Going Higher: What is altitude training?

In today’s highly-developed world, gaining a competitive edge is more difficult than ever. Speed suits for swimmers, carbon fibre soles in running shoes, and aerodynamic helmets and bikes have become more and more available to recreational athletes looking to up their game. However, as fun and cool as these tech trends are, they don’t actually change the most important thing – your own personal human engine.

Within the millions of blood vessels in your body travel red blood cells, called erythrocytes. The role of these erythrocytes is to transport highly-coveted oxygen to tissues in order to power your body. If you decide to train for a marathon and get going on a training program, the body begins to produce more and more red blood cells over the weeks. It does so to deliver more oxygen to starving muscles that are working harder and longer than in previous weeks.

This is a normal response to training and one of the reasons why a long run weekly is very important! The quality of the red blood cells also begins to improve as each blood cell becomes larger and able to carry more oxygen molecules. You can notice these changes during a training program as distances that once would make you feel tired and out of breath become easier and less effortful.

The body is very smart and very insightful. In circumstances where oxygen is harder to come by, it will quickly realize that this special and limited resource needs to be used as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Studies have shown that at altitudes of 2100m and up, the number of blood cells in the bloodstream is higher, and size of red blood cells are bigger. In most basic terms – you can go harder and longer with the same amount of effort.

Now, because the body is so smart (and also lazy), the timing and consistency of training at altitude becomes important. Effects on blood cells can begin as early as 2 hours of exposure, and get better and better with time. If you’ve got a race coming up in a few months, you’ll want to spend about 24 hours total at altitude prior to in order to begin to see tangible changes. If you’ve really got your eye on the prize, the more hours that you can train, the better! Studies have shown that red blood cells increase in size after every 100 hours of altitude training.

Trail Running Fitness Toronto

Who can benefit from training high in the sky? Well, if you’ve picked a race that is taking place above sea-level, you are absolutely going to want to prep for it by getting yourself acclimatized. Even the most well-rounded training program done at sea level will lend itself to a sub-par race at altitude as the body will be starved for oxygen that isn’t available. Not to mention, it’ll feel fairly awful. Second, even if you don’t have anything high in the sky coming up, you’ll be able to truly maximize your training and body adaptations by getting into the chamber even once per week. More blood cells = more oxygen = more work with less effort. Hello PB!

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5 Tips To Prepare for the Trek to Everest Basecamp

Are you planning to trek to Everest basecamp? With an altitude of 5,364 meters (17,598 feet), the Base Camp is the starting point for mountaineers who are attempting to climb the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. But you don’t have to be a mountaineer to experience the magic of the Everest Base Camp trek.

Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or a beginner, it’s important to prepare your body for the physical demands of this challenging journey. So get ready to lace up your hiking boots and learn how to prepare for a journey to the roof of the world. Here are some tips for training:

  1. Build endurance: Trekking to Everest basecamp involves long days of hiking at high altitudes. If you have access to a simulated altitude environment (like an altitude chamber), doing your cardio sessions in this environment would be an ideal form of preparation to build endurance and increase aerobic performance. Training at simulated altitude will help you resist fatigue and maintain high energy during long hikes. If you do not have access to a simulated altitude environment, you can focus on building your endurance by going on longer hikes or walks, gradually increasing the distance over time.
  2. Train with a backpack: You’ll be carrying a backpack with your essentials, so it’s important to get used to the weight. Start by carrying a light backpack and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
  3. Get outside: Incorporating outdoor hikes into your training plan is a great way to prepare your body for the challenging weather conditions and terrains you may encounter on the trek to Everest basecamp.
  4. Pre-acclimatize: Altitude sickness is a concern when trekking at high elevations. The trek to Everest basecamp takes you through a range of elevations up to 5,364 m. Longer duration exposures to simulated altitude can help prepare your body for the thin air. Long exposures create hematological adaptations (changes in factors in the blood), which can help reduce and prevent symptoms of altitude sickness. Hematological changes can also further improve delaying fatigue while at high altitudes.
  5. Work with an expert on a training plan: Hiking uphill and downhill for several hours a day can be tough on your legs. Good balance is important when dealing with unstable terrain while fatigued. And stamina is critical on long hiking days. A good coach can make sure you’re well trained for each of these factors – cardio, strength and balance – before you leave. The duration of your training plan will depend on how much time you have to prepare and where you’re currently at physically. But in general, it’s recommended that you start preparing at least 3 months before your trip. Talk to a coach about getting started on a mountaineering-specific training plan for the trek to Everest basecamp: Book Coach Consult 

Remember, training for Everest basecamp is not just about physical preparation, but also mental preparation. Stay positive, stay focused, and enjoy the journey!

To learn more about simulated altitude training and training programs, check out our memberships or email us at info@altitudeathletictraining.com.

How to properly implement altitude training in your race build-up

If you are reading this, you are probably thinking about experimenting with low oxygen (hypoxic) training.

Great move. Altitude training has many benefits when it comes to marathon training. Exercise physiologists around the world say that it can improve fitness by increasing mitochondrial activity, augmenting red blood cell count, even changing gene expression.

But here’s the thing: no matter your fitness level or sport of choice, it’s best to have a plan when implementing a new form of training. Here, we suggest how you can make the most of Altitude Athletic in each phase of your race build-up.

1) The Base Phase

When: up to two months before race day

You might like to start to build your base five to six months in advance of your race, particularly if it’s a longer event like a half-marathon, marathon or Ironman. If so, your question might be: when do I start implementing altitude training? New research indicates that there could be a memory component to altitude training benefits. The more accustomed you are to low-oxygen training, the greater the benefits you might reap. So, best to acquaint yourself with thin air as soon as possible.

That being said, ease into running, cycling or other workouts at altitude slowly. If this is your first experience with low-oxygen training, and your goal race is still months away, start your build with easy efforts in the first week at altitude.

So, if you’re focused on an upcoming marathon training, begin by targeting recovery and non-workout runs. And adjust how you define “easy pace.” Unlike running at a measly 250m in Toronto, running even the easiest of paces at, say, 9,000 ft will at first feel challenging. After one month of base, also try one of your weekly workouts at altitude.

Tip: Monitor your blood ferritin and haemoglobin levels monthly during this phase to see how you are responding to the change in stimulus.

2) The Added Stimulus Phase (two months to two weeks before race day)

This is when you dive into harder, higher-volume and race simulation workouts. Executing these tough sessions at altitude can boost fitness and confidence.

In this phase, alternating between altitude simulation and sea level workouts can be useful for two reasons:

First, working out in a low-oxygen environment will make it harder to hit splits. Use those workouts for building fitness and accustom yourself to the feeling of running hard, and use the sea level workouts for teaching your body what it’s like to run at your goal pace.

Second, doing big workouts at altitude may tire you out at times in this phase. By mixing in sea level workouts, you mitigate the risk of overtraining and burnout.

Tip: Hard training at altitude will likely elevate your basal metabolism, so hydrate aggressively and eat many nutrient-rich foods in this phase. Remember that this phase is more refined. It’s where you can make the most gains, but it’s where you are most likely to overexert yourself. These tenets are significantly augmented at altitude, so make sure you are giving your body enough fuel to recover.

3) The Sharpening Phase

Last two weeks before race day

If altitude simulation feels comfortable by now, try to train exclusively at low oxygen for these last two weeks. It is common practice for athletes to spend the two weeks prior to a goal race at altitude, before coming down two to three days before your race.

That is because even though it likely takes longer than two weeks to see haematological (blood) adaptations, studies show that other benefits of altitude training can be made faster. In the two weeks before your race, training at altitude could improve your muscles’ buffering capacity, making them better at working in acidic conditions (like the final parts of your race.)

Tip: Do not fret over workout splits in this phase. Remember that workouts at altitude will still feel harder than normal, even if you are sharp. If you have made it to this phase healthy and fit, your reward should be to feel good during workouts, instead of worrying about pace.

Tip II: Do your last training session at altitude at least three days before your race, to ensure that you do not have leftover fatigue on the start line.

No matter the training phase you are in, approach altitude training like regular marathon training: with diligence. Eat well, drink lots of water, and always listen to your body’s signals. Do those three things, follow our tips, and put in the work – the results will take care of themselves.

Learn more about altitude training for endurance athletes here.

Want to do some more research on hypoxic training literature? Check out our Hypoxic Training Literature folder in our Linktree!