In team sports, the ability to run faster than your opponent is naturally a goal for managers, coaches and players alike. From getting to the ball first, or chasing down your opponent before they reach your goal – running performance is vital in scoring more and conceding less for that overall win!

But how can team sport athletes improve their running performance? A recent meta-analysis has been published in the Sports Medicine journal that looks at the effects of hypoxic training on running performance in team sport athletes. They covered all research papers on the topic, and found that, overall, hypoxic training is a worthwhile training strategy to improve running performance. Specifically, athletes who completed running exercise in hypoxia had a significantly enhanced running performance over athletes in control groups, and these beneficial effects lasted for 4 weeks following the training. The most common strategy employed in these studies consisted of 1-3 sessions per week at a simulated altitude of around 14% (2900 m above sea level), with exercise being a high or near-maximal intensity.

So how can you get your athletes doing this type of training and achieve better results? At The Altitude Centre, we are able to offer two ways to carry out hypoxic training. Firstly, our chamber located in Central London has the space and equipment to carry out this training at a convenient time that fits around the heavy training schedule of team sport athletes. Secondly, and alternatively, we supply and create installations of short and long term chambers within sport clubs so that athletes can carry out hypoxic training within their own training complex at their own pleasure. These instillations are entirely bespoke to fit the needs of your individual club, so whatever you need – we can provide!

If you are looking to improve the running performance of your team sport athletes, this piece of research clearly shows that doing this in hypoxia will give you more wins, trophies and titles. To find out more information on our London-based chamber, or to discuss the possibility of building your own, don’t hesitate in getting in touch with us via [email protected] or on 0207 193 1626.