Case report - (2014)13, 666 - 672
Training Diaries during Altitude Training Camp in Two Olympic Champions: An Observational Case Study
Lorenzo Pugliese1, Fabio R. Serpiello2, Grégoire P. Millet3, Antonio La Torre1,
1Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health; Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
2College of Sport and Exercise Science; Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living; Victoria University, Melbourne Australia
3Institute of Sport Sciences, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Antonio La Torre
✉ Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano Via G. Colombo, 71, Milano, Italy
Email: antonio.latorre@unimi.it
Received: 18-05-2014 -- Accepted: 24-06-2014
Published (online): 01-09-2014

ABSTRACT

Traditionally, Live High-Train High (LHTH) interventions were adopted when athletes trained and lived at altitude to try maximising the benefits offered by hypoxic exposure and improving sea level performance. Nevertheless, scientific research has proposed that the possible benefits of hypoxia would be offset by the inability to maintain high training intensity at altitude. However, elite athletes have been rarely recruited as an experimental sample, and training intensity has almost never been monitored during altitude research. This case study is an attempt to provide a practical example of successful LHTH interventions in two Olympic gold medal athletes. Training diaries were collected and total training volumes, volumes at different intensities, and sea level performance recorded before, during and after a 3-week LHTH camp. Both athletes successfully completed the LHTH camp (2090 m) maintaining similar absolute training intensity and training volume at high-intensity (> 91% of race pace) compared to sea level. After the LHTH intervention both athletes obtained enhancements in performance and they won an Olympic gold medal. In our opinion, LHTH interventions can be used as a simple, yet effective, method to maintain absolute, and improve relative training intensity in elite endurance athletes.

Key words: Live high-train high, live high-train low, elite, endurance training, performance

Key Points
  • Elite endurance athletes, with extensive altitude training experience, can maintain similar absolute intensity during LHTH compared to sea level.
  • LHTH may be considered as an effective method to increase relative training intensity while maintaining the same running/walking pace, with possible beneficial effects on sea level performance.
  • Training intensity could be the key factor for successful high-level LHTH camp.








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