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- Title
ALTITUDE TRAINING AND ITS EFFECTS ON PERFORMANCE - SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.
- Authors
Epthorp, Justin A.
- Abstract
Thinner air at altitude means there is less air resistance making extraordinary things possible. It also means less oxygen and this has physiological and various other effects on the body. Altitude is nominally classified as sea level (0 to 500 m), low (>500 to 2000 m), moderate (>2000 to 3000 m), high (>3000 to 5500 m), and extreme altitude (>5500 m). The percentage of oxygen in the air at all altitudes is ∼20.9% but the partial pressure of oxygen at altitude is reduced making gas exchange more difficult. Generally, it is suggested that sub-elite athletes will benefit more from some sort of altitude training and that elite athletes see little improvements in performance for live high/train low, live low/train high and live high/train high. When altitude training, altitude sickness such as acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary oedema and high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) should always be a consideration. An altitude of 2,200m and 2,500m for a minimum of 3-4 weeks can produce benefits for up to 4 weeks. Natural Altitude training saw an increase of 1.5% in performance, the nitrogen dilution suggested an increase on 5% in VO2 max (aerobic performance) and an increase in anaerobic capacity and performance, the oxygen filtration method saw a 5.2% increase in VO2max while the supplemental oxygen method saw increases in VO2max. Under the right conditions it seems improvement can occur with the use of live high/train low, live high/train high and live low/train high altitude training. Natural altitude in Australia is limited and so athletes would need to use gyms, personal altitude devices, or be involved with an institute of sport otherwise they would need to go overseas.
- Subjects
SPORTS; SCOUTING (Athletics); ATHLETIC drafts &; trades; PHYSICAL fitness; ALTITUDE training
- Publication
Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning, 2014, Vol 22, Issue 1, p78
- ISSN
1835-7644
- Publication type
Article