The aim of this study was to identify force-velocity and power-velocity curves in climbing activity protocols, used as dynamic resistance exercise in rats. Eighteen 45-day-old male Wistar rats (weight = 211.9 ± 5.2 g) were evaluated. After familiarization to the climbing procedure, the animals performed an incremental climbing test (load relative to 75% of the body mass at first stage, followed by 30 g increments with and 120 s recovery between climbs) to determine the maximum carrying capacity (MCC). After this, the animals climbed with different loads (without load, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100% of MCC) with 120 s recovery between climbs. Time for each climb was recorded to calculate the mechanical power. The peak power was reached at 30% of MCC. For the force-velocity curve, an inversely proportional relation was observed between force and velocity, as expected, greater forces were expressed in lower velocities. Therefore, our results suggest that training at 30% of MCC should be encouraged aiming the target for greater power output and 90%-100% of MCC should be the load aiming for strength training in climbing activities for rats.
Keywords: Animal model; ladder; power–velocity curve; resistance training; strength.