In recent years, interest in training at altitude has increased among athletes and sports enthusiasts.
From marathon runners and triathletes to recreational cyclists, more and more people are learning about the benefits of training at altitude and how it also improves overall performance. Scientific research continues to shed more light on this type of training and its pros and cons, making it a topic of debate within modern science.
What does altitude training do?
Training at altitude means doing any exercise, but with higher terrain, there is a lower concentration of oxygen in the air. Here, the athlete's body has to work harder to transport oxygen to the muscles. This triggers several adaptations.
One of these is increased red blood cell production and hemoglobin levels.
These changes help improve the efficiency of oxygen transport, one of the main benefits of altitude training for athletes.
If the same athlete returns to sea level, their body retains these adaptations for some time.
This translates into greater endurance, better recovery, and improved overall performance.
How does altitude training improve performance?
The scientific explanation is as follows:
The increase in performance is related to hypoxia (low oxygen availability). When we are exposed to altitude, our kidneys release more erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells. With more red blood cells, more oxygen reaches the active muscles.
In addition, our respiratory system adapts, becoming more efficient; the cardiovascular system also strengthens, and muscles begin to work with less effort.
All these processes explain how training at altitude facilitates improved performance in endurance sports such as long-distance running, cycling, swimming, or any sport that requires great endurance.
Advantages of Altitude Training
There are many advantages to altitude training, and here are the ones we consider most important:
- Increased aerobic capacity: having a greater amount of oxygen promotes sustained endurance.
- Easier and faster recovery: Athletes often report feeling more efficient once they return to sea level.
- Psychological resilience:athletes overcome their mental limits.
Most studies on this topic agree that this type of training achieves a 1-5% improvement in the lactate threshold after exposure to altitude.
For all these reasons, many professional athletic teams organize training sessions in high-altitude areas.
A clear example is Andorra, where elite athletic teams travel there every summer to prepare for the start of their season.
These advantages of altitude training for athletes explain why so many professional teams organize annual altitude training camps
Disadvantages of altitude training
Like other types of training, exposure to altitude brings various challenges.
Here are some of the most common disadvantages of training at altitude.
- Altitude sickness: This can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue; all of which can make it difficult to adapt to the terrain.
- Reduced training intensity: The reduction in oxygen can cause workouts to slow down, leading to slower speeds.
- Individual variability: Depending on the athlete, adaptation may be slower or faster; the pace depends on the individual.
- Short-term benefits: Although the body adapts quickly, the effects diminish after a few weeks.
Before training at altitude, we must understand each of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of training.
Examples of Altitude Training
Each athlete uses their own strategies to adapt altitude to their daily routines:
- Living at altitude, training at low altitude: Some athletes who live at altitude perform high-intensity training at lower altitudes to maintain quality.
- Hypoxic chambers or masks: This technology simulates altitude conditions indoors.
- Altitude camps: Traveling to mountainous areas for weeks of natural exposure.
- Sport-specific training: Skiers, mountain bikers, and trail runners train naturally in high-altitude environments.
In Andorra, we find Pal Arinsal, the ski resort, surrounded by mountainous areas, located in the heart of the Pyrenees, at an altitude of approximately 2,500 meters above sea level. Thanks to this altitude, significant physiological adaptation can be stimulated, allowing athletes to train effectively. Skiers benefit from acclimatization to the thin air, while endurance athletes from other sports use the location as a training base. Spending several weeks in Andorra offers a combination of challenging terrain, fresh mountain air, and the benefits of altitude training in a pleasant, natural setting.
How Long Does Altitude Training Last?
A common question is: how long does altitude training last? The physiological benefits, such as increased red blood cell count, typically remain for two to three weeks after returning to sea level. After that, the body gradually readjusts to normal oxygen availability.
However, some adaptations—like improved breathing efficiency, muscular resilience, and psychological toughness—may last longer. This means that even once the measurable benefits decrease, athletes can still feel a performance edge.
How Athletes Prepare for Altitude Training
Before beginning a high-altitude training program, athletes typically:
- Build a solid aerobic base by training at sea level.
- Plan for adequate recovery time, as the body works harder in these low-oxygen environments.
- Increase exposure gradually rather than jumping straight into high-intensity training.
- Work with the supervision of coaches or medical personnel to monitor adaptation and avoid overtraining.
All of these tips will help you maximize the benefits of altitude training while minimizing any risks.
Who benefits most from altitude training?
Altitude exposure is most effective for endurance athletes: marathoners, cyclists, triathletes, rowers, and skiers. However, even team sport athletes (such as soccer players and rugby players) can use altitude camps for conditioning. Recreational athletes can also benefit, especially if they plan to compete in high-altitude races or simply want to experience the challenge of training in a new environment.
So, what does altitude training do? It challenges the body to adapt to low-oxygen environments, resulting in measurable improvements in endurance and aerobic efficiency. The benefits of altitude training for athletes are clear, but we must also be mindful of the drawbacks of this type of training.
Altitude training is not a magic bullet; it is a very powerful tool that, if used correctly, will give athletes the edge they need to improve their performance.