Long-distance triathlon glossary·Altitude

Altitude : Altitude training

Load

Training at elevation (>1,500 m) to stimulate red blood cell production and increase aerobic capacity.

At altitude, partial O2 pressure drops, forcing the body to produce more erythropoietin (endogenous EPO) to compensate. After 2-3 weeks at elevation, red blood cell mass increases, improving oxygen transport. Benefits persist 4-6 weeks after return. The classic protocol is 'live high / train low' (LHTH or LHTL): stay at 2,000-2,500 m but do intense training at lower elevation (where O2 is sufficient for target intensities). Altitude only benefits performance if intensity and volume are not reduced too much.

In TriPaced:

In TriPaced, if you mark an altitude camp in your calendar, the planner adjusts prescribed intensities to account for reduced capacity at elevation (~5% less per 1,000 m) and schedules a recovery block on return.

Related terms

  • TSS : Training Stress Score
  • CTL : Chronic Training Load (fitness)
  • ATL : Acute Training Load (fatigue)
  • TSB : Training Stress Balance (freshness)
  • Sweet spot : the efficiency zone
  • Threshold : the upper sustainable limit