Special Environments: Altitude and Heat

Abstract

High-level athletes are always looking at ways to maximize training adaptations for competition performance, and using altered environmental conditions to achieve this outcome has become increasingly popular by elite athletes. Furthermore, a series of potential nutrition and hydration interventions may also optimize the adaptation to altered environments. Altitude training was first used to prepare for competition at altitude, and it still is today; however, more often now, elite athletes embark on a series of altitude training camps to try to improve sea-level performance. Similarly, the use of heat acclimation/acclimatization to optimize performance in hot/humid environmental conditions is a common practice by high-level athletes and is well supported in the scientific literature. More recently, the use of heat training to improve exercise capacity in temperate environments has been investigated and appears to have positive outcomes. This consensus statement will detail the use of both heat and altitude training interventions to optimize performance capacities in elite athletes in both normal environmental conditions and extreme conditions (hot and/or high), with a focus on the importance of nutritional strategies required in these extreme environmental conditions to maximize adaptations conducive to competitive performance enhancement.

Altitude and Heat Training in Preparation for Competitions in the Heat: A Case Study

“…Prior to departure for the Osaka World Championships, the athlete completed a 35-day LHTL block and 6-day post-LHTL recovery period. Concurrently, 1 heat acclimation session was completed per week, consistent with published recommendations for inducing heat adaptations in athletes, especially when combined with heat acclimatization performed immediately prior to major competitions, 1,9 and therefore, 6 sessions in total were implemented prior to the 14-day prerace heat acclimatization period (Kochi, Japan). Details of training sessions and environmental conditions are provided in Table 1.…”

“…For many endurance athletes, altitude training is a key component of their preparation for major competitions. 1 According to the classical or live high:train high (LHTH) altitude-training model, athletes travel to venues of increased elevation to live and train for 2 to 4 weeks, in preparation for competitions held at either altitude or sea level. 2 Live high:train low (LHTL) has also been used extensively, either by traveling to lower elevations to train 3 or by utilizing simulated altitude environments (altitude houses or tents) and training at sea level.…”

“…2 Live high:train low (LHTL) has also been used extensively, either by traveling to lower elevations to train 3 or by utilizing simulated altitude environments (altitude houses or tents) and training at sea level. 1 The effects of altitude training on elite athletes' performance, particularly during major competitions, have not been conclusively determined, 4,5 but based on the existing literature, potential benefits include improved hemoglobin mass (Hb mass ), maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max), 6 submaximal exercise economy, 7 and performance. 2 Prior to competing in hot environments, athletes' preparation strategies may include, depending on their competition schedule and available facilities, heat acclimatization (living and training in a natural similar environment to the competition) 8 or acclimation (repeated heat exposures within a heat chamber/hot room, hot water immersion, or sauna bathing).…”

“…2 Prior to competing in hot environments, athletes' preparation strategies may include, depending on their competition schedule and available facilities, heat acclimatization (living and training in a natural similar environment to the competition) 8 or acclimation (repeated heat exposures within a heat chamber/hot room, hot water immersion, or sauna bathing). 1,9 Such strategies may induce adaptations including increased plasma volume, increased sweat rate, decreased core temperature, and reduced submaximal heart rate. 8 However, optimal methods of preparation may be unclear to athletes who wish to use altitude training for improved competition performance, since altitude training locations can be cooler 10 and could inadvertently be deleterious for performance.…”

International Association of Athletics Federations Consensus Statement 2019: Nutrition for Athletics

“…Theme 9: Special Environments: Altitude and Heat (Saunders et al, 2019) High-level Athletes are often required to compete in environments (e.g., hot weather, altitude) that reduce performance. Furthermore, in the continual search for ways to optimize competition performance in normal conditions, it has become popular to train in such challenging/altered environments to increase the adaptive stress.…”