Height training or height internships are tried and tested methods to improve overall fitness and performance of the body. Because of the thin air, less oxygen is available. The human body responds to these new conditions by producing more red blood cells. Upon return, the body has more of these oxygen carriers, so that all organs in the body, including the muscles and metabolism, have more energy at their disposal.
What are the benefits of altitude training?
- Improving endurance;
- Increase the hemoglobin concentration, which ensures that more oxygen is transported to the muscles;
- Increasing the acidification threshold;
- Improving recovery after strenuous training;
- Improving fat burning (losing weight);
- Accelerated return to the old training level after injuries.
Interval altitude training is based on a technique used since the 1980s to acclimatise athletes, pilots, cosmonauts and mountaineers to altitude. It basically mimics the positive effects of the body adapting to the decreasing oxygen content in the air at higher altitudes. Who does not remember that time in the Swiss Alps when you take a mountain path "just quickly" and to your great surprise you are out of breath? The air above 1500 metres is thinner and thinner. This is ideal for building up aerobic endurance. Altitude training uses equipment with a mouth mask that is connected to a system that extracts a percentage of oxygen from the air. This oxygen-depleted air can also be blown into an altitude chamber for the 'Live High Train Low' method.
The positive effects of altitude training remain around for 3 to 6 months.
Scientific research has shown that changes take place in the body after a course of treatment. These result in a strong improvement of the blood circulation and structure of the organs, such as the heart, liver and lungs. The body knows how to transport and use the oxygen better. One of the effects is that our immune system functions better as a result. Complaints such as headache, high blood pressure, fatigue and sleep disorders can decrease. The positive effects of altitude training remain around for 3 to 6 months.
