The Truth About “Altitude Training”
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Matt from Movement System discusses the physiology behind altitude training and its impact on athletic performance. He dispels the myth that training at high altitudes is effective, emphasizing that while it can hinder training, living at high altitudes significantly boosts erythropoietin and hemoglobin levels, enhancing cardiovascular adaptations. Matt explains the acute and chronic physiological changes, including increased heart rate and red blood cell count, and offers practical advice on optimizing training by living at high altitude but training at lower altitudes. He also explores alternatives like altitude tents and hypobaric chambers for simulating these conditions.
Takeaways
- 🏔️ High-altitude training is not optimal for aerobic training due to reduced oxygen delivery and transport.
- 🩸 Living at high altitude can increase erythropoietin, hemoglobin, aerobic enzymes, and other cardiovascular adaptations beneficial for athletes.
- 🌍 The percentage of oxygen in the air remains constant at 20.93% regardless of altitude, but the physiological impact comes from reduced oxygen binding to hemoglobin.
- ⚡ Above 6000 feet of elevation, physiological changes related to oxygen binding and delivery start to become noticeable.
- 📈 Acute exposure to high altitude results in immediate compensation through increased heart rate to maintain oxygen delivery to muscles.
- 🔄 VO2 max is determined by cardiac output and arteriovenous oxygen difference, which does not change immediately upon altitude exposure.
- 🕒 It takes approximately two weeks to adapt to an elevation increase of 2000 feet, with a base adaptation time of two weeks for 7000 feet.
- 🌱 Chronic adaptations to high altitude include increased red blood cell count due to higher erythropoietin levels, which enhances oxygen transport.
- 🏋️♂️ For optimal training, a combination of living at high altitude and training at lower altitudes is suggested to benefit from altitude-induced physiological changes while maintaining training efficiency.
- 🛏️ Alternatives to living high and training low include using altitude tents or hypobaric chambers to simulate the effects of high altitude for training purposes.
- 🏁 Arriving at high-altitude race locations several days early can help athletes acclimate and improve performance through initial adaptations.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is altitude training and the physiological adaptations our body undergoes due to being at high altitudes, and how to optimize training environments for athletes.
Why is training at high altitude not considered an effective means of training?
-Training at high altitude is not effective because the conditions at high altitude are not optimal for oxygen delivery and transport, which are crucial for aerobic training.
What percentage of oxygen is present in the air at high altitudes compared to sea level?
-The percentage of oxygen in the air remains the same at 20.93 percent, regardless of whether it's high altitude or sea level. The difference lies in the partial pressure of oxygen.
What is the significance of erythropoietin (EPO) in the context of altitude training?
-Erythropoietin, or EPO, is significant because it is a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells, which in turn transport oxygen via hemoglobin. Living at high altitude can increase EPO levels, leading to more red blood cells and improved oxygen transport.
At what elevation does the human body start to experience physiological changes due to altitude?
-The human body starts to experience physiological changes due to altitude above 6000 feet of elevation.
What is the formula for VO2 max and why is it important in the context of altitude training?
-VO2 max is calculated as the cardiac output times the arteriovenous O2 difference (A-VO2 difference). It's important because it represents the maximum amount of oxygen that can be delivered to muscles, which is affected by altitude.
How does acute exposure to high altitude affect an individual's heart rate during exercise?
-Acute exposure to high altitude results in an increased submaximal heart rate during exercise due to the need to pump more blood per minute to deliver the same amount of oxygen to muscles.
What is the estimated time frame for the body to adapt to a new altitude?
-As a rule of thumb, it takes about two weeks to adapt to an elevation of 7000 feet, and an additional two weeks for every 2000 feet above that.
What are some of the chronic adaptations the body undergoes when living at high altitude for an extended period?
-Chronic adaptations include an increase in erythropoietin, red blood cells, capillary density, and aerobic enzyme concentrations, which help improve oxygen delivery and utilization at high altitude.
How can altitude training be optimized for athletes who are not able to live at high altitude and train at low altitude?
-Altitude training can be optimized using altitude tents or hypobaric chambers, which simulate the effects of high altitude by reducing the percentage of oxygen, stimulating the body's adaptations without the need to physically change elevation.
What is the minimum time required for the body to start showing some physiological adaptations to high altitude?
-The body can start showing some physiological adaptations to high altitude in as little as 15 hours, with an increase in red blood cell count observable within a few days.
Outlines
🧗♂️ Altitude Training Myths and Physiology
In this paragraph, Matt from Movement System addresses common misconceptions about altitude training. He clarifies that while training at high altitude is not optimal for aerobic activities due to reduced oxygen availability, living at high altitude can induce beneficial physiological adaptations. These include changes in erythropoietin levels, hemoglobin, aerobic enzymes, and cardiovascular functions. Matt emphasizes the importance of understanding these adaptations to effectively utilize altitude in training regimens. He also explains the difference between the oxygen percentage at different altitudes and the actual amount of oxygen bound to hemoglobin, which is crucial for exercise performance. The discussion includes the significance of elevation changes, particularly above 6000 feet, and how these affect athletes, especially those training for high-altitude endurance events like the Leadville race.
🏞️ Adaptation to High Altitude: Acute and Chronic Responses
This paragraph delves into the body's acute and chronic responses to high altitude. Initially, the body compensates for reduced oxygen delivery by increasing heart rate, which makes training feel more challenging. Matt explains the equation for VO2 max and how the body's oxygen extraction rate remains constant, necessitating an increase in cardiac output to deliver the same amount of oxygen. Chronic adaptations, which occur over time, include an increase in erythropoietin production, leading to more red blood cells and hemoglobin, enhancing oxygen transport. Matt provides a guideline for how long it takes to adapt to different altitudes, suggesting that it takes about two weeks to adapt to 7000 feet, and an additional two weeks for every 2000 feet above that. He also touches on the potential of using altitude tents or hypobaric chambers for training optimization, suggesting that living high and training low could be an ideal strategy for athletes, although it's not practical for everyone.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Altitude Training
💡Physiology
💡Erythropoietin (EPO)
💡Hemoglobin
💡Aerobic Enzymes
💡VO2 Max
💡Acute Adaptations
💡Chronic Adaptations
💡Capillary Density
💡2,3-DPG
💡Hypobaric Chamber
Highlights
Altitude training is not an effective means of training due to the conditions of high altitude not being optimal for oxygen delivery and transport.
Living at high altitude can significantly change erythropoietin, hemoglobin, aerobic enzymes, and other cardiovascular adaptations beneficial for athletes.
The percentage of oxygen in the air remains constant at 20.93% regardless of altitude, but the partial pressure and oxygen bound to hemoglobin decrease with altitude.
Physiological changes due to altitude begin to be noticeable above 6000 feet of elevation.
Acute exposure to higher altitudes results in less oxygen delivery to muscles, necessitating an immediate compensation through increased heart rate.
The equation for VO2 max (cardiac output times avo2 difference) explains the body's need to pump more blood per minute at altitude to maintain oxygen delivery.
Adaptation to altitude involves an increase in erythropoietin, leading to higher red blood cell count for improved oxygen transport.
The time required for the body to adapt to a new altitude varies, with a general rule of two weeks for every 2000 feet above 5000 feet.
Early adaptations to altitude can begin in as little as 15 hours, with noticeable increases in red blood cell count within a few days.
Training at high altitude without adaptation can lead to de-training due to the inability to deliver sufficient oxygen.
Optimal training could theoretically involve living at high altitude and training at lower altitudes for better oxygen delivery during workouts.
Practical workarounds for altitude training include using altitude tents or hypobaric chambers to simulate the effects of high altitude.
Altitude tents decrease the percentage of oxygen to simulate high altitude effects, while hypobaric chambers more accurately represent the partial pressure change.
Coaching endurance athletes requires understanding acute and chronic adaptations to altitude for effective race preparation.
The video aims to provide insights into the science and physiology of altitude training for athletes, coaches, and trainers.
The presenter dispels myths and provides practical advice on how to use altitude to an athlete's advantage in training.
The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content by liking, subscribing, and asking questions.
Transcripts
hey what's up guys matt with movement
system in this video we're going to talk
all about
altitude training or really the
physiology behind how our body adapts to
being at altitude and how we can change
our training environment to optimize the
physiology of what's going on
so if maybe you're an athlete and you're
training for a race like leadville or
maybe you're a coach or a trainer and
looking to learn about the science and
the physiology of training so let's go
ahead and dive into it
all right so right off the bat i want to
dispel a myth about altitude training
so really training at altitude or going
up to a high altitude do a training camp
or or to do
aerobic training is not an effective
means of training
so if we do that and we go up to high
altitude the conditions of high altitude
are not optimal for oxygen delivery and
oxygen transport
and the adaptations associated with
training that said
living at high altitude can
significantly change our erythropoietin
our hemoglobin our aerobic enzymes
and other cardiovascular adaptations
that are really beneficial so we're
gonna break down the physiology here
and figure out how we can actually use
altitude to our advantage
in a training situation so to start off
whether we're at high altitude or
sea level the percent of oxygen in
the air is 20.93 percent so at the top
mount everest 20.93 percent
oxygen in the air so the difference
really isn't in the percent of
oxygen in the air but rather the partial
pressure and then what really
physiologically matters to us
is the amount of oxygen that's bound to
hemoglobin so again the thing that
matters the most for exercise is that at
higher and higher altitudes
there's less oxygen bound to hemoglobin
and less oxygen that's delivered to your
muscles
and to put some numbers of this really
we're talking about above 6000 feet of
elevation to actually see these
physiological changes
for example denver's at around 5200 feet
and really you need to get to about 6
000 feet of elevation before you
start seeing these physiological changes
if we think about other points in
colorado like leadville
there's a big 100 mile run race there as
well as a mountain bike race
and people go there and 10 000 feet at
leadville is actually a really
significant elevation
to consider these physiological changes
for those of you who don't know i
actually do coach endurance athletes
and one of the endurance athletes that i
coach actually did race leadville
so these physiological adaptations that
we're about to talk about acute and
chronic
are really important when we're
considering training athletes like that
let's start off with acute adaptations
so you just got to level for example and
maybe you lived in
somewhere else that's below 6000 feet of
elevation and now you're acutely exposed
to this higher elevation
what is going to change in your body
well first off immediately
first breath off the plane you're going
to be delivering less
oxygen to your muscles than it's used to
instantly you will have to compensate by
increasing your heart rate
now when we think about delivering
oxygen we can think about the equation
for vo2 max which is the
cardiac output times avo2 difference and
what that basically means is the amount
of blood that's pumped per minute
that's our cardiac output multiplied by
the extraction
of oxygen so generally that avo2
difference the amount of oxygen in our
arteries versus our veins
that is about 50 meaning we extract
about 50
of the oxygen that's in our blood supply
each time it circulates
that does not change at altitude for
months
so when you get off the plane that
extraction of oxygen is still going to
be at 50 percent
meaning that you're going to need to
pump more blood per minute
with the same extraction rate in order
to deliver the same amount of oxygen
so what this is going to result in is an
increased
sub maximal heart rate meaning that if
you were
doing mountain bike racing or running
and you were used to 140
beats per minute at a certain wattage or
pace
at sea level as you get to that 10 000
feet of elevation
that will be significantly changed it
will be increased by
up to 50 percent meaning that if you
were at 120 beats per minute
on the ground if you are not at all
adapted the worst case scenario is you'd
be at 180 beats per minute for that same
workload at altitude for realistically
for most people it's going to be more
like 20 30 percent higher
but there's going to be a significant
increase in heart rate
and cardiac output as you're acutely
adapting to this altitude and that's
going to make your training feel really
hard
and it's also going to make it more
difficult to effectively train
because you're going to be going slower
you're not going to be delivering as
much oxygen
until you start to develop some of the
chronic adaptations it's going to be
really hard to train at altitude
now that said let's say you spend a week
two weeks a month
at 10 000 feet of elevation how is your
body going to actually adapt
and we'll talk about how much time this
actually takes and how you can optimize
if you're racing at that elevation for
example one of the first adaptations is
going to take place
just from living at high altitude is
going to be an increase in
erythropoietin so erythropoietin or epo
is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted
mainly by the kidneys responsible for
cellular hypoxia
basically erythropoietin is what
produces red blood cells
so red blood cells are going to
transport oxygen through the bloodstream
via hemoglobin so the more red blood
cells that we can form
the more hemoglobin that we have and the
more oxygen that we can transport
so if we adapted to a certain level of
red blood cells and hemoglobin
at sea level and then we go up to a high
elevation
we're going to increase the amount of
red blood cells in our bloodstream
over time over the course of 5 10
15 days we're going to progressively
increase that number of red blood cells
by an increase of erythropoietin this
will allow us
to slowly start to be able to deliver
more oxygen
at that high altitude and it's kind of
hard to give a guideline
for exactly how long that adaptation
will take because there's also an
increase in capillary density
aerobic enzyme concentrations things
like 2 3
dpg which help with hemoglobin unbinding
from oxygen
and other factors like that and these
different systems in enzymes are going
to adapt to different rates
but as a rule of thumb it takes about
two weeks to adapt
to seven thousand feet of elevation if
you go to nine thousand feet of
elevation it takes about four weeks for
your body to adapt and every 2000 feet
above that
is an extra two weeks so if you want to
adapt to 11 000 feet you would take six
weeks
and this is a rule of thumb some of
those enzyme adaptations are going to
take a little bit longer
especially things like capillary density
as well because that's
literally forming new capillaries into
your muscles and that's a process that
takes a while
but for the most part that's about when
we're going to get the majority of our
adaptations from those different
altitudes
that said you'll get some adaptation in
as little as 15 hours
so in as little as 15 hours you're going
to start this process
and you're already going to see red
blood cells count increase so in as
little as
four five seven days we could start to
see some of these adaptations take place
meaning that if you're racing a race at
ten thousand feet of elevation
getting there even five to seven days
early and
adapting to that altitude is going to
help your performance
now let's just say that we're elite
athletes and financial costs aren't a
big factor and we just want to optimize
our training how could we use
altitude to optimize our training now we
said already that
training at high altitude really isn't
optimal in fact if you go
up to a high altitude and train just
like you were at a low altitude
you're gonna actually become de-trained
the reason is you can't deliver as much
oxygen it's a sub-optimal environment
it's kind of similar to
training outside in the heat versus
training indoors in a cool environment
indoors in a cool environment or at sea
level in ideal conditions
you'll be able to train your muscles
with more oxygen and have a better
training effect
and this is shown in a lot of research
but to really optimize what we could do
is
live at really high altitude and then
train at a low altitude so
if we could theoretically live at eight
nine ten thousand feet of elevation
but then drive for example down to six
thousand or five thousand feet of
elevation to do our training
that would really be ideal for the
physiological response that's going to
occur
from exposure to altitude to increase
erythropoietin to increase red blood
cells to increase enzyme counts
but at low altitude we can actually do
our training where we can deliver a lot
of oxygen
and have that muscular response this
really isn't practical for most people
because you'd have to drive thousands of
feet
up and down off of mountains each day to
train but there are some workarounds
here you could do
exposure in things like an altitude tent
or a hypobaric chamber
using a hypobaric chamber you would most
accurately represent the
partial pressure change of altitude but
an altitude tent which
basically just decreases the percent of
oxygen would also simulate that effect
and get you some of those enzyme changes
and erythropoietin stimulation that kind
of thing so it's probably the more
realistic option for people
as opposed to actually living high and
training low hopefully this is helpful
for your training
if it was go and smash that like button
subscribe so you don't miss future
videos
if you have any questions go ahead drop
a comment below you'd also hit me up on
instagram at the movement system
learn more about my training my training
approach my coaching approach
and what i talk about there thanks for
watching guys and i'll catch you the
next one
you
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