EFFECT OF SIMULATED ALTITUDE EXPOSURE ON SEA LEVEL PERFORMANCE ERICA A. HINCKSON BSC (BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY) MSC (EXERCISE AND MOVEMENT SCIENCE) A THESIS SUBMITTED TO AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN FULFILMENT OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY July 2004 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................................. II ATTESTATION OF AUTHORSHIP..................................................................................................... VII CO-AUTHORED WORK .......................................................................................................................VIII LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................IX LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... X ACKNOWLEDGMENT........................................................................................................................... XII PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS FROM THIS PHD THESIS .........XIV ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................................................XVI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................. 1 THESIS RATIONALE ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Choice of subjects.................................................................................................................................. 2 Runners...............................................................................................................................................................3 Rowers................................................................................................................................................................3 Choice of measures................................................................................................................................ 3 Performance........................................................................................................................................................3 Subject characteristics........................................................................................................................................4 Mechanisms........................................................................................................................................................5 Choice of design .................................................................................................................................... 6 Choice of device..................................................................................................................................... 6 Choice of analysis.................................................................................................................................. 8 ORIGINALITY OF THE THESIS ...................................................................................................................... 8 THESIS ORGANISATION ............................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW-THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL AND SIMULATED ALTITUDE EXPOSURE ON SEA LEVEL PERFORMANCE ........................................................... 12 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 12 THE EFFECT OF NATURAL ALTITUDE EXPOSURE ON ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE .................................... 13 Altitude exposure methods................................................................................................................... 13 Living and training at altitude..........................................................................................................................13 Living at altitude (2500 m) and training at lower (~1300 m) altitude ............................................................16 Living at altitude (2500 m) and training at higher (~3000 m) and lower (1300 m) altitude ..........................17 iii Altitude level ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Exposure at low altitude...................................................................................................................................19 Exposure at moderate altitude..........................................................................................................................20 Exposure at high altitude..................................................................................................................................20 Altitude duration.................................................................................................................................. 21 Time course of the effect...................................................................................................................... 21 Subject characteristics......................................................................................................................... 22 Age ...................................................................................................................................................................22 Gender ..............................................................................................................................................................22 Athletic ability..................................................................................................................................................23 Non-athletes ................................................................................................................................................23 Sub-elite athletes.........................................................................................................................................25 Elite athletes................................................................................................................................................25 THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL ALTITUDE EXPOSURE ON SPRINT PERFOMANCE ............................................. 27 Altitude exposure method .................................................................................................................... 27 Living and training at altitude..........................................................................................................................27 Living at altitude and training at sea level.......................................................................................................27 THE EFFECT OF SIMULATED ALTITUTE EXPOSURE ON ENDRUANCE PERFORMANCE ................................. 28 Ways to simulate altitude .................................................................................................................... 30 Nitrogen houses................................................................................................................................................30 Altitude tents ....................................................................................................................................................32 Hypobaric chambers.........................................................................................................................................33 Hypoxic inhalers ..............................................................................................................................................34 Altitude exposure methods................................................................................................................... 35 Living at high altitude and training at low altitude .........................................................................................35 Living at low altitude and training at high altitude .........................................................................................36 Altitude level ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Altitude exposure at low altitude .....................................................................................................................36 Altitude exposure at moderate altitude ............................................................................................................36 Altitude exposure at high altitude....................................................................................................................37 Altitude duration.................................................................................................................................. 37 Time course of the effect...................................................................................................................... 38 Subject characteristics........................................................................................................................