Heat training augments haemoglobin mass during altitude camp in endurance athletes 🌡️⛰️

Heat + altitude = endurance gold.

Heat training augments haemoglobin mass during a moderate-altitude training camp in well-trained endurance athletes

Study Details

This new study recruited 45 cross-country skiers and biathletes (VO2max ~69.1) to one of three 3-week interventions…

1️⃣ Train and reside at moderate altitude with three weekly heat-suit cycling sessions

2️⃣ Train and reside at moderate altitude

3️⃣ Train and reside at sea level (control)

Here is what they found ⬇️

Key Findings

Altitude + heat led to significantly greater improvements in haemoglobin mass (+2.9%) 🩸

…vs both altitude only (+1.2%) and control (-0.2%).

This greater increase in haemoglobin mass was accompanied by larger increases in red blood cell volume 📈

No between-group differences were found in submaximal or maximal performance ❌

Conclusion

Implementation of heat training sessions alongside altitude camps may enhance haematological adaptations in endurance athletes ✅

However, longer exposure (3+ weeks) or more heat sessions (2 or more) are likely required to see performance differences 🗓️

Reference

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.00777.2025

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