The individual response to training and competition at altitude.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Chapman, Robert F
Copyright Year	2013
Abstract	Performance in athletic activities that include a significant aerobic component at mild or moderate altitudes shows a large individual variation. Physiologically, a large portion of the negative effect of altitude on exercise performance can be traced to limitations of oxygen diffusion, either at the level of the alveoli or the muscle microvasculature. In the lung, the ability to maintain arterial oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SaO2) appears to be a primary factor, ultimately influencing oxygen delivery to the periphery. SaO2 in hypoxia can be defended by increasing ventilatory drive; however, during heavy exercise, many athletes demonstrate limitations to expiratory flow and are unable to increase ventilation in hypoxia. Additionally, increasing ventilatory work in hypoxia may actually be negative for performance, if dyspnoea increases or muscle blood flow is reduced secondary to an increased sympathetic outflow (eg, the muscle metaboreflex response). Taken together, some athletes are clearly more negatively affected during exercise in hypoxia than other athletes. With careful screening, it may be possible to develop a protocol for determining which athletes may be the most negatively affected during competition and/or training at altitude.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC3903142&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	03063674
Journal	British Journal of Sports Medicine [Br J Sports Med]
Volume Number	47 Suppl 1
DOI	10.1136/bjsports-2013-092837
PubMed Central reference number	PMC3903142
Issue Number	Suppl 1
PubMed reference number	24282206
e-ISSN	14730480
Language	English
Publisher	BMJ Publishing Group
Publisher Date	2013-12-01
Publisher Place	BMA House, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JR
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions
Subject Keyword	Altitude Aerobic Fitness/Vo2 Max Exercise Physiology Respiratory
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Sports Science