Research Articles
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Brian Torrance assists in running coaching and program development in Aerobic Power Training Systems. He has a Bachelors of Physical Education Degree and a Masters of Science degree from the Department of Medicine, both from the U of A. Brian is currently working at the University in a large population health study titled Healthy Hearts. Brian brings a hand’s on approach to his coaching and program development using specific, individualized plans to suit an athlete’s capabilities. Brian’s tips for race preparation will get an athlete to their best for race day. Each month Brian will contribute an article that will aid the development of an endurance athlete. |
Research Articles 4. Living High - Training Low
4. Living High - Training Low
Written by Dr. Jon McGavock
Levine BD, Stray-Gundersen J. "Living high-training low": effect of moderate-altitude acclimatization with low-altitude training on performance. J Appl Physiol. 1997 Jul;83(1):102-12.
This issue of Jon’s Journal has a personal touch to it. From May 16th to July 16th I am taking part in a research investigation in Dallas Texas at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and University of Southwestern Medical Centre. The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of 1 month of “living high and training low” on run performance and physiological variables that regulate Aerobic Power.
Remember that Aerobic Power or VO2max is the maximal rate at which your body consumes oxygen. Those runners with very high aerobic power are able to run at very fast speeds with minimal build up of lactic acid. Several factors may limit your ability to consume oxygen at a rapid rate (i.e. Aerobic Power), one of them being the number of red blood cells in your body. Red blood cells bind oxygen from the air and deliver it to exercising muscle. There are several ways to increase your red blood cell content, one of which is to inject a hormone that your body produces naturally that increases production of red blood cells. This hormone is called erythropoeitin or EPO for short. It is the drug that cyclists have been getting caught with in Europe however it is currently very difficult to detect.
A legal way of increasing red blood cell production is to deprive your body oxygen naturally by going to places where oxygen delivery is limited. This can be done by going to altitude or by decreasing the oxygen content in the air. For example Nike has built a house in Oregon that pumps in 12% oxygen instead of the normal 21% so that those who live there feel like they are at 10-12,000 ft of altitude (for more info on this project see: The Ultimate Running Machine) When the body senses that oxygen content is low, it releases erythropoetin and increases red blood cell content. After several weeks of acclimatization, your body should better able to perform at high altitude. More importantly, when you return to sea level, your body should be far better at carrying oxygen than it was before you acclimatized. This will increase your Aerobic Power at sea level and ultimately improve your performance.
The problem with living at altitude, is that it is very difficult to perform high quality workouts in the thin air. So researchers here in Dallas have designed a “Live High – Train Low” formula, where you spend 10-12 hours a day living high, and your workouts are done at sea level, where you can run/ride/swim at a higher intensity.
The first study they did was in 1997:
| Purpose | Determine the effects of a 4 week camp at altitude |
| Subjects |
39 athletes separated into 3 groups: Low-Low, High-High and high-low. The athletes wer average runners with VO2max values between 60 and 70 mL/kg.min. They ran 5000m between 16:30 and 18:00 min |
| Variables | 5000m run time, Aerobic Power, red blood cell content. |
| Methods | Altitude camps were done in Salt Lake at 2,500 m or approximately 8,000ft. Low altitude caps were run at 1200 or 3000ft. Runners peaked for 3 weeks, than tapered for one before they repeated all the tests. |
| Results |
After the 4wk camp 5000m run time decreased by 15 seconds, Aerobic Power increased by ~5% due to an increase in red blood cell content. |
| Conclusions |
Altitude training may improve performance if the subjects are able to train at lower altitudes for important high intensity workouts. The improvements in performance are related to increased red blood cell content, therefore the duration at altitude needs to be substantial. |
How can I apply this to my training? Several athletes try to plan camps in places like Flagstaff or Boulder where they can spend time at altitude, have their body adapt, return to sea level, recover, than race.
The latest study involves a high altitude chamber that simulates altitude. Here we will live for 3 hours/day 5 days/week for a month. The altitude will simulate 18,000ft. Our training will be done at sea level in Dallas.
I will report back to you in a month to let you know what happened and what I thought of the project and how everything turned out!
Have fun in the mean time. Train hard. Rest Harder.
