Altitude Acclimatization in Non-Exercising Rats The packed cell volume (hematocrit) of 41 rats was measured daily for a period of 53 days. A portion of each day was spent in a hypobaric chamber for a varying number of hours ranging from two to eight. The exposure to altitudes of 10,000 feet and 15,000 feet resulted in a certain percent increase in hematocrit level, varying with the length of exposure. The control group consisted of eight rats who were not exposed to the chamber at all. The experiment in our lab which was run at 10,000 feet showed minimal changes in hematocrit even at 8 hours of exposure to this altitude. Further experiments run in our lab at 15,000 feet showed significant increases in hematocrit at both 6 and 8 hours. From this experiment we can suggest that acclimatization for resting rats (possibly human athletes) is best done at 15,000 ft for a minimum of 6 hours. Research done by Celine Liu, Dr. Dana Ruehlman, and Professor R. Igor Gamow Effect of Altitude Acclimatization on an elite cyclist There is no question that data obtained by using an experimental animal model supports our proposal, that living at altitude but training at sea level is a valid strategy for maximizing the athletic fitness of an athlete. On the other hand animal models, of course, have obvious limitations. Firstly we must assume that the entire sequence of physiological adaptations to altitude is identical in both humans and, in our case, rats. This assumption seems valid but it is certainly not a given fact. Secondly, we have no way to test any change in athletic performance of a rat that could be directly compared to a human athlete. For this reason we have started to look at how regular short duration stays at altitude can effect the athletic performance of a sea level athlete. Russ Walker, an elite cyclist from Louisiana, has done the following experiment on himself. Before beginning his exposure to altitude Russ had a heart rate of 146 beats per minute at a power output of 250 watts on an ergometer. He also determined that his 60 second recovery heart rate was 90 beats per minute. After three weeks of sleeping at 12,200 feet in the High Altitude Bed Russ' heart rate was 139 beats per minute at 250 watts and his 60 second recovery heart rate was 73 beats per minute. To quote Russ directly from his report "as you can see, heart rate reduced 7 beats at the same power output (5%) and recovery went from 56 beats in 60 seconds to 66 beats in the same time (17%)." Russ concludes his report saying "I can't tell you how much 7 beats is actually worth in a race. If I met my identical twin out on the race course after using my Altitude chamber it wouldn't even be close."

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