My friend told me the other day that not only do the pro swimmers train in the high-altitude zones with low oxygen level, but supposedly some train in swimming facilities where they lower the oxygen level some way.Sounds kinda hard to believe.Is that even true or possible to lower the amount of oxygen in pools?Or is it just some BS?
Former Member
Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs has a "flume" (swimming treadmill) that is in a chamber/room that can be sealed and pressurized or de-pressurized to simulate altitudes from (not sure how much) below sea level to 14,000 feet (I believe) above sea level.
I have heard that if you want to mess with training and oxygen levels, you are better off living and being acclimated to the thin air of higher altitude, and swimming at lower level.
How benefitial is it to train in such thin air environments for competition purposes?I think I would die , lol, since I never lived in such a situation.
Call me lucky I guess, but I've started training (Six months) here in El Paso, and from what I've been told, El Paso has a high altitude.
As for "Flumes", well, I'm not so sure swimming in a low-oxygen environment is a good idea, especially if you aren't acclimated or used to such conditions.
Dave, as it was explained to me, the red blood cells don’t become more efficient oxygen carriers. What happens is the body produces more red blood cells, increasing the % of red blood cells in the blood, which is what actually creates the condition of breater oxygen in the blood.
And it not only applies to distance swimmers. One of the world’s greatest sprinters, Angel Martino, prior to the 1996 Olympics, traveled to Leadville Colorado to train at America’s highest pool, a little over 10,000 feet. It seemed to work for her!
I know most elite distance runners train at high altitude. Meb Keflazighi and Deena Kastor, who both won Olympic medals in the Marathon, both train at high altitude.
The effect is that the air is thinner, meaning there is less oxygen than at sea level. The body adapts by becoming more efficient in the way the red blood cells use oxygen. It is much more technical then I could ever hope to accurately explain, but I think that is the general way it works.
Then when you train or race at sea level, there is more oxygen in the air AND the body still is efficient at processing that oxygen. As a result you should be able to perform at a higher level.
Many of the worlds top distance runners come from countries or regions that are at high altitude, ie Kenya and Ethiopia. So by just living at high altitude, your body will automatically adapt to the lower oxygen levels and become more efficient.
I suspect that the same training effect would occur for swimmers.
James McLane won the 1500 m free @ 7000 ft in Mexico City, to compensate for the altitude he breathed on both sides each stroke. www.ishof.org/70jmclane.html
George Park www.swimdownhill.com
