Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Dec 31:39:103-14.
doi: 10.2478/hukin-2013-0073. eCollection 2013 Dec 18.

The effects of high intensity interval training in normobaric hypoxia on aerobic capacity in basketball players

Miłosz Czuba  1 , Adam Zając  1 , Adam Maszczyk  1 , Robert Roczniok  1 , Stanisław Poprzęcki  1 , Wiesław Garbaciak  1 , Tomasz Zając  1
Affiliations

The effects of high intensity interval training in normobaric hypoxia on aerobic capacity in basketball players

Miłosz Czuba et al. J Hum Kinet. .

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of 3-week high intensity interval training in normobaric hypoxia (IHT) on aerobic capacity in basketball players. Twelve male well trained basketball players, randomly divided into a hypoxia (H) group (n=6; age: 22±1.6 years; VO2max: 52.6±3.9 ml/kg/min; body height - BH: 188.8±6.1 cm; body mass - BM: 83.9±7.2 kg; % of body fat - FAT%: 11.2±3.1%), and a control (C) group (n=6; age: 22±2.4 years; VO2max: 53.0±5.2 ml/kg/min; BH: 194.3 ± 6.6 cm; BM: 99.9±11.1 kg; FAT% 11.0±2.8 %) took part in the study. The training program applied during the study was the same for both groups, but with different environmental conditions during the selected interval training sessions. For 3 weeks, all subjects performed three high intensity interval training sessions per week. During the interval training sessions, the H group trained in a normobaric hypoxic chamber at a simulated altitude of 2500 m, while the group C performed interval training sessions under normoxia conditions also inside the chamber. Each interval running training sessions consisted of four to five 4 min bouts at 90% of VO2max velocity determined in hypoxia (vVO2max-hyp) for the H group and 90% of velocity at VO2max determined in normoxia for the group C. The statistical post-hoc analysis showed that the training in hypoxia caused a significant (p<0.001) increase (10%) in total distance during the ramp test protocol (the speed was increased linearly by 1 km/h per 1min until volitional exhaustion), as well as increased (p<0.01) absolute (4.5%) and relative (6.2%) maximal workload (WRmax). Also, the absolute and relative values of VO2max in this group increased significantly (p<0.001) by 6.5% and 7.8%. Significant, yet minor changes were also observed in the group C, where training in normoxia caused an increase (p<0.05) in relative values of WRmax by 2.8%, as well as an increase (p<0.05) in the absolute (1.3%) and relative (2.1%) values of VO2max. This data suggest that an intermittent hypoxic training protocol with high intensity intervals (4 to 5 × 4 min bouts at 90% of vVO2max-hyp) is an effective training means for improving aerobic capacity at sea level in basketball players.

Keywords: aerobic capacity; basketball; intermittent hypoxic training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The total distance during the ramp test protocol in hypoxic (H) and control (C) groups before and after training; *** - p<0.001
Figure 2
Figure 2
The relatives values of the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) observed during the ramp test in hypoxic (H) and control (C) groups before and after training; ** - p<0.01
Figure 3
Figure 3
The increase in the blood lactate concentration after ramp test (ΔLA) in hypoxic (H) and control (C) groups before and after training; * - p<0.05
Figure 4
Figure 4
The decrease in the blood lactate concentration observed 12 minutes after the end of the ramp test (ΔLA12′rec) in hypoxic (H) and control (C) groups before and after training; ** - p<0.01
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abdelkrim BN, El Fazaa S, El Ati J. Time-motion analysis and physiological data of elite under-19-year-old basketball players during competition. Br. J. Sports Med. 2007;41(2):69–75. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bunn HF, Poyton RO. Oxygen sensing and molecular adaptation to hypoxia. Physiol Rev. 1996;76:839–885. - PubMed
    1. Bonetti DL, Hopkins WG. Sea-level exercise performance following adaptation to hypoxia: a meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2009;39(2):107–127. - PubMed
    1. Castagna C, Abt G, Manzi V, Annino G, Padua E, D’Ottavio S. Effect of recovery mode on repeated sprint ability in young basketball players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 2008;22(3):923–9. - PubMed
    1. Clark SA, Aughey RJ, Gore CJ, Hahn AG, Townsend NE, Kinsman TA. Effects of live high, train low hypoxic exposure on lactate metabolism in trained humans. J. Appl. Physiol. 2004;96:517–525. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources