A large part of training for elite swimmers is performed in high-intensity intervals and strength work. The most successful long distance running and cycling programs typically balance low-intensity aerobic training with high-intensity threshold workouts, as well as strength training. While the effect of altitude training for swimmers is still being studied, runners that train in high elevations often report an increase in fitness.
Josh Cox, the American Record holder in the 50k and a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon, saw immediate results when he moved to Mammoth Lakes. The town is situated at 8,000 feet, which is considered ideal for altitude training, but also has a range of elevations from 4,800 feet to 8,900 feet that are utilized for a variety of training intensities.
“After thirty days your body adjusts, and you get a blood adaptation,” says Cox. “So when you leave (altitude) you are basically supercharged.”
It is commonly known that endurance athletes who train at altitude will benefit from increased blood cell count, higher levels of hemoglobin, and a larger capacity to intake oxygen in the lungs. The athlete will be able to perform better at lower elevation as a result of the physiological adaptations.
But researchers were unsure if the results of altitude training in swimmers would be consistent with other endurance sports, so the Sport Sciences Research Group in Barcelona, Spain created The Altitude Project to test the impact of altitude training in swimmers. The results were published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.
With 61 international elite swimmers maintaining their individual training schedules, the test was divided into four controlled groups. Each group was exposed to different environmental conditions: 1. Living and training at moderate altitude (7,600 feet) for four weeks; 2. Identical intervention for three weeks; 3. Living at altitude (7,600 feet) and training at both moderate and low altitude (2,260 feet) for four weeks; and 4. Living and training at near sea level (600 feet) for four weeks.
After a period of three to four weeks training at altitude, swimmers showed mixed results. A combination of living at high altitude while training at both high and low elevations produced the best results among the swimmers.
However, all test groups had enhanced performances after one to four weeks of sea level recovery. The results indicate that swimmers benefit from altitude training, but because of the intensity of their training program, they need sea level recovery to maximize the results.
