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THIS MONTH, MATT LISTER REVEALS THE BENEFITS OF ALTITUDE TRAINING — AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO FIND A MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB
MATT LISTER
HIGH TIME
I recently travelled around South America and when we hit areas above sea level, it reminded me of how hellish but beneficial altitude training can be. “Winning athletes often live or train at altitude, where the air is much thinner and their bodies have to work harder to run, lift, throw or jump,” says Bruce Kirk, a specialist who helped pioneer the concept of coaching Olympic gymnasts at 10,000ft. “When athletes return to sea level, they’re significantly stronger due to the increased mass of red blood cells.”
Altitude training is intense, and going from 0m to 8,000m in a few seconds is likely to leave you with a nasty sickness. Symptoms include a shortness of breath, dizziness and vomiting. However, by increasing simulated altitude gradually, the benefits can include increase of endurance, reduced recovery time and weight loss.