Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Millet, Gregoire P
• Chapman, Robert F
• Girard, Olivier
• Brocherie, Franck

Titel

Is live high - train low altitude training relevant for elite athletes? Flawed analysis from inaccurate data

Ist Teil von

• British journal of sports medicine, 2019-08, Vol.53 (15), p.923-925

Ort / Verlag

England: BMJ Publishing Group LTD

Erscheinungsjahr

2019

Quelle

BMJ journals (British Medical Journal and others)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Correspondence to Professor Gregoire P Millet, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, ISSUL, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland; gregoire.millet@unil.ch Since 2012, Lundby and Robach1–3 have consistently stated that ‘altitude training does not convincingly increase exercise performance and should not be recommended to elite (endurance) athletes’.2 This research group suggests3 that altitude training and particularly ‘live high–train low (LHTL) may only increase total haemoglobin mass (Hbmass) [and possibly maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)] in athletes with an initial low Hbmass value’. [...]Lundby and Robach’s own work has shown a +5% Hbmass improvement after 17 days of altitude training in five male cross-country skiing Olympic medallists with already high initial value of 13.5 g/kg.1 However, the most problematic issue of this flawed analysis3 is that conclusions appear to rely on Hbmass measures that may be inaccurate. [...]we have concerns about several of the studies both used and omitted by Lundby and Robach in their analysis, supporting the existence of a relationship between prealtitude Hbmass and Hbmass increase at altitude. Many factors influencing the Hbmass responses to hypoxia have been proposed: residual fatigue and training history,46 intraindividual conditions,14 training content,21 erythropoietic response to hypoxia44 47 and/or genetic profile.48 These factors are likely impacting the responses of endurance athletes with a high initial Hbmass value to the same extent than for those with a low initial Hbmass value. [...]with a mean increase of