Concurrent heat and intermittent hypoxic training: No additional performance benefit over temperate training

Abstract

© 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. Purpose: To examine whether concurrent heat and intermittent hypoxic training can improve endurance performance and physiological responses relative to independent heat or temperate interval training. Methods: Well-trained male cyclists (N = 29) completed 3 weeks of moderate- to high-intensity interval training (4 × 60 min·wk−1) in 1 of 3 conditions: (1) heat (HOT: 32°C, 50% relative humidity, 20.8% fraction of inspired oxygen, (2) heat + hypoxia (H+H: 32°C, 50% relative humidity, 16.2% fraction of inspired oxygen), or (3) temperate environment (CONT: 22°C, 50% relative humidity, 20.8% fraction of inspired oxygen). Performance 20-km time trials (TTs) were conducted in both temperate (TTtemperate) and assigned condition (TTenvironment) before (base), immediately after (mid), and after a 3-week taper (end). Measures of hemoglobin mass, plasma volume, and blood volume were also assessed. Results: There was improved 20-km TT performance to a similar extent across all groups in both TTtemperate (mean ±90% confidence interval HOT, −2.8% ±1.8%; H+H, −2.0% ±1.5%; CONT, −2.0% ±1.8%) and TTenvironment (HOT, −3.3% ±1.7%; H+H, −3.1% ±1.6%; CONT, −3.2% ±1.1%). Plasma volume (HOT, 3.8% ±4.7%; H+H, 3.3% ±4.7%) and blood volume (HOT, 3.0% ±4.1%; H+H, 4.6% ±3.9%) were both increased at mid in HOT and H+H over CONT. Increased hemoglobin mass was observed in H+H only (3.0% ±1.8%). Conclusion: Three weeks of interval training in heat, concurrent heat and hypoxia, or temperate environments improve 20-km TT performance to the same extent. Despite indications of physiological adaptations, the addition of independent heat or concurrent heat and hypoxia provided no greater performance benefits in a temperate environment than temperate training alone.

RAS ID

35341

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

2020

ISSN

15550265

Volume

15

Issue

9

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

Copyright

subscription content

Publisher

Human Kinetics Publishers Inc

Comments

McCleave, E. L., Slattery, K. M., Duffield, R., Crowcroft, S., Abbiss, C. R., Wallace, L. K., & Coutts, A. J. (2020). Concurrent heat and intermittent hypoxic training: No additional performance benefit over temperate training. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(9), 1260-1271. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSPP.2019-0277

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1123/IJSPP.2019-0277