Intermittent altitude exposures improve muscular performance at 4,300 m

Chronic altitude residence improves muscular performance at altitude, but the effect of intermittent altitude exposures (IAE) on muscular performance at altitude has not been defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 3 wk of IAE, in combination with rest and cycle training, on muscular performance at altitude. Six lowlanders (23 +/- 2 yr, 77 +/- 6 kg; means +/- SE) completed a cycle time trial and adductor pollicis endurance test at sea level and during a 30-h acute exposure to 4,300 m altitude equivalent (barometric pressure = 446 mmHg) once before (pre-IAE) and once after (post-IAE) a 3-wk period of IAE (4h/day, 5 days/wk, 4,300 m). During each IAE, three subjects cycled for 45-60 min/day at 60%-70% of maximal O-2 uptake and three subjects rested. Cycle training during each IAE did not appear to affect muscular performance at altitude. Thus data from all six subjects were combined. Three weeks of IAE resulted in 1) a 21 +/- 6% improvement (P < 0.05) in cycle time-trial performance (min) from pre-IAE (32.8 ± 3.7) to post-IAE (24.8 ± 1.2), 2) a 63 ± 26% improvement (P < 0.05) in adductor pollicis endurance (min) from pre- IAE (9.2 +/- 2.8) to post-IAE (14.8 +/- 4.2), and 3) a 10 +/- 4% increase (P < 0.05) in resting arterial O-2 saturation (%) from pre- IAE (82 ± 2) to post-IAE (90 ± 1). These improvements in muscular performance after IAE correlated strongly with increases in resting arterial O-2 saturation and were comparable to those reported previously after chronic altitude residence. IAE may therefore be used as an alternative to chronic altitude residence to facilitate improvements in muscular performance in athletes, soldiers, mountaineers, shift workers, and others that are deployed to altitude.