Pre-competition altitude training has long been used as strategy to enhance performance in endurance athletes. But how much does altitude training really help and can athletes reap the same benefits from simulated altitude training? Belle Roels and Grégoire Millet look at the latest evidence
The popular belief that altitude training enhances endurance has probably arisen from the success of a number of middle to long-distance runners who have resided at altitude(1). Meanwhile, the scientific theory for using altitude training has long been based on the assumption that the aerobic performance may be enhanced as a consequence of increases in red blood cell count (RBC) or erythrocytes, serum erythropoietin (EPO), and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, which enhance oxygen-carrying capacity and maximal oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max) of an athlete training at altitude, allowing them to train and perform better upon return to sea level or to lower altitude(2, 3)…