before your race

it became a popular approach for endurance athletes looking to gain that competitive edge. These days triathletes, cyclists, swimmers, mountain bikers, marathoners, and other runners commonly spend time training or living in elevated locations.

lactic acid

Imagine arriving at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, ready to take part in the competition of your lifetime. You’d spent your whole career building towards this moment, only to discover that being over 7,400ft above sea level (where Mexico’s capital resides) left you struggling to catch your breath. Suddenly, performing at your peak was disappointingly out of the question.  Suffice it to say many athletes weren’t happy with their results

VO2max

Nestled in the Ethiopian mountains, Bekoji is a small, unassuming town with less than twenty-thousand residents, yet one impressive reputation. The Guardian once called it “the fastest place on Earth,” owing to its success at producing gold medalist endurance runners, an athletic category dominated globally by Ethiopian and Kenyan runners. One crucial factor is Bekoji altitude: a breathtaking 10,500 feet above sea level.

Of course, while high altitude = low oxygen environments, you don’t have to go quite so high to reap the benefits of this form of training. At the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado, Boulder is regarded as a mecca for American elite distance runners and comes in at the comparatively modest 5,430 ft.

One of the best things about heading to a high altitude with a watch like Polar Grit X Pro is that you can use its amazing outdoor features. Not only can it withstand temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F), but this sports watch also includes superior navigation technology with Komoot, route and elevation profiles to track where you’re at and tell you where you’re headed, and an altimeter, compass, and coordinates. Plus, you can discover how you performed on up and downhill sections with Hill Splitter™. It’s the ideal wearable tech for adventuring in the mountains.

Shortness of breath and headaches are common, so take the first couple of days to adjust and ease into your new surroundings, especially if you are transitioning to an exceptionally high altitude.

Likewise, pushing yourself to do as much training as possible during a short burst of high-altitude training will stress your body out, weakening your immune system and limiting your ability to produce more red blood cells. So, give your body time to adapt when you first arrive by sticking to easy runs and low or moderate-intensity workouts. After the first few days, if you feel good, then you can increase your pace.

Finally, you’ll discover you’ll need longer to recover, especially during the first few days, as your body will receive less oxygen. So, it’s okay to take extra time for rest when you arrive and additional days between training sessions to allow muscle recovery.

developed by the Univesity of Texas, USA, this approach for elite athletes involves permanently living and doing light training above 8,000ft but completing hard training below 4,000ft, where their muscles can work harder with more oxygen.

In order to make new red blood cells, you’ll need lots of hemoglobin, the protein contained inside them that is responsible for delivering oxygen to your tissues. To boost your stores, you should eat lots of iron-rich foods, like beans, red meat, and dark, leafy greens. Add these to your diet before you travel and continue while you’re at altitude and when you get home.

Written by Bronwyn Griffiths

Red blood cells have a life cycle of around 20 days

there’s every chance you could find yourself up in the mountains on your next holiday. It could be a ski break or an opportunity for long hikes. Whatever the reason, spending time in an elevated location is a great way to experience what it’s like to do some high-altitude training.

So, what exactly is high-altitude training? Simply put, it’s the practice of spending time in places high above sea level so your body adapts to less oxygen, enhancing your athletic performance. For some, this approach helps them compete competently at a high altitude. For others, it boosts their ability to perform at a lower altitude.

Originally published March 28, 2023 2:37 pm,

runners and swimmers who competed but were unable to smash records

we will examine why athletes train at high altitudes, the reasons for this training style, the benefits, and how you can try this approach even if you aren’t a professional athlete.

Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains

In this blog

Key points include:

whizz oxygen

Well, how long do you have? Most coaches recommend spending at least two weeks at altitude, although it takes at least four to begin experiencing any real performance enhancement.

However, the adaptation to altitude begins very soon after you arrive, so your body should start producing more blood cells by the end of the first week. That means even spending seven days at altitude could be enough to train your lungs in addition to your arms and legs.

Low altitude includes anywhere less than 4,000 feet above sea level, so you need to set your sights relatively high. At around 7,000 feet, such as Flagstaff in Arizona (the highest point on USA’s Route 66), you’ll begin to feel the effects of your elevated location without too many of the adverse side effects.

High-altitude training

on July 18, 2023