Will training at altitude make you improve your records in competitions whose altitude is lower than the trained one ? This question is a question that arises more and more among athletes. Today we will try to explain what is really behind height training.
What is altitude training?
There is talk of altitude training in one that is practiced at an altitude of more than 1200 meters . The objective of this training will be to work with a low concentration of oxygen (hypoxia) so that the organism can create adaptations in this situation.
It is expected that training in a context that makes gas exchange difficult will generate transfer, to subsequently improve cardiorespiratory capacity in competition held at a lower altitude and under normal conditions.
Benefits of height training
Some of the benefits that can be associated with altitude training may be the following:
- Pulmonary ventilation remains elevated throughout the time we stay at altitude; instead, cardiac output is reduced and oxygen consumption improved .
- The transport of oxygen to the muscles is increased during physical activity in hypoxic conditions.
- Increases the circulation of free fatty acids .
- There is a higher caloric expenditure and a better absorption of fat, so your body composition can be modified.
- The thickness of the muscle fibers is reduced.
Height training sporadically
It is believed that doing a couple of isolated workouts in these types of conditions will help you get significant improvements, but what is the truth about that?
If we are based on science, we can observe that improvements between 1% and 3% have been achieved in performance in athletes who have carried out their training in this type of altitude environment compared to athletes who have worked in normoxic conditions or oxygen normality.
If we are based on the conclusions of this type of study, we could say that everything seems to indicate that training sporadically in places with higher altitude than the one to be competed would mean a significant improvement compared to other colleagues or rivals. But the truth is that if we analyze in depth the work carried out, we cannot say that the conclusions are really like this.
In those studies that are discussed, the athletes that have been taken as a reference have carried out their training at altitude, but not in isolation , but following a well-planned protocol. In addition, in most jobs, individuals are moved to these conditions and made to live for a period of time, while in addition to leading a normal life, they also train.
Therefore, although it is true that improvements in VO2max have been observed. and performance in these types of situations, we cannot take these benefits out of context, or compare ourselves with those subjects, since the individuals in the studies spend a long period of time in these conditions, which makes their body create adaptations.
For an average athlete, whose training at altitude is going to be limited to specific days , without any kind of planning, the adaptations that they are going to obtain are going to be minimal, if not zero.
Conclusions
Altitude training has been shown to produce adaptations in the body that can improve performance in athletes, but it must be borne in mind that you must do it continuously if you really want to see results.
If you really want to improve your performance, you should put yourself in the hands of a professional to make you a correct training planning.
References
- García Oterino, D. (March 8, 2017). 5 Benefits of height training. David García Oterino. https://www.davidgarciaoterino.com/5-beneficios-del-entrenamiento-altitud/
- Saugy JJ, Schmitt L, Hauser A, Constantin G, Cejuela R, Faiss R, Wehrlin JP, Rosset J, Robinson N, Millet GP. Same Performance Changes after Live High-Train Low in Normobaric vs. Hypobaric Hypoxia. Front Physiol. 2016 Apr 19; 7: 138. doi: 10.3389 / fphys.2016.00138. PMID: 27148076; PMCID: PMC4835493.
- Valverde, A. [@antoniovalverdefit] (23 August 2018). Training at altitude . [Photography]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm1gVHtlub-/
