Altitude Training Camps
by George Blackwell
A go-to source of information for my own CPD around training prescription and physiology is Alan Couzens’ ‘Substack’, where he publishes a chapter each month from his book, “The Science of Maximal Athletic Development”. This month’s chapter was about training at altitude and the adjustments you should make to ensure your training prescription is appropriate. So, let’s summarise a few key take-aways!
Going into an altitude camp…get your blood checked!
Having healthy ferritin and iron stores is essential for your body to be able to adapt and positively respond to altitude training. Unfortunately, it is common for athletes to exhibit low iron and ferritin at sea level due to high training loads and inadequate (involuntary) nutrition. If this isn’t addressed before heading to altitude, the training response may be non-existent!
Another key response to altitude is seeing your haemoglobin mass increase (the cells that carry oxygen around your body). Measuring this pre and post altitude exposure allows you to get an idea of how your body has responded.
While at altitude…adjust intensities!
Research has shown that our VO2 Max at an altitude of 2000m can be decreased by 9-12%. This has a significant impact on our ability to perform at maximal intensities. However, this also needs to be taken into consideration with regards to your easy training. If you normally do your easy runs at 5:00/km, at 2000m you should be running approximately 10% slower (5:30/km) for the same equivalent training stress. If you don’t make these adjustments, you increase the chances of becoming overtrained and the overall volume and quality of your training will be impacted.
Nutritional changes…
At altitude, your substrate use (how much glycogen and how much fat your body uses to fuel exercise) is significantly impacted. Your body is burning more glycogen and less fat, even while resting, and while you are asleep. To ensure this doesn’t impact your training or ability to recover, you’ve got to hit the carbs and make sure that you are well-fuelled. You need to be equally focussed on your hydration, as our breathing/respiration rate at altitude is also increased. Higher respiration = more water loss, which needs to be accounted for.
For further info on altitude and other insights on the physiology of training, I’d recommend taking a look at Alan’s Substack.
Reference:
Alan Couzens’ Substack: https://substack.com/@alancouzens