ALTITUDE TRAINING
If you want to step up your fitness, could ‘getting high’ give you the edge? healthy investigates
Should I try it?
THE DETAILS
Training in a hypoxic environment can hinder breathing. If you suffer from breathing conditions such as asthma, ask your GP before trying it.
Runners Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah are both confirmed fans of altitude training. In fact, most Olympic medal winners are thought to incorporate it into their regime. It involves exercising high above sea level, where the air is thinner – ideally atop a mountain, anywhere from Kenya (the Rift Valley is a favourite with elite athletes) to the French Pyrenees. However, you can also practise altitude training without travelling to these exotic locations, thanks to ‘hypoxic machines’, which filter oxygen out of the air to simulate mountain conditions.