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Exercise at altitude
Published in Robert B. Schoene, H. Thomas Robertson, Making Sense of Exercise Testing, 2018
Robert B. Schoene, H. Thomas Robertson
If one is undergoing altitude training for competition at low altitude, then one question is: how long do the positive effects last? The increase in red blood cell mass has significant decay by 14 days, and ventilatory decay is more rapid, although not well studied. Thus, it seems prudent to compete within two to three days after descent.
Will to win
Published in Joe Piggin, Louise Mansfield, Mike Weed, Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity Policy and Practice, 2018
This is the first time that I have had to do altitude training. We have to train up here for a couple of weeks, and then when we return home, we will swim like gods. We will restore Australian swimming glory. We’ve been told altitude training will affect every physiological system in our bodies: cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, the works. Even your mental state will be affected. Our coaches expect we’ll all shed weight. Up to a kilo a day and we have to stand on the scales and see how much weight has slipped off us in the night thanks to the wonders of altitude training. Jeremy [our gym coach] has also got us all walking 20 kilometres to some mountain while we are here. We are at the will of coaches.
Quantification of training and competition loads in endurance sports
Published in Michael Kellmann, Jürgen Beckmann, Sport, Recovery, and Performance, 2017
A useful situation whereby research outcomes, and therefore scientific consensus and coaching practise may have been influenced by training quantification (or lack thereof) is altitude training. The general consensus in the athletic community is that altitude training may improve performance, reflected through its continual use by elite endurance athletes (Friedmann-Bette, 2008; Tønnessen et al., 2014). However, scepticism regarding its efficacy for elite athletes persists (Lundby, Millet, Calbet, Bärtsch, & Subudhi, 2012) based on several studies indicating a decrement in performance following altitude training (Adams, Bernauer, Dill, & Bomar, 1975; Jensen et al., 1993; Levine & Stray-Gundersen, 1997). This assertion is despite a large body of data describing physiological adaptations theoretically beneficial to endurance performance arising from altitude training, including improved red cell mass (Gore et al., 2013) and running economy (Saunders et al., 2004). Although most altitude training studies incorporate well-established principles of training design including periodisation, recovery, overload, and specificity, they only report basic metrics such as overall training volume or duration (Bailey et al., 1998; Gore, Hahn, Burge, & Telford, 1997). This shortcoming makes it difficult to determine all the factors that strongly influence subsequent athletic performance and the timing of a peak performance. It is therefore no surprise that both coaches and scientists are conflicted regarding the best training strategies to employ during altitude camps, and the best time to compete after training at altitude (Chapman, Stickford, Lundby, & Levine, 2014). However, in many cases, the performance outcomes of altitude training research, whether negative (Adams et al., 1975; Gough et al., 2012) or positive (Bonne et al., 2014; Levine & Stray-Gundersen, 1997), could be explained by the training completed prior to these performances when it is adequately quantified. In this respect, training monitoring and quantification enhances the interpretation of research findings, allowing practitioners to make informed decisions on implementation of training interventions with their athletes.
Do environmental temperatures and altitudes affect physical outputs of elite football athletes in match conditions? A systematic review of the ‘real world’ studies
Published in Science and Medicine in Football, 2023
Garrison Draper, Matthew D. Wright, Ai Ishida, Paul Chesterton, Matthew Portas, Greg Atkinson
Information about the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve has been used by previous researchers to indicate some potential physiologic interactions in responses to heat and altitude (Armstrong 2000; Cheung 2010; Buchheit et al., 2013). Laboratory and controlled studies have contrasted heat training and altitude training for its potential benefits in performance (Buchheit et al. 2013; Carr et al., 2020; McLean et al., 2020). Very few have researchers investigated concurrent effects on performance. Within the eligible studies, there are some consistent observations as we explore varying ranges of each environmental factor. As altitude increased (>1400 m), and temperatures increased into higher risk ranges (>27°C), there were consistently reported reductions in performance on most of the key outcome measures (Özgünen et al. 2010; Mohr et al., 2010; Nassis 2012; Aughey et al. 2013, 2014; Garvican et al. 2014; Chmura et al. 2017; Loxston et al. 2019). These effects reduced when participants spent significant time in the environment. Aughey et al. (2013) studied for 312 h at altitude, which is the longest reported time in the altitude section; Ozgunen et al. (2010) spent >72 h in heat, which is the longest of any other study in the temperature section) (Özgünen et al. 2010; Aughey et al. 2013). The alignment of these reported changes gives reason for the authors to suggest that deeper analysis of data understanding concurrent mechanistic responses to these environments should be utilized, to compare the physiologic and performance responses of athletes, to guide practitioner knowledge and applications.
Reproducibility of the CO rebreathing technique with a lower CO dose and a shorter rebreathing duration at sea level and at 2320 m of altitude
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 2020
Laura Oberholzer, Thomas Christian Bonne, Andreas Breenfeldt Andersen, Jacob Bejder, Regitse Højgaard Christensen, Nikolai Baastrup Nordsborg, Carsten Lundby
The CO rebreathing could furthermore be of high clinical relevance at altitude, as polycythemia is a frequent and severe condition in many high-altitude areas in the world and urbanization of higher-located regions is growing [18]. Also in other instances, the use of the CO rebreathing method at altitude has become increasingly popular, e.g. in elite sports as a means to monitor Hbmass adaptations to altitude training [19]. However, since the CO rebreathing and the associated determination of %HbCO using a hemoximeter are influenced by barometric pressure, a reduction thereof may eventually affect the measurement error. Therefore, we also tested the study protocol at 2320 m of altitude; an altitude at which the population density is still relatively high and which is commonly used for altitude training regimens.
Physiological and oxidative stress responses to intermittent hypoxia training in Sprague Dawley rats
Published in Experimental Lung Research, 2020
Megha A. Nimje, Himadri Patir, Rajesh Kumar Tirpude, Prasanna K. Reddy, Bhuvnesh Kumar
Taken together this study showed improved physiological and cellular adaptive responses due to intermittent hypoxia preconditioning. Identifying a potent prophylactic agent or an alternative modality instead of drugs, which can prevent or reduce acute mountain sickness and associated aliments at high altitude, is warranted. Previous studies to altitude acclimatization using IHT/IHE by simulated altitude exposures administered either in hypobaric or normobaric conditions proved to be effective.20 In our study we used IHT in normobaric conditions. The practical reasons for IHT under normobaric conditions as a better alternative to altitude acclimatization or altitude training is the availability of an artificially created environment located at low altitude or sea level areas with more intense but shorter hypoxic stimuli needed, which are considered to be safer and more compatible with normal living conditions, and carry a lower risk of producing acute mountain sickness in unacclimatized subjects.