exercise at altitude

Question 1

what is acclimatisation?

Answer 1

adaptation to the environment

Question 2

what is altitude?

Answer 2

the height of an area above sea level

Question 3

what height above sea level do we start to see effects from altitude training?

Answer 3

1500m

Question 4

as altitude increases, what happens to the pressure of air and oxygen?

Answer 4

barometric pressure decreases which decreases the pressure of oxygen but the percentage of oxygen stays the same

Question 5

what happens in the body at altitude and how does this effect performance?

Answer 5

the PP of oxygen gradient decreases in the alveoli which causes gaseous exchange to decrease.
leads to decreased saturated haemoglobin and decreased oxygen transportation to the muscles
reduced diffusion of oxygen into muscle cells which leads to decreased performance
increased HR and breathing rate due to decreased stroke volume
blood plasma volumes decrease by up to 25%
maximum cardiac output decreases
reduction of V02 max
early fatigue and reduction in aerobic capacity

Question 6

what does altitude acclimatisation lead to?

Answer 6

release of erythropoietin which increases red blood cell production
increased oxygen transport in the blood leads to improved oxygen consumption in the muscle cell