Interesting project. In addition to the acute effects of training at high altitudes it is also important to know the duration of the "positive" effects after the return of the athletes to sea level in order to be able to delay the pre-training workouts. Alfio Stuto MD
Of course. The individual response is essential in order to prescribe hypoxic training. Not only the proportional post treatment change but also the time-course of peak performance. The phase of phycophysiolohical maduration state and the previous experiences managing hypoxic stress. Genetic and adaptive responses, in sum, provide a specific individual response.
We have tried to follow elite athletes during and post altitude training. It is so difficult to control a large enough sample of high quality athletes for this period of time and then take appropriately invasive or performance based measures, that it ends up being a large series of case studies rather than a controlled research design. Furthermore, the variation in individuals tolerance to altitude and therefore individualised quality/intensity of training and subsequent benefit is makes control even harder.
To then identify duration of the benefit post altitude and potential period for nadir, we would need to have all participants are starting from the same level of altitude training dosage, which given the challenges faced, would seem to be an impossible task to control sufficiently.
For a coach wanting to use altitude training, the best option at present would be for them to individualise pre-competiton altitude training programmes and intensities based on tolerance and then ascertain that individuals post-camp 'benefit' drop off. Using this, the coach can then optimise timings, altitude and intensity for future pre-competition altitude training camps.
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