The climbers experienced more and more effort as they climbed higher. They noticed that the air became rarer / thinner and that climbing took more effort than lower on the mountain. The reduced air pressure at height clearly had an impact on physical performance.
Acclimatizing / getting used to a temporary partially reduced oxygen pressure led to adjustments that were used to maintain an adequate oxygen supply in the muscle tissue or your endurance.
Altitude training has now become a proven method of training
Due to the fact that physiological changes/activities (metabolism, nervous system function, etc.) resulting from training at altitude were most similar to physiological changes resulting from endurance training at sea level, many studies have been conducted on the effects of altitude training relevant to endurance performance.
Meanwhile altitude training has become a proven method of training for top athletes. In recent years, various toppers submitted to high-level training. Previously, these were mainly altitude internships in the mountains, but due to development in technology it is now possible to simulate altitude conditions in a altitude tent.
In an altitude chamber, oxygen conditions are reduced to those at high altitude, e.g. 2500 metres. At sea level there is normally 20.9% of oxygen, at 2500 metres it is around 15.5%. The effect is then simple, you breathe in air with less oxygen, in the kidneys there are sensitive cells that react to the lack of oxygen and stimulate the production of erythropoietin (EPO), this hormone stimulates the production of red blood cells. Red blood cells bind oxygen cells. This increases oxygen transport and thereby also increases oxygen uptake in the muscles and organs. Blood flow to the muscles improves, as does metabolism. Altitude training also prevents mountain sickness (headaches, dizziness, nausea, etc.) and its consequences.
