Altitude Training: The RiskyWorkout
Altitude training is a new fitness trend. But while it can help professional athletes improve, for developing and recreational athletes that may not be the case.
You might be asking yourself what altitude training is, and if it really works. The science behind it is easy, which makes athletes want to at least give it a try. To train at high altitudes an athlete used to have to travel, but with recent innovations, such as altitude chambers in local gyms, many athletes can conveniently train close to home. With many different options for altitude training, the popularity of it has skyrocketed.
Altitude training is training done by athletes preferably over 8,000 feet above sea level. Due to the decreased pressure in higher elevations, the body must work harder in order to achieve the same result as training at sea level. The benefits from working out at these heightened levels remain after coming back down to compete at normal altitudes, which is what gives athletes a better advantage. Although while some athletes believe that it is just traveling to a higher elevation and training there, it is much more complex than it appears. There are many precautions and certain training methods athletes should be aware of prior to starting to train at this level, because there are risks involved if not done with caution. Altitude training is a legal, healthy method for athletes to improve their respiratory system and increase their red blood cell count, but an athlete should train at high altitudes with caution.
After many tests and studies, scientists have conducted that over 8,000 feet is where the body starts to work harder, and it make the biggest effect on the athlete’s performance. This is the most popular height to train at, because any lower may not be as effective and higher heights could become dangerous. When getting used to this high altitude, the body is used to thinner air which makes the body work harder to transport the oxygen to blood, which is what the goal of altitude training is.
Altitude training can be beneficial to athletes who want that extra boost when competing. While there is still plenty to learn, at this moment athletes have been getting the most out of altitude training and have been slightly improving with this method. Even though it is a small change, the benefits that altitude training has do not outweigh the risks. In sports, altitude training would improve an athlete’s endurance, the small improvement is not worth taking the risk of injury, as one injury can terminate your career.
Furthermore, there are factors that should be considered when deciding if you want to start altitude training. If not done correctly and carefully, there may be potential health risks. Considering health is super important in making this decision. It must be done carefully, because in some cases, such as former professional athlete Ryan Clark, who grew very ill after playing an away game in Denver in 2007. Clark had a sickle cell condition, which hospitalized him and he had to have his spleen and gallbladder removed due to the illness. Many doctors told him after that at high altitudes, him competing is very dangerous to his health and should be avoided. With not knowing all there is about this training method, means athletes using it always run the risk of being affected by the downsides of altitude training. James Raia for Active claims that altitude sickness is “triggered by oxygen deficiency in rarefied air, altitude sickness most often results in symptoms similar to a hangover headache, poor appetite and nausea”.
It is more common for Olympic and professional athletes to try this altitude training as they feel that they have done all they can do with normal training. Even with the altitude training, these Olympic and professional athletes, who have pushed themselves their whole lives, see little improvement through altitude training.
As elite athletes acclimate to high altitude, they acquire more red blood cells. When athletes compete at lower altitudes, they get a natural boost to the muscles when additional oxygen is available, which can enhance performance in elite athletes by 1 to 2 percent. With this increased red blood cell count, it gives athletes that extra boost when they travel back to lower altitude (4,000 feet and below) to compete. Since after training at a more difficult altitude the body will still be expecting that challenge even after returning to a normal altitude. This is when the benefits of this training method can be seen. Although 1–2% may not seem like a significant amount, it could be the difference between medals especially in track and field or swimming when times come down the hundredths of a second.
There have been many examples of developing or recreational athletes using altitude training. The athlete will still have the advantages of altitude training when they have returned from the elevated altitude and are ready to compete because the extra red blood cells that remain in your body for around two weeks. “On the other hand, developing or recreational athletes, who have been seeing positive results through normal workouts, can see more positive improvements after altitude training.” This temporary improvement for these developing and recreational athletes is not worth training at high altitudes. This is because many developing and recreational athletes do not train as intensely as professionals, so they have an increased risk in being injured by overworking themselves when training with the higher pressure of the increased height above sea level.
But while altitude training may work in some instances for developing and recreational athletes, it’s not sustainable in the long-term. altitude training is increasing in popularity for dedicated athletes, many athletes have to make a financial decision for this training. Most athletes attend altitude training camps for roughly three weeks. Therefore, it is not beneficial to only attend for a short amount of time, ranging from 2–7 days, unless they are just testing how their body will react to the increased elevation. If an athlete does this trial they will be able to decide if altitude training will be useful for them. However, in order to reach a level of being able to increase oxygen carrying capacities, an athlete should plan to stay 3–5 weeks.
Another important thing to consider when an athlete is deciding whether to make the trip to one of these camps is the cost. On average, a two week altitude training camp costs about $1600. Popular camp locations would be along the Rocky Mountain chain and in Kenya. Although it is a financial decision an athlete must make to decide if these camps will be worth it, many athletes that train at higher altitudes improve their endurance. So if an athlete is dedicated enough to want to improve their abilities, they just need to decide if they are willing to risk a potential injury for the benefits of altitude training, which I would suggest to just train normally without adding an increased risk of injury.
The costs and the potential travel to be at a high altitude for training are the reasons I would suggest only extremely wealthy people who are dedicated to training or professional athletes to go through with it. If developing or recreational athletes want to try it out, an altitude chamber would be a cost efficient substitute although I would suggest to stick to normal training techniques. Overall, if you are not a top tier professional athlete, I would not suggest to try altitude training because the improvement will not be as relevant as if it were for someone close to breaking a world record. Even if you are a professional, I would not suggest altitude training because you are more injury-prone at higher altitudes and an injury could destroy your career.
Altitude training is not for everyone because the risks of injury, the cost, and the inconvenience. Professional, developing, and recreational athletes should not attempt altitude training. Everyone has a unique experience with this method and an unexpected injury, like Ryan Clark’s injury, could happen to any person who risks their health for a minuscule increase in endurance. Therefore, normal trainings such as weight training, cardio, etc. should be every athletes training method because an injury could cost them their career.
