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"Live High-Train Low and High" Hypoxic Training Improves Team-Sport Performance
Franck Brocherie1, Grégoire P Millet, Anna Hauser
11ISSUL, Institute of Sports Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; 2Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; 3Section for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport, Magglingen, SWITZERLAND; 4Faculty of Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, BELGIUM; and 5Athlete Health and Performance Research Center, ASPETAR, Qatar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, QATAR.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|February 11, 2015
Summary
Elite team-sport athletes benefit from 14 days of "live high-train low and high" hypoxic training, which enhances hemoglobin mass, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 2 performance, and sprint ability, with lasting effects.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Science
- Altitude Training
Background:
- Altitude training, specifically "live high-train low" (LHTL), is used to enhance athletic performance.
- Combining LHTL with hypoxic training and repeated sprint exposure may offer synergistic benefits for team-sport athletes.
- Understanding the impact of in-season hypoxic protocols on hematological and physical performance is crucial for elite athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of 14 days of LHTL combined with repeated sprint training in normobaric hypoxia (LHTLH) versus normoxia (LHTL) on elite male team-sport players.
- To compare these hypoxic interventions against a control "live low-train low" (LLTL) group.
- To assess changes in hemoglobin mass (Hbmass) and key physical performance metrics, including vertical jump, repeated-sprint ability, and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 2 (YYIR2).
Main Methods:
- Thirty-two elite male team-sport players participated in three groups: LHTLH, LHTL, and LLTL.
- Intervention involved 14 days of LHTL (≥14 h·d at 2800-3000 m) combined with repeated-sprint training sessions.
- Measurements of Hbmass, vertical jump, repeated-sprint performance, and YYIR2 were taken before, immediately after, and 3 weeks post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Both LHTLH and LHTL groups significantly increased Hbmass post-intervention and at 3-week follow-up compared to the LLTL group.
- YYIR2 performance showed substantial improvements in both hypoxic groups, increasing by approximately 21% immediately post-intervention and 45% at follow-up, with no change in the LLTL group.
- Repeated-sprint ability improved in LHTLH and LHTL groups, indicated by decreased cumulated sprint time, with benefits persisting longer in the LHTLH group. Vertical jump performance remained unchanged.
Conclusions:
- "Live high-train low and high" hypoxic training, interspersed with repeated sprints in hypoxia for 14 days during the season, effectively enhances Hbmass, YYIR2 performance, and repeated-sprint ability in elite field team-sport players.
- The observed performance enhancements, particularly in aerobic capacity and sprint performance, are sustained for at least 3 weeks post-intervention.
- This training strategy represents a viable method for improving key physiological and performance parameters in elite team-sport athletes during their competitive season.
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