[High altitude training: sense, nonsense, trends]

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Altitude Training

Background:

• Athletes use moderately high altitude (1500-3000 m) to enhance endurance via increased red blood cell volume and muscle adaptations.
• High altitude training presents challenges: decreased maximal heart rate, altered lactate levels, and reduced maximal performance capacity, complicating workout control.
• Traditional "live high-train high" faces disadvantages, leading to the development of the "live high-train low" concept.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different altitude training strategies for athletic performance improvement.
• To compare the conventional "live high-train high" method with the newer "live high-train low" approach.
• To address the lack of controlled studies, particularly with elite athletes, regarding altitude training benefits.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing studies on high-altitude training methodologies.
• Comparison of "live high-train high" and "live high-train low" concepts.
• Discussion of challenges in conducting controlled trials with elite athletes.

Main Results:

• Studies on conventional high-altitude training often lack rigorous controlled designs, yielding controversial results.
• The "live high-train low" concept has limited controlled study data, with one study showing a minor advantage over traditional methods in college athletes.
• Controlled studies with elite athletes are difficult to perform, hindering definitive conclusions.

Conclusions:

• The optimal altitude training strategy for athletic performance remains uncertain.
• It is currently difficult to determine whether altitude-specific physiological factors or other benefits of training camps contribute to athlete success.
• Further rigorous, controlled research, especially with elite athletes, is needed to clarify the efficacy of different altitude training protocols.