Altitude Training for Sports Performance

Altitude Training for Sports Performance

Training at Altitude has been used to improve athletic performance for decades. Since the Mexico Olympic Games (when the effects of Altitude on Sports Performance were first made obvious) many teams and individuals use Altitude Training as part of their preparation.

Benefits for Sports Performance include:

• Enhanced power output and speed
• Improved strength and endurance
• Increased exercise-till-exhaustion (ETE) time
• Reduced recovery time after exertion
• Decreased resting heart-rate and blood pressure
• Maintenance of cardiovascular fitness when injured
• Diminished overall fatigue

ATS products allow this powerful tool to be accessed by athletes of all standards without the expense and time required to travel to real altitude.

Training at Altitude has been used to improve athletic performance for decades. Since the Mexico Olympic Games (when the effects of Altitude on Sports Performance were first made obvious) many teams and individuals use Altitude Training as part of their preparation.

ATS products allow this powerful tool to be accessed by athletes of all standards without the expense and time required to travel to real altitude. Simulated Altitude Training (SAT) also allows a mix of altitude and quality training to maximise performance. Recent research is quantifying the reasons and physiology behind the effects of Altitude training, and ATS is working with expert coaches and sports scientists to develop optimal training protocols.

SAT will help athletes of all standards reach their optimal performance potential: improvements in repeat sprint effort; oxygen carrying capacity of the blood and other cardio-vascular improvements are all facilitated by altitude training. SAT is a time-efficient and scientifically based training tool that can form part of any athletes training program- from the elite to the weekend warrior.

Hypoxic training improves a number of important parameters in sports performance. Recent research using Simulated Altitude Training (SAT) systems has shown improved performance at sea level following a block of SAT in elite cyclists (1). Other studies (2, 3, 4) demonstrate positive effects such as improved repeat sprint performance, increased anabolic hormonal responses and increased red blood cell mass following SAT training programs.

The mechanisms for this are still being researched, but oxygen delivery and utilisation at a number of levels (mechanical and cellular) as well a improved buffering capacity have been demonstrated (5,6,7) . Most of the immediate benefits to sports performance involve a qualitative improvement in the physiological systems related to oxygen delivery and energy utilisation.

The most significant results in sports performance come from effectively integrated SAT programs, with individual monitoring and progression. ATS has the resources and experience to assist any athlete achieve the best possible results from Simulated Altitude Training.

1. Czuba, M et al. The effect of intermittent hypoxic training on aerobic capacity and endurance performance in elite cyclists. JSSM (2011) 10, p175-183.
2. Millet, G. et al. Combining hypoxic methods for peak performance. Sports Med (2010) 40 (1): pp 1-25.
3. Kon, M et al. Effects of acute hypoxia on metabolic and hormonal responses to resistance exercise. Med and Sci in Sport and Ex (2010) 42 (7), p 1279-1285.
4. Robertson, Y et al.  Effect of intermittent training in hypoxia combined with live high/train low.Eur J Appl Physiol (2010), DOI 10.1007/500421-010-1516-5. May 2010.
5. Dufor, S et al. Exercise training in normobaric hypoxia in endurance runners: I: Improvement in aerobic performance capacity. J. Appl. Physiol (2006) 100: p 1238-1248.
6. Ponsot, et al. Exercise training in normobaric hypoxia in endurance runners: II: Improvement of mitochondrial properties in skeletal muscle. J App Physiol (2006) 100: p 1249-1257
7. Zoll, et al. Exercise training in normobaric hypoxia in endurance runners: III: muscularadjustments of selected gene transcripts. J Appl Physiol (2006) 100: p 1258-1266.

Altitude Training Research and Studies:

http://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/resources/educational-resources/exphys/00/cheuk.cfm#conclusion