levo

Training Methods and Periodisation

Training at altitude and in heat and humidity

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Endurance at altitude, live high and train low, acclimatisation and its duration, the drawbacks and fading benefits of altitude training, simulated altitude, heat acclimatisation, pre-cooling, humidity and the Tokyo 2020 marathons in Sapporo.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Why is endurance performance reduced at altitude?

Key term

Which events are harmed and which helped by competing at altitude?

Key term

What is the main physiological benefit of altitude training?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why is endurance performance reduced at altitude?

    Model answer

    Air pressure falls at altitude, so the partial pressure of oxygen is lower. Less oxygen diffuses into the blood, and haemoglobin saturation falls.

  2. 2

    Which events are harmed and which helped by competing at altitude?

    Model answer

    Endurance events suffer because less oxygen reaches the muscles. Sprints and jumps can benefit from thinner air, which offers less air resistance.

  3. 3

    What is the main physiological benefit of altitude training?

    Model answer

    Low oxygen stimulates the kidneys to release more erythropoietin (EPO). EPO increases red blood cell production and haemoglobin concentration, raising oxygen-carrying capacity.

  4. 4

    What is meant by 'live high, train low'?

    Model answer

    Live high, train low means sleeping at altitude to gain the red blood cell benefits while training at low altitude. The athlete can then keep training intensity high.

  5. 5

    How long does acclimatisation to altitude usually take?

    Model answer

    Acclimatisation to altitude usually takes about two to four weeks. Altitude camps are timed so the benefits peak at the competition.

  6. 6

    Give two disadvantages of altitude training.

    Model answer

    Training intensity has to fall, which can cause detraining. Altitude sickness can occur, with headaches and nausea.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

The Musculo-Skeletal System
Levers, Newton's Laws and Stability
The Respiratory System
The Cardiovascular System

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

The survey began in .
201520052012

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe training zone is 136 to 158 bpm.
BHeart rate reserve = (220 − 40) − 70 = 110 bpm.
CLower limit = (110 × 0.6) + 70 = 136 bpm.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Acceleration means a rise in velocity each second.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Training Methods and Periodisation, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.