Exercise at Altitude

Question 1

Muscle buffering capacity

Answer 1

Muscles buffer against lactate

Gore at al 2001 23d living @ 3000m and training at 600m - 18% increase in muscle buffering capacity

Question 2

Improvements in economy of movement

Answer 2

Neya et al. 2007 - night exposure hypoxia, runners, 11h/night at 3000m for 29 nights. 5% improvement

Question 3

Increase hemoglobin and RBC concentrations

Answer 3

Enhanced ability to deliver oxygen to exercising muscles

Decrease in partial pressure of O2 in arterial blood Induces synthesis and release of EPO from kidneys

Exblom and Berglund 1991 - 3x per week for 2 weeks - vo2 max increase by 10% with increased RBC and heme

Question 4

Skeletal muscle capillary density and mitochondrial volume

Answer 4

Desplanches 1993 - 13% increase from start of hypoxia training

Question 5

Strategies to optimise performance - LHTH

Answer 5

Higher than sea level

Daniels and Oldridge 1970 - US national run team - vo2 max increase by 4%

Bailey et al 1998 - no alteration after 28d altitude training

Question 6

LHTL

Answer 6

Live or sleep at moderate altitude (2000-2500)

Levine & Stray-gunnerson - 28d live at 2500 & train at 1250, control group @ sea level, vo2 max increase by 9%, RBC increase by 9%, 5000m run increase by 1%