# Acute Physiological Responses to Rope Climbing Ergometer High-Intensity Interval Training in Males and Females

PMID: 41368005
Journal: International Journal of Exercise Science
Published: 2025-12-01
Authors: Eberhardt HK, Brisebois MF, Yeomans MA, Saracino PG

## Question

What acute physiological responses and enjoyment does rope-climbing ergometer HIIT elicit in recreationally active males and females?

## Summary

In 22 recreationally active adults, one 15-minute rope-climbing ergometer HIIT bout produced moderate-to-vigorous average heart-rate responses and vigorous peak heart-rate responses, high lactate, moderate perceived exertion, and high enjoyment. Men had greater VO2, energy expenditure, and lactate responses than women, while HR, RPE, and enjoyment did not differ by sex. This was an acute study, so it does not show long-term adaptations.

## Population

- 22 healthy recreationally active participants, 11 males and 11 females, with no prior rope-climbing ergometer use.
- Sample size: 22
- Age: 24 +/- 7 years overall; males 23 +/- 4, females 26 +/- 8
- Sex: 11 males and 11 females
- Fitness level: Recreationally active, defined as structured physical activity at least 2 days/week for the previous 3 months
- Health status: Healthy; excluded pregnancy, chronic disease/condition/injury contraindicating HIIT, and current rope-climbing ergometer use

## Methodology

- Acute single-arm laboratory exercise study with sex comparisons
- Single 15-min HIIT bout plus 25-min recovery measurement
- Temperature-controlled exercise laboratory

## Protocol

- Rope-climbing ergometer HIIT.
- Modality: Stationary rope-climbing ergometer.
- Work intervals: 30 sec maximal effort rope climbing.
- Recovery: 60 sec seated rest.
- Sets or repetitions: 10 rounds alternating single- and double-arm climbs.
- Intensity: Maximal effort; resistance one turn for females and 1.5 turns for males.
- Session duration: 15 min protocol after warm-up.
- Program length: Acute single bout.
- Progression: No progression.

## Outcomes

### Heart-rate response
Status: improved
RC-HIIT produced moderate-to-vigorous average HR responses and vigorous peak HR responses, with no sex differences in HR.

Average HR 141 +/- 19 bpm, 74.0 +/- 10.4% APMHR; peak HR 172 +/- 17 bpm, 90.3 +/- 8.8% APMHR; sex p values 0.171 to 1.000

### VO2, energy expenditure, and lactate
Status: mixed
Metabolic responses increased substantially; males had greater average/peak VO2, energy expenditure, and lactate than females.

Average VO2 18.8 +/- 3.2 ml/kg/min; peak VO2 27.2 +/- 4.8; post-exercise lactate 9.8 +/- 3.1 vs resting 1.03 +/- 0.40 mmol, p<0.001; male-female p=0.024 for average VO2, p=0.026 for peak VO2, p=0.001 for lactate and exercise EE

### Perceived exertion and enjoyment
Status: improved
Participants reported moderate-hard exertion and high enjoyment, with no sex differences.

RPE 14 +/- 2; PACES 101.5 +/- 15.9, males 101.3 +/- 14.7 vs females 101.8 +/- 17.8

### Recovery
Status: mixed
Recovery energy expenditure was higher in males; more females returned to resting VO2 within 25 min, with a trend-level association.

Recovery EE 47 +/- 13 kcal; males 56 +/- 13 vs females 39 +/- 7, p<0.01; 3/10 males and 8/11 females returned to resting VO2, p=0.050 exploratory

## Practical Insights

- Rope-climbing ergometer HIIT appears enjoyable and can generate moderate-to-vigorous acute HR responses.
- This is equipment-specific and cannot be generalized to bodyweight HIIT without a rope-climbing ergometer.
- Because average HR was below vigorous threshold in some participants, individualized resistance may be needed.

## Limitations

- Acute study only; no longitudinal training outcomes.
- Small recreationally active sample.
- No comparator exercise condition.
- Resistance settings were sex-specific but not individually optimized.
- Used age-predicted maximal HR rather than measured maximal HR.

## Safety And Adherence

- No adverse events were reported; participants were screened with PAR-Q and exclusion criteria.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41368005/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.70252/EAFV3707) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12684975/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.