What Is Hypoxia?
Air exists at a certain atmospheric pressure at sea level. When we breathe in air at sea level, oxygen passes easily through the lung membrane into the blood. As you go higher in altitude the air pressure becomes lower, making this more difficult. The result is oxygen deprivation or HYPOXIA.
It is a well-researched and scientifically accepted fact that prolonged and sustained exposure to HYPOXIA drives a cascade of extremely beneficial physiological changes in the body, ultimately leading to enhanced fitness, immunity & high efficiency of the cardio-vascular system, thus significantly improving the quality of life!
How do we, living at lower altitudes, reap the benefits of sustained and prolonged high-altitude exposure?
It’s common for athletes to seek new ways to improve their athletic performance. One popular strategy is High Altitude Training, also known as high elevation training. This method involves training at higher altitudes, where it’s harder to breathe.
While it might seem unappealing, the strategy has physiological benefits. It can improve how your body responds to exercise, and therefore, increase your endurance. This could enhance your performance in competitions. To learn more about High Altitude Training, read on. We’ll explore what the research says about the practice, along with training tips and precautions.
What Is High Altitude Training?
High Altitude Training is the practice of training at high elevations. In sports, high altitude typically means at least 7,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. At this elevation, there’s less oxygen in the air. Your workout will feel more difficult, and you’ll get tired more quickly. The idea is that High Altitude Training forces your body to adapt to the lack of oxygen. In turn, this could improve your performance when you compete at sea level.
Athletes who commonly practice High Altitude Training include:
• Runners
• Cyclists
• Mountain bikers
• Cross-country skiers
• Swimmers
‘Live High, Train Low’ Approach
One popular method of High Altitude Training is the “live high, train low” (LHTL) approach. It involves living at high elevations, which allows your body to get used to low oxygen levels. You can also lightly train at this altitude. You do more intense training at low altitudes, however. The goal is to gain the benefits of High Altitude adaptations while maintaining a high-intensity training routine.
What Are The Benefits Of High Altitude Fitness Training?
Though research is ongoing, there are several benefits of High Altitude Training. So, what does Hypoxic Altitude Training do? Hypoxic training will provide plenty of benefits, regardless of the method used. Due to the fact that the state of hypoxia -or exposure to low oxygen air- proves to be an enormous challenge for the human body, several physiological reactions will occur. This, for example, includes increased capillarization, which provides greater oxygen delivery to the tissues, muscles and brain. A decrease in average heart rate and blood pressure helps with stimulating the metabolism of fat.
More Oxygen Flow To Muscles
When you work out, your blood delivers oxygen to your muscles. The oxygen is used to produce energy, which helps your muscles move and perform activity. But as you continue exercising, your blood won’t be able to keep up with the oxygen demands of your muscles. Your muscles will eventually become fatigued.
A 2016 studyTrusted Source comparing effectiveness of Altitude Training versus sea level training, found that Altitude Training can help muscle fatigue by increasing erythropoietin (EPO) production.
EPO is a hormone that makes red blood cells (RBC), which carry oxygen to various parts of the body. Higher EPO production increases RBC, thus enhancing oxygen delivery. Increasing EPO production is your body’s way of adapting to the low oxygen levels at high altitudes. According to this same study, the effect continues at sea level. This means you may benefit from improved oxygen delivery while competing at sea level.
Increased Aerobic Capacity
Along with improving oxygen flow, High Altitude Training can also increase your maximal oxygen intake, or VO2 max. This is the highest amount of oxygen your body can consume during intense exercise. The higher your VO2 max, the better your endurance.
This effect was observed in a small 2013 studyTrusted Source involving seven elite distance runners. After 28 days of following the LHTL method, their VO2 max improved.
In another small 2020 studyTrusted Source, 12 runners experienced increased VO2 max after 11 days of Altitude Training. The researchers noted that this could boost performance at sea level.
Better Lactic Acid Capacity
As your muscles use oxygen during intense exercise, they produce a byproduct called lactic acid. Lactic acid can accumulate and lead to muscle fatigue. As a result, you’ll need to stop working out.
According to a 2018 articleTrusted Source, Altitude Training could increase your tolerance to lactic acid. This means your body can handle higher levels of lactic acid before your muscles get tired.
A small 2020 studyTrusted Source of adolescent runners also found that Altitude Training enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness and running velocity at various blood lactate levels.
However, a 2016 studyTrusted Source found that elevation masks don’t actually simulate high altitudes. They don’t reduce the pressure of oxygen, which is necessary to mimic Altitude Training. Instead, the masks only increase the resistance of airflow.
The Following Physiological Reactions Have Been Shown To Occur During Hypoxic Training
• Amplified pulmonary oxygen absorption
• Boosted production of Erythropoietin Hormone (EPO) by the kidneys. This stimulates generation of Red Blood Cells
(RBCs) and enhanced oxygen transportation through the body
• Increased capillarization for greater oxygen delivery to the tissues, muscles and brain
• Enhanced production and rejuvenation of mitochondria (the cell’s hub for aerobic energy production) and mitochondrial enzymes, allowing more efficient use of oxygen for energy production and superior enzymatic anti-oxidative defense.
• Decreased average Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
• Increased production and release of Human Growth Hormone
• Stimulation of fat metabolism