Altitude Training Approaches
A comparison of various approaches to altitude training.
Contents
1 Live High, Train High
By moving to altitude, you are exposed to lower oxygen all the time. While this approach can have a good effect on altitude acclimatization, it makes training much harder. Therefore the benefit of altitude on increased red blood cell count are offset by the reduced ability to train hard. There is also evidence that LHTH reduces muscle mass[1].
2 Live High, Train Low
Sleeping at altitude produces the increase in red blood cells, and training at low altitude provides optimum training benefits. This effect can be achieved by literally living at a high altitude and travelling to a lower level to train. However, this approach is also possible by using a hypoxia generator to reduce the level of oxygen in a tent. The downside to an altitude tent is that the quality of sleep can be significantly degraded and the equipment is expensive.
3 Intermittent Hypoxic Training
IHT uses lower O2 concentrations than LHTH or LHTL, but for shorter periods. Typical regimes are 5 min hypoxia + 5 min normal air, repeated 6 times. See Intermittent Hypoxic Training and Intermittent Hypoxic Training 101.
4 Summary
| Type | Pros | Cons |
| LHTH | Easy if you live at altitude | Reduced training benefits, loss of muscle mass |
| LHTL | No detraining like LHTH, no extra time taken like IHT | Requires travel or altitude tent |
| IHT | No sleep issues like LHTL, No detraining like LHTH, equipment cheap | Takes time (~1 hour/day) where activity is limited |
5 See Also
- Altitude Training
- Comparison of Altitude Training Systems
- Book Review – Altitude Training and Athletic Performance
- Intermittent Hypoxic Training and Intermittent Hypoxic Training 101
- AltoLab
6 References
- ↑ http://www.hypoxico.com/images/pdfs/Response_of_skeletal_muscle_mitochondria_tohypoxia_Hoppel.pdf Response of skeletal muscle mitochondria to hypoxia
