High Altitude Training

2008-10-22 17:10:53

( Education )



What is High Altitude Training?

Also known as altitude camp, this is a type of training for athletes who want to enhance their stamina and boost their performance during competitions.

High altitude training involves training routines done at more than two thousand meters above sea level, provided there is a suitable location for such training. So the athlete does the same training routines at mountaintops or other very high places. Most of them will stay at the same training place for at least several weeks before the competition. They will only go down to normal altitudes or sea level just a few days beforehand.

Benefits of High Altitude Training

Proponents of high altitude training claim that the thin oxygen levels at high altitudes enables your body to produce more red blood cells and hemoglobin. Increased levels of these body substances will in turn help you perform better in competitions that are held at lower altitudes or even sea level. You gain speed which is important in most sports competitions, and you also recover easily during challenging moments.

This probably explains why athletes who come from high altitude areas like the Alps or Nordic regions have higher stamina and strength during the competitions.

Disadvantages of High Altitude Training

Opponents of high altitude training claim that the beneficial effects, such as increased endurance and speed, only last temporarily. The body returns to normal capacity after a few days of being back at sea level, so the high altitude training time is actually wasted.

Apart from this, some athletes cannot really adapt to high altitudes and develop altitude sickness which in turn affect their performance in the real competition.

Then there's the problem of finding the right high altitude training area or residence for the athlete. Where high altitude training venues are not available, some training centers have constructed altitude chambers that simulate the same atmospheric and physical conditions as a true high altitude place. Some training areas combine both high altitude and sea level conditions to train athletes to be adaptable to both.


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