Physiological effects of altitude training on elite male cross‐country skiers

Abstract

Seven elite male cross-country skiers trained for 3 weeks at an altitude of 1900 m. Haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), haematocrit (Hct) (obtained from venous blood), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and energy expenditure during a standard submaximal workload were measured before and after training at altitude, and 1 year later while training at sea level (control). Both [Hb] and Hct increased significantly, and the skiers with the lowest initial [Hb] and Hct experienced the largest increases during training at altitude. The increase in blood lactate (BLa) concentration (using haemolysed capillary blood) during a standard submaximal exercise test was significantly lower after training at altitude than before it or 1 year later (control). A significant correlation was found between the magnitude of increase in [Hb] and Hct and the difference in the lactate response to the standard submaximal workload pre- and post-altitude training. Although VO2 max remained unchanged, lower BLa concentration during the submaximal test probably reflects an improved ability to exercise at higher submaximal workloads shortly after training at altitude compared with pre-altitude training. It is suggested that subjects with low initial [Hb] and Hct improve their aerobic performance capacity most during altitude training.

Implications of moderate altitude training for sea-level endurance in elite distance runners

“…Similar ®ndings have been reported at sea-level following 3±10 weeks of training at an ambient PO 2 ranging from 93 to 125 mmHg (Asano et al 1986;Terrados et al 1988;Bender et al 1989;Ingjer and Myhre 1992). Bender et al (1989) identi®ed that a decrease in lactate¯ux from skeletal muscle to blood was responsible for the decreased lactic acidosis observed in subjects at sea-level following a 3-week exposure to 4,300 m. Several mechanisms may be implicated in the modulation of glycolytic¯ux in hypoxia which include, hypoxia-induced secondary polycythaemia and the attendant increase in C a O 2 (Berglund 1992), shifts in substrate utilisation towards predominantly b-oxidation of fatty acids (Beidleman et al 1994), bene®cial alterations in the structural morphology and enzymatic characteristics of skeletal muscle, capillary neoformation (Desplanches et al 1993), increase in intracellular buffering capacity (Favier et al 1995) and an``upstream'' inhibition of glycolysis regulated by a decreased central drive (Kayser et al 1994) and/or changes in the b-adrenergic sensitivity of glycolysis (Brooks et al 1992).…”

Living high–training low altitude training: effects on mucosal immunity

“…Then, slope was kept constant at 14%-grade and speed was increased by 1 km h À1 every 3 min then every 1 min until exhaustion. VO 2max corresponded to the peak in VO 2 averaged over 30 s. The use of a 14%-slope during maximal treadmill running was in agreement with previous protocols involving elite cross-country skiers, in which slopes ranged from 10% (Welde et al 2003) to 21% (Ingjer et Myhre 1992). Oxygen uptake measurement was performed with a gas analyser (M VMAX series, 29C, SensorMedics Corporation, Yorba Linda, CA, USA).…”

Influence of “living high–training low” on aerobic performance and economy of work in elite athletes

“…Then, the slope was kept constant at 14%-grade and the speed was increased by 1 km h À1 every 2 min until exhaustion. The use of a 14%-slope during maximal treadmill running was in agreement with previous protocols involving elite cross-country skiers, in which slopes ranged from 10 to 21% (Ingjer and Myhre 1992). Cardio-respiratory measurements were performed in breath-by-breath (M VMAX series 29CÒ, SensorMedics Corporation, Yorba Linda, CA, USA).…”