Altitude training

Altitude training exposes athletes to the reduced oxygen availability of high elevations to stimulate adaptations that may improve endurance performance.

Hypoxia: A condition in which tissues or the body receive insufficient oxygen. Lower oxygen availability at altitude creates the stimulus for many training adaptations.
Live high, train high: An altitude-training strategy in which athletes both reside and train at high elevation. It provides prolonged hypoxic exposure but can constrain workout intensity.
Normobaric hypoxia: Low-oxygen exposure at normal atmospheric pressure. It can simulate reduced oxygen availability without the lower air pressure of altitude.
Altitude sickness: Illness caused by rapid ascent to high elevation, commonly involving headache and other symptoms. Training exposure can cause illness when ascent, elevation, or recovery is poorly managed.
Hypoxia-inducible factor: A group of transcription factors that regulate cellular responses to low oxygen. These proteins help activate genes in response to altitude-induced hypoxia.
Live low, train high: An altitude-training strategy in which athletes reside at low elevation and train at altitude. It uses hypoxic exercise sessions without requiring prolonged residence at elevation.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: A medical treatment in which a person breathes oxygen at elevated atmospheric pressure. It increases oxygen availability, the opposite of altitude training’s hypoxic stimulus.
Iron deficiency: A shortage of iron that can impair hemoglobin production and oxygen transport. Iron status can limit the red-cell response sought through altitude exposure.
Erythropoietin: A hormone that stimulates red blood cell production in bone marrow. Low oxygen can increase erythropoietin signaling, supporting greater red-cell production.
Hypoxic tent: An enclosure that lowers oxygen concentration to simulate high-altitude conditions. It can provide hypoxic exposure without relocating to a mountain environment.

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