High Altitude Training: Benefits + How To Do It Properly

Elite athletes have devoted much of their time for the past few years to attending extended training camps that may last anywhere from weeks to months in distant places. They put their belongings together in a bundle and settle in a camping spot which is usually somewhat isolated. This is not a disguised holiday, a meditation gathering, or a journey for a certain race.

The runners are going to a place at a higher elevation to do their high altitude training. Training at high altitudes can benefit runners and other athletes who compete in endurance events by producing certain physiological changes.

It can be realistic for professional runners to move to a different location in order to take advantage of high altitude training. Most amateur runners probably have complicated personal and domestic commitments that don’t necessarily revolve around running, which can make organizing trips a troublesome process.

If you’d like to witness a substantial increase in your aerobic conditioning, you should think about engaging in a period of high elevation training. In this guide, we will go over how high altitude training is useful for runners and the best steps to take to get the most out of this type of training at higher altitudes.

What Is High Altitude Training?

Training at elevated heights is the practice of exercising, doing cross-training, and other physical activities at heights that are much higher than sea level.

Generally speaking, athletes who take part in high altitude training stay in spots that are between 7,000 and 12,000 feet above sea level.

Endurance sportspeople such as marathoners, triathletes, cyclists, cross-country skiers, and swimmers often utilize high altitude training.

What Is The Purpose Of High Altitude Training For Runners?

If you’ve been to Mexico City, the Swiss Alps, Flagstaff, AZ, or Machu Picchu, then you’re probably familiar with the fact that the atmosphere is more “rarefied” at higher altitudes. If you did even a slow walk, it is probable that you got out of breath much quicker than when doing strenuous running exercises.

The oxygen content of the air is much less when one is at a higher elevation compared to being at sea level. Consequently, you end up getting less oxygen each time you breathe in, therefore your body attempts to make up for it by taking in bigger and more rapid breaths.

The main idea of high altitude training is that when you work out in higher elevation areas, it causes your body to adjust to the lower amounts of oxygen.

Once your body has gotten used to the changes, when you go back to running and competing when you are closer to sea level, it will seem as if it is much simpler to breathe. This will enable you to sprint quicker without feeling like you’re out of breath (increasing your oxygen limit to quicker speeds), leading to better execution.

Benefits Of High Altitude Training For Runners

What are the benefits of reduced oxygen intake for better performance? Here are the physiological benefits of high altitude training for runners:

High Altitude Training Increases the Production of Red Blood Cells

Due to a decreased amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, your body must become more competent in providing the vital oxygen atoms to your muscles.

Studies demonstrate that when training at high altitude the synthesis of erythropoietin is boosted, which is a molecule that air-stimulates the creation of red blood cells. The more red blood cells you have, the more oxygen your muscles will be able to access while running.

High Altitude Training Increases Your Aerobic Capacity

Higher levels of oxygen flowing to your muscles increases your VO2 max, which is a gauge of your aerobic capabilities. Studies show that aerobic endurance and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) scores increase when an individual undertakes training in higher elevations.

High Altitude Training Increases Lactate Threshold

Research indicates that by training at an elevation, one’s lactate threshold would expand, enabling you to run quicker before becoming excessively tired. The muscles become more efficient at dealing with the acidic waste products created by glycolysis (anaerobic metabolism).

High Altitude Training Increases Your Metabolic Rate

If you intend to shed pounds, elevation could be the impetus to enhance your metabolism that you need. Investigations have indicated that those who take part in high altitude workouts burn through 2.5 to 3 times more energy than participants at sea level.

Haematological Effects

A study conducted over 60 years ago found that when people from sea level locations are exposed to high altitudes, their red blood cells and plasma volume increase.

Interest in the influence of higher altitude training on our blood circulation and physical stamina has been a common pursuit among both investigators and sportspeople since then.

These changes include an increase both:

Haemoglobin mass (the oxygen transport metalloprotein in red blood cells) and
An increase in the number of actual red blood cells.

This leads to a higher level of proficiency as well as an increased amount of cells used for carrying oxygen. The capillaries have become more concentrated and efficient, making it easier for the blood to flow.

Changes in the blood and circulatory systems are of great value in improving the maximum oxygen uptake and ultimately enhancing performance.

Non-Haemalogical Changes

Besides the differences in size of our blood cells, there are also many biological tissue modifications which assist in transforming our muscles into energy conserving machines!

These include:

Increased oxidative enzyme capacity
Increased mitochondrial volume and augmented muscle energy efficiency
Increased fatty acid substrate utilisation
Greater lactic acid tolerance and muscle buffering
Improved muscle tissue PH regulation
Better glucose transport and glycolysis
Better intracellular iron transport

Research has highlighted the significance of such transformations by demonstrating that VO2 max performance during running can be upgraded through intermittent hypoxia training, notwithstanding changes in the ability of the blood to transport oxygen (20-21).

The research discussed their discoveries concerning the higher ATP energy metabolism within the mitochondria of those experiencing hypoxia.

How Could it Change My Performance?

Altitude training can have a positive effect on your endurance performance, such as causing a longer period of tiredness and a speedier recuperation after exercising. All of this adds up to better runs and faster bike times.

Studies have shown that investing 3-4 weeks of time at elevations ranging from 1800-2300m can help boost performance by 2-4%.

An extensive evaluation of clinical studies suggested that either constant or intermittent exposure to high altitude while exercising at regular sea level can enhance performance among both sub-elite and elite endurance athletes.

Drawbacks And Precautions With High Altitude Training For Runners

Of course, there are drawbacks or risks associated with high altitude training, including the following:

Intensity Can Be Compromised

It can be tough, if not impossible, to complete the workouts written on your training schedule when training at high altitudes due to the fewer amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere. Running at a speed similar to what you would do at lower elevations is especially challenging.

It is okay to adjust your running pace to accommodate high altitude training, but if you regularly run too slow, the benefits can be negated.

Recovery Is Slower

Due to a reduced oxygen intake, your body may take a while to restore itself after doing exercises in a high-altitude environment, necessitating less intense workouts throughout the week with more time allotted for recovery.

Dehydration

At higher elevations, your breathing rate will be higher and you will be releasing more moisture in the form of vapor. Studies indicate that in individuals living at higher elevations, daily respiratory water loss in males is up to 1900 mL and 850 mL in females, and urine water loss up to 500 mL can also be seen.

Also, evaporation takes place more quickly at higher altitudes, meaning your shirt will remain mostly dry, regardless of how intense your physical activity is. This can give the impression that there is no need to replace fluids as much. Be sure you’re drinking plenty of water.

Altitude Sickness

If you spend time at an altitude that changes quickly, you may experience altitude sickness. The symptoms can range from insignificant to severe and include migraine, queasiness, lack of hunger, exhaustion, regurgitation, fluid in the lungs, and swelling of the brain.

You May Not Respond

Researchers have found significant differences in how people respond to high altitudes, causing them to classify people into categories of those who are responsive and those who are not.

Essentially, not everybody, but some people experienced increases in erythropoietin, red blood cell volume, and VO2max. Following that, only certain people witnessed betterments in their running performance and anaerobic buffering potentiality, even though EPO concentration changed.

This could lead to a group who journey to high altitudes having some individuals who will become ill (hyper-responders), some who won’t reap any advantages from the trip (hypo-responders), and some who experience performance improvements.

You May Respond Badly

The potential for a drop in performance and a lack of progress can result from attempting to maintain a strenuous workout at higher altitudes due to the decrease in available oxygen.

These alterations could involve enhanced oxidization pressure, being dehydrated, decreased heart rate, and the requirement to reduce practice intensity and amount to manage.

How Do I Perform High Altitude Training?

Different techniques or plans can be used for high altitude training.

Live High, Train High (LHTH)

This is an archetype of altitude training where competitors will go and live at a high elevation which is between 2000-2500m for a window of 3-4 weeks. All their training and various activities are encountered at this altitude, which can be traced back to the remarkable outcomes of East African competitors at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City (located at an elevation of about 2250 meters). This is the most popular way of doing it.

While it is thought that doing activities and completing assignments at this level should provide enough of a lack of oxygen to help accomplish better outcomes, early studies weren’t always successful. A study on middle distance runners which compared LHTH altitude found no advantage compared to those who trained at lower levels of altitude.

Live High, Train Low (LHTL)

Despite being the most used training strategy, the LHTL model is the one which is most focused on.

Athletes reside in mild elevations of 2500m, yet they are instructed at an altitude that is approximately 1250m lower. This strategy is meant to balance out the harmful results of trying to keep up an intense workout regimen while at high elevations, and to prevent the adverse impacts of not staying active.

An investigation that assessed the effects of high altitude training (LHTH) against low altitude training (LHTL) in comparison to sea level training demonstrated that both higher altitude sessions had an effect on the amount of blood cells in the body and a rise in maximal oxygen intake (VO2max). Nevertheless, the sole group to experience an uptick in 5000m run time trial at sea level was the one that utilized the LHTL approach. This suggests that the biological alterations resulting from high elevation training may not carry over in the same way for athletes who use different techniques. Similar studies have then followed which supported theses conclusions.

The cost of living and training at high altitude, as well as the risk of loosing progress during this time, make the LHTL strategy the best choice for getting better results. In addition to enhancing running and biking abilities, advances have been seen in orienteering and swimming.

Devices for Training

It is now widely considered that similar adaptations from altitude training can be caused via devices which either:

a) Expose athletes to simulated (artificial) altitude atmosphere or

Occasionally take away the available oxygen using special equipment during the practice.

Alternatively, interval hypoxic training can be employed, which presents the athlete with a vigorous, yet short-term altitude environment and prompts the kidneys to boost production of EPO.

It must be noted that machines that are capable of producing the same results as high altitude exposure have only been developed in a medical setting and are not available to the general public.

How Much Training?

Experts have advised that utilizing the Live High Train Low (LHTL) system and residing at elevations ranging from 2000-2500 meters for about three-four weeks, combined with training at altitudes lower than 1250 meters, gives the best health and performance advantages from altitude training. This requires 12 hours of unbroken exposure per day.

The majority of coaching camps take place between 1800 and 3000 meters, and larger alterations were detected in EPO concentrations between a range of 2454 and 2805 meters.

It appears that the amount of red blood cells and haemoglobin mass are more linked to the length of time spent at a high altitude instead of the altitude itself, and a minimum of 12-13 hours should be spent at that altitude each day.

It is essential to consider when one is exposed to the environment, with noticeable performance improvements being visible in the roughly 6 week period right after coming back to ground-level.

It is essential to remember to normalize iron levels during high altitude training as this element is necessary for the making of red blood cells and haemoglobin. Iron deficiency, or anaemia, can reduce any potential advantages from hypoxia exposure, and can hinder the creation of red blood cells even after four weeks of training at an altitude of 2500 meters, despite alterations in the amount of erythropoietin.

Take Home Message

If you are looking to improve your performance in endurance sports or speed up your recovery times, high altitude training is something to contemplate.

The most effective approach for a duration of 3-4 weeks before a competition is the “Live High, Train Low” plan; nonetheless, you ought to take a look at your personal reaction to hypoxic training during the offseason so as to gauge how you respond.

At least 12 hours per day in a high-altitude setting is necessary to see changes in blood cell volume and EPO, as well as to sustain iron levels so that the changes are of maximum benefit.