Effects of Physical Training in Altered Environmental Conditions on Exercise Performance

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The main objective of the study is to evaluate the physiological-biochemical effects of physical training under artificially altered climatic conditions (using a hypoxic thermoclimatic chamber) in particular to determine the effect of such training on exercise capacity and physiological response, including the effect of training in high-performance athletes. The study will evaluate the effects of physical training and the simultaneous application of hypoxia and heat/cold on aerobic and anaerobic capacity and the physiological response of the human body. The aim of the study is to find the most favourable environmental conditions for physical training in order to maximise physical performance.

Official Title
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Effects of Physical Training in Altered Environmental Conditions (in a Hypoxic Thermoclimatic Chamber) on Exercise Capacity and Selected Physiological Responses of the Human Body

Conditions
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Hypoxia, Altitude, Cold Exposure, Heat Exposure

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: exercise and environmental conditions


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: absence of medical contraindications to high-intensity physical exertion. The medical examination is required (included an exercise ECG, blood tests to exclude anemia or low hemoglobin and iron concentration) Exclusion Criteria: any training (including hypoxia training or exposure) performed in the 6 months prior to the beginning of the intervention

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control<br>Control group | |
| Experimental: normoxia-thermoneutral<br>Training performed under normoxia (200 m above sea level) and thermoneutral conditions (21°C) and constant humidity (40%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: hypoxia-thermoneutral<br>Training performed under normobaric hypoxia (3000 m above sea level) and thermoneutral conditions (21°C) and constant humidity (40%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: normoxia-heat<br>training performed under normoxia (200 m above sea level) and high ambient temperature (31°C) and constant humidity (40%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: hypoxia-heat<br>training performed under normobaric hypoxia (3,000 m above sea level) and high ambient temperature (31°C) and constant humidity (40%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: normoxia-cold<br>Training performed in normoxia (200 m above sea level) and low ambient temperature (-11°C) and constant humidity (40%). | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: hypoxia-cold<br>training performed under normobaric hypoxia (3,000 m above sea level) and low ambient temperature (-11°C) and constant humidity (40%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|
| Experimental: hypoxia-heat-humidity<br>training performed under normobaric hypoxia (3,000 m above sea level) and high ambient temperature (31°C) and high humidity (70%); | Other: exercise and environmental conditions<br>* Participants will perform interval training for 4 weeks in a variety of environmental conditions. There will be a measurement of aerobic and anaerobic capacity before and after the training. Before and after the first and last workout, blood will be drawn for biochemical analysis.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Measurement of aerobic capacity (endurance) | Measurement of maximal oxygen uptake and determination of ventilatory thresholds (ergospirometry) | 7 days before training and 7-10 days after the training. Training will last 4 weeks. | 
| Measurement of anaerobic capacity | Measurement of maximal anaerobic power (Wingate Anaerobic Test) | 7 days before training and 7-10 days after the training. Training will last 4 weeks. | 
| Blood analysis | indicators of muscle damage, inflammatory markers (interleukins), oxidative stress, lactate concentration, tissue oxygenation, selected hormones (including erythropoietin) and enzymes, HIF (hypoxia inducible factor), selected vitamins, morphology (including reticulocytes), rheology and blood biochemistry | Before (10 min) and after (3 min) the first and last training. The training will last 4 weeks and will consist of 12 workouts | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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training, exercise, human performance, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, maximal oxygen uptake, muscle power