 14 females) participants volunteered to complete the climbing trial. Blood samples were collected simultaneously from finger and ear pre, post and 5 min post climb. The repeatability results indicated a good agreement across samples. Modelling analysis indicated the use of a −0.175 mmol l⁻¹ adjustment to move from Lactate Pro to YSI finger concentrations. To move from finger to ear concentrations, using the Lactate Pro, modelling analysis suggested a regression equation of Y = 0.827x + 0.769 adjustment for pre climb samples and Y = 0.955x + 0.566 for post climb concentrations. To better understand the physiological demands of climbing further research on natural rock is required. Results from this study suggest the Lactate Pro and blood sampling from the ear lobe could be of benefit to future rock climbing field studies.