The Secret of Altitude Training and the AFL Footballer

It seems to be the buzz training technique employed by some AFL Football Clubs over the past few years, so much so that Collingwood Football Club have got an altitude training room at their training base at the Lexus Centre. So I thought I would do a bit of research into why clubs think it is so helpful to their players’ fitness levels and performance.

Well here is what it is all about:

Athletes that train at higher altitudes can theoretically improve the capacity at which they are able to exercise. Because there is lower level of oxygen the body acclimatizes to that level, this is where the real benefit is, as a result of the body acclimatising the body improves its ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles, the more oxygen the body can deliver the better the performance. The training of an AFL Footballer means that their bodies must use oxygen to generate energy (because training lasts longer than a few minutes). Without the supply of oxygen the muscles may seize up and become damaged. Altitude training can produce more red blood cells; these cells are the ones that carry the oxygen around the body.

There are other benefits aside from this and they include: An increase in the number of small blood vessels, an increase in buffering capacity (ability to manage the build up of waste acid) and changes in the microscopic structure and function of the muscles themselves. And scientific studies have shown that altitude training can produce increases in speed, strength, endurance, and recovery. Read more