Had your eyes on races in the past like Ironman Boulder and Boulder 70.3, or qualifying for Leadville MTB but were hesitant because you live closer to sea level and cannot adequately acclimatize to the altitude? In locations such as this the climbing and lower partial pressure of oxygen will cause your legs to begin to burn and feel empty quicker than normal weekend rides. To minimize the negative effects of this Elemental Altitude Training Center will be offering you the ability to train on your bike in our indoor altitude chamber. We recommend a minimum of 2 times a week for at least 6-8 weeks out, while continuing your long-distance rides on the roads and trails during the weekends. The sessions will be short, HIIT training at high altitude levels.
Why you ask?
Completing intervals in an oxygen deprived (hypoxia) environment will force your heart, lungs, and muscles to work harder to continuously hit the target interval and power. You will no doubt feel the difficulty of each interval and make the recovery between them tougher as your heart, lungs, and muscles will be starved for oxygen to prime themselves for the next round!
You’re probably asking yourself is this really a good thing?
Absolutely! The adaptations that take place following a period of altitude training include, but are not limited to: increased FTP, increased efficiency (lower HR for given power), increased lactate threshold, and increased VO2 max. Increases will be greater than completing the same training or a similar time at sea level. This is due to training in a harder environment than your body is used to functioning in.
