Effects of intermittent hypoxic training performed at high hypoxia level on exercise performance in highly trained runners

ABSTRACTThis study exanimated the effects of intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) conducted at a high level of hypoxia with recovery at ambient air on aerobic/anaerobic capacities at sea level and hematological variations. According to a double-blind randomized design, fifteen highly endurance-trained runners completed a 6-weeks regimented training with 3 sessions per week consisting of intermittent runs (6x work-rest ratio of 5ʹ:5ʹ) on a treadmill at 80–85% of maximal aerobic speed (). Nine athletes (hypoxic group, HG) performed the exercise bouts at FI02 = 10.6–11.4% while six athletes (normoxic group, NG) exercised at ambient air. Running time to exhaustion at a velocity corresponding to 95% significantly increased for HG while no effect was found for NG. Regarding , no significant effects were found in either training group. In addition, the decline of jumping performances over a 45s-continuous maximal vertical jump test (i.e. anaerobic capacity index) tended to be lower in HG compared to NG. The level...