Busting Myths and Misconceptions About High Altitude Training
If you’ve ever traveled into the mountains from living at sea level, you’ll notice workouts feel different.
As a coach in Boulder, Colorado, I got great pleasure supporting super fit folks who were in town for a bit of vacation and unexpectedly got their butt kicked.
Then, if you really go up high (like if you find yourself on the side of a 14er), there’s this constant breathlessness as the air molecules spread out, which we often describe as the air becoming “thinner.”
Although the problem is not necessarily less oxygen to use—the air you’re breathing remains loaded with O2 when it gets into your lungs—the issue is that the thin air has less pressure.
This pressure is the driving force that moves oxygen from the air sacs of the lungs into the bloodstream. From that physiology fact, we can dial in a few beliefs about how this can help or hurt you.
Training Masks
We often view training through a lens of “the more challenging, the better.” Thus, traveling up in altitude to suffer a bit more must be the best way to improve endurance.
Although, this isn’t a guaranteed slam dunk.
One tool that has gained popularity is the high-altitude training mask. These masks claim to simulate the effects of training at high altitudes, thereby enhancing endurance and performance.
However, the effectiveness of these masks has been a subject of debate.
High-altitude masks primarily limit airflow rather than reduce the actual oxygen saturation of our red blood cells. This crucial distinction means that wearing a mask does not stimulate the same physiological responses as training at high altitudes.
The reduced airflow can lead to increased breathing effort and heightened respiratory muscle fatigue but does not necessarily result in the same adaptations as genuine altitude exposure.
I’ve seen claims that training masks may improve respiration by challenging the inspiratory muscles. However, a 2016 study found that it doesn’t.
Ultimately, you’re just lowering the ceiling on your peak performance.
Training High
Similarly, it’s common to hear about elite endurance athletes training at higher elevations before a big event. If structured just right, it can help give them an aerobic boost—specifically from an increase in red blood cells to carry more oxygen—allowing them to push harder when they return to sea level.
But again, purposely going up in elevation puts a cap on your work output. Power output inevitably drops, which really puts a damper on tempo and interval workouts.
A newer concept for athletes is to live at higher altitudes to gain aerobic adaptations and then train at lower altitudes to push intensity to the max.
This is known as Live High, Train Low.
Although, even the value of this remains up for debate, primarily due to the hassle and feasibility of traveling between high and low altitudes—and the individual differences in acclimation.
There’s no myth to bust about the challenge of exercising at higher altitudes. If you’re traveling somewhere above 5,000 ft, hydration becomes even more important to performance, and alcohol becomes an even bigger performance buster.
But the idea that enduring the struggle of less oxygen will only make you stronger is a bit oversold.
There appears to be a slight edge for world-class endurance athletes with brief stints at elevation.
But the bulk of training should be focused on sustaining higher power outputs for longer—and that’s best done when you’re not fighting for every breath.
