HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING FOR YOUNG SWIMMERS – A PILOT STUDY ON THE HEMATOLOGICAL INDICATORS

Abstract

Background. One of the most expected benefits of hypoxia and altitude training is improvement of blood counts. This study is focused on the effects of a high-altitude training camp at 2048 m above sea level on changes in the blood morphology of young swimmers. Study Design and Subject. Six young swimmers (male and female) took part in the study as part of their annual training program. The athletes lived and trained at the same altitude according to the principle “live high and train high”. The goals of the camp were to introduce the young swimmers to the upcoming cycle after a 15-days summer break. The main task was to build a solid basis in the low aerobic zones so that we could build on them later focus on the swimmers’ technique in each exercise. The training camp lasted 21 days, and the number of sessions were 30. The following blood indicator were taken three times (before, after, and one month later): Leukocytes, Erythrocytes, Haemoglobin, Haematocrit, Thrombocytes, Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils, Basophils, and Iron. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were applied for the statistical processing of the data. Results. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the measurements. Only for the indicator – thrombocytes, the difference between the groups was statistically significant – F= 4,587 and α=.028 and within the groups between before altitude training camp and after 21 days of living and training in altitude conditions (α=.025). Conclusions. After a 21-day training camp, the levels of haematological indicators change but are not statistically significant. This may be due to the fact that at a young age, the role of high-altitude training is still disputable. The dynamics of the data one month after the descent from the mountain and the decrease in the values for most indicators are interesting. This fact raises the question of the duration of the effect in young swimmers after taking part in a high-altitude camp.