When should you plan altitude training in relation to a big race?
I’m planning on spending a week in Denver, and can plan the trip to be whenever I want. When should I plan this week of altitude training to best capitalize on it for the race?
And should I train differently at altitude than I would at sea level? What is the best way to take advantage of the altitude?
Thanks!
I am no expert on the topic, but personally, I don’t think a week at altitude would be long enough to make any gains. In fact, I think it would be detrimental to your race prep. In Denver your training pace would be compromised and it would take you longer to recover from hard efforts.
Perhaps someone more educated in this area will respond, but I think it doesn’t work quite the way you think. I think your body would need a much longer period to be able to adapt then utilize any altitude gains.
-If you’re only there for a week, half the time will be spent acclimating → not conducive to training.
-You’re not going high enough to optimize altitude effects
Among other reasons…
train low, sleep high!
a week wont do much if anything at all!
I hadn’t thought of this possibility. Reading the other posts, it seems the general consensus is that going to Denver to train for a week is a bad idea.
So how long does one have to train at altitude to get a benefit from it?
How high do you have to go to get benefits from altitude training?
2300-2800 meters. I believe Denver is only like 5000 ft compared to the 7500 or so when you do the conversion to ft.
I hadn’t thought of this possibility. Reading the other posts, it seems the general consensus is that going to Denver to train for a week is a bad idea.
So how long does one have to train at altitude to get a benefit from it?
3 weeks at an absolute minimum. 5 is probably better.
Are you going to denver to improve your training/racing or are you going to Denver either way and happen to be training there?
Denver isn’t that high - 5000 or so. I live at about 8000 feet and some of the elite runners and their coaches are big fans of altitude (examples = Deena and Meb would be the biggest names although there are quite a few up here. With the snowboarders I think we have one of the higher % of olympians…
Anyway - I don’t think a week at 5000 feet would help you at all. I don’t think it would hurt you either and if it sounds fun - do it. If you are sensitive to altitude - it could hurt your training though. The general recommendation at altitude is to just slow down until you acclimate (which would cover your whole trip). Drink more fluids. Less wind resistance on the bike = faster per watt.
I think altitude training hurts swimming as its more intensity/interval based. I also think it hurts cycling a bit and I think it may help running a bit. Altitude can also affect your sleep which hurts recovery.
If your race was at sea level - no gain. There may be some psychological benefit to training at 5000 feet for a while if your race was at altitude (so you’d know what to expect…).
Timing - with a 1 week trip time - I’d keep it a couple months before the a-race. The runners like to be at altitude for several months before their big race and then descend about 1 week before the race to acclimate to race altitude.
Good luck,
Dave
there is definitly effect that can be notice and get some improvement from training at altitude lower than what you suggest. The number you are giving of 2300-2800 are more for a sleep high train low protocol.
there is definitly a lot of good exemple and research done with training at altitude of 5000 feet and even less with some adaptation and benifice out of it. But for this, a camp of 3 weeks or more is definitly a must.
boulder is one very good place for high altitude training and is only a bit higher than denver, and as been very good for a lot of athletes.
Sure there’s an effect at lower altitude–ts a matter of how much and how long to obtain certain adaptations.
Furthermore, other than anecdotal evidence, what physiological evidence do you have that the effect is positive on performance?