Abstract
It was the Summer Olympic Games 1968 held in Mexico City (2,300 m) that required scientists and coaches to cope with the expected decline of performance in endurance athletes and to establish optimal preparation programs for competing at altitude. From that period until now many different recommendations for altitude acclimatization in advance of an altitude competition were proposed, ranging from several hours to several weeks. Those recommendations are mostly based on the separate consideration of the physiology of acclimatization, psychological issues, performance changes, logistical or individual aspects, but there is no review considering all these aspects in their entirety. Therefore, the present work primarily focusses on the period of altitude sojourn prior to the competition at altitude based on physiological and psychological aspects complemented by nutritional and sports practical considerations.
Highlights
Aerobic performance decline with increasing altitude is a long-known observation made by mountaineers and scientists as well
Horace Bénédict de Saussure (1740 – 1799) was probably one of the first who described reduced climbing performance and symptoms of mountain sickness at high altitude (Mont Blanc, 4,810 m) and measured related changes in physiological variables like heart rate, respiration and body temperature. It was the Summer Olympic Games 1968 held in Mexico City (2,300 m) that forced scientists and coaches to cope with the expected decline of performance in endurance athletes and to establish optimal preparation programs (Pugh, 1967, 1969; Daniels and Oldridge, 1970; Mellerowicz et al, 1971)
While antioxidant supplementation did not affect markers of oxidative stress associated with increased energy expenditure at high altitude (Subudhi et al, 2004), and may even interfere with adaptations to exercise at sea level (Paulsen et al, 2014), it is still unclear whether antioxidant administration inhibits adaptation to altitude training
Summary
Aerobic performance decline with increasing altitude is a long-known observation made by mountaineers and scientists as well. Horace Bénédict de Saussure (1740 – 1799) was probably one of the first who described reduced climbing performance and symptoms of mountain sickness at high altitude (Mont Blanc, 4,810 m) and measured related changes in physiological variables like heart rate, respiration and body temperature. It was the Summer Olympic Games 1968 held in Mexico City (2,300 m) that forced scientists and coaches to cope with the expected decline of performance in endurance athletes and to establish optimal preparation programs (Pugh, 1967, 1969; Daniels and Oldridge, 1970; Mellerowicz et al, 1971). Focusses are primarily set on the period of altitude sojourn prior to the competition at altitude based on physiological and psychological aspects complemented by nutritional and sports practical considerations
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