Objective: To monitor the daily variations and time course of changes in selected variables during a 17βday altitude training camp at 1, m in a group of elite cross-country skiers 9 women, 12 men and biathletes 7 women, 4 men.
Methods: Among other variables, resting peripheral oxygen saturation SpO 2rest , resting heart rate HR rest and urine specific gravity USG were monitored daily at altitude, while illness symptoms were monitored weekly. Before and after the camp, body composition i. Eleven out of 15 illness episodes were reported within 4 days of the outbound or homebound flight. Conclusions: The present results show that measures typically recommended to monitor acclimatization and responses to altitude in athletes e.
Further research is needed to explore the utility of these and other measures in elite endurance athletes at altitudes typical of competition environments. Altitude training is typically included in the annual training plan as 2β4-week camps at low to moderate altitudes i. While there are conflicting views on the effects of altitude training on subsequent sea-level performance Lundby and Robach, ; Millet et al. Despite this, very little systematic research attention has been given to acclimatization at low altitudes i.
In cross-country XC skiing and biathlon, international competitions are limited to a maximal altitude of 1, m International Biathlon Union, ; International Ski Federation, e. From an applied research perspective, it seems pertinent to understand athlete responses on ascent to and during sojourns at these altitudes. Whether altitude training is employed to improve subsequent sea-level performance or to prepare for competition at altitude, a main goal is to maximize the positive physiological adaptations.
Given the combined stress of hypoxia and potential increases in TLs, individual monitoring is especially important during altitude training camps where large inter-individual differences in responses to hypoxia may manifest Chapman, While multiple indices for monitoring TLs, training responses and acclimatization have been suggested Saw et al.
