CoachingAnswer

HOW DO ALTITUDE TRAINING CAMPS WORK?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

An altitude camp works by living at 2,000–2,500m for 3–4 weeks so reduced oxygen drives erythropoietin (EPO) production, which raises red blood cell mass over time. The structure matters: the first week is acclimatisation with easy riding, not hard training. Quality sessions come later and often at lower altitude. A well-run camp adds 3–5% to VO2max — but only with enough altitude, enough duration, and the right internal structure.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The mechanism is EPO-driven red blood cell production from sustained exposure at 2,000–2,500m.
Week one is acclimatisation and easy riding — not the time for hard intervals.
Quality sessions are often dropped to lower altitude (live-high, train-low) to keep intensity real.
It takes 3–4 weeks for meaningful red cell adaptation; a long weekend high does almost nothing.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The amateur considering their first altitude camp

You've booked or are planning a camp in the mountains and want to understand how to structure it rather than just riding around at height.

The rider curious what pros actually do up there

You've seen the photos from Tenerife and Sierra Nevada and want to know the structure behind the postcard.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

Altitude camps have a romance to them — the photos from Mount Teide, the pros stacked into a hotel at 2,000m, the sense that this is where the real work happens. And the work is real, but the structure behind it is far more disciplined than the postcards suggest. A camp is not three weeks of hammering yourself in thin air. The first week is mostly easy riding while your body adjusts — push hard in those first days and you dig a hole you never climb out of for the rest of the camp.

Anthony has unpacked the camp logic on the podcast through coaches like Dan Lorang, and the recurring theme is that amateurs get the intensity backwards. They arrive at altitude fired up, do their normal interval sessions in week one, feel terrible, and conclude altitude doesn't work. What the pros do is let the acclimatisation happen first, keep the early riding genuinely easy, and bring the quality sessions in later — often dropping to lower altitude for the hard efforts so the intensity is actually there.

The honest framing for amateurs is this: a camp is a serious commitment of time and money, and the adaptation only shows up if you give it the full 3–4 weeks and structure it properly. A week at altitude is a nice training holiday, not a haematological intervention. If the full camp isn't realistic, the free adaptation most amateurs skip — a 10–14 day heat block at home — gets you a meaningful share of the same red cell and plasma volume benefit without the flights.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Dan LorangHead of Performance, Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe; coach to Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug
A well-structured altitude camp front-loads acclimatisation: the first days are easy, intensity is reintroduced gradually, and the hardest sessions are managed so they don't collapse under the reduced oxygen. The camp is built to drive red blood cell adaptation while still protecting the quality of the key training — getting that balance wrong is the most common way a camp underdelivers.
Hear it: 13 Years Of Coaching Pros: What Amateurs Don't Know
John WakefieldWorld Tour coach, Bora-Hansgrohe; works with Primož Roglič and Jai Hindley
Endurance is built at camp through high volume at controlled intensity, and altitude adds the haematological layer on top. The coaching emphasis is on managing internal load carefully — at altitude the same external workload costs the rider more, so monitoring and adjusting day to day is essential to avoid turning an adaptation block into an overreaching one.
Hear it: How Team Bora Build Endurance: John Wakefield on Ultra Cycling Training

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Make week one acclimatisation, not training
Keep the first 5–7 days easy — zone 1 to low zone 2 — while your body adjusts to the altitude. Power will feel poor and heart rate elevated; that's expected. Pushing hard in this window is the single fastest way to ruin the rest of the camp.
Reintroduce intensity gradually, ideally lower down
From week two, bring back threshold and VO2max work. Where possible, descend to a lower altitude for these sessions so you can hit real intensity (live-high, train-low). If you must train high, cut target power 5–8% and accept the numbers will look worse.
Manage internal load day to day
At altitude the same ride costs you more. Track heart rate, sleep, and how you feel rather than chasing external power targets. Build in genuine recovery days. The goal is adaptation, not accumulated fatigue.
Time the camp to your event
Red blood cell mass peaks roughly 2–4 weeks after returning to sea level. Schedule the camp so your target event falls inside that window. Returning six or more weeks before the race means much of the gain has faded by race day.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKETraining hard in the first week at altitude.
FIXThe opening 5–7 days are for acclimatisation, not intervals. Keep them easy. Hard efforts before your body has adjusted produce poor sessions and a deep hole of fatigue that compromises the whole camp.
MISTAKEDoing a camp that's too short to adapt.
FIXMeaningful red blood cell adaptation needs 3–4 weeks of exposure. A week at altitude is a training holiday — good for focus and weather, but not the haematological intervention a camp is supposed to be.
MISTAKEChasing sea-level power numbers on every session.
FIXAt altitude your sustainable power is lower. Manage by heart rate and internal load, drop hard sessions to lower elevation where you can, and don't judge the camp by the watts on the climbs.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long should an altitude training camp be?

Three to four weeks for meaningful red blood cell adaptation. The first week is largely acclimatisation, so a camp shorter than two weeks delivers little haematological benefit — it becomes a training holiday with good weather rather than an altitude intervention.

What altitude do training camps use?

Typically 2,000–2,500m for living and sleeping. That's high enough to stimulate EPO and red blood cell production but not so high that sleep and training capacity collapse. Some camps use a higher sleeping base with lower training roads to apply live-high, train-low.

Why is the first week at altitude so hard?

Your body is adjusting to reduced oxygen — plasma volume shifts, breathing rate rises, sleep is often disrupted, and power at a given heart rate drops. This acute phase is why the first 5–7 days should be easy riding, not hard training. It passes as acclimatisation sets in.

When should I race after an altitude camp?

Red blood cell mass peaks roughly 2–4 weeks after returning to sea level. Aim to have your target event in that window. Racing in the first week back, while you re-adapt to sea level, often feels flat, so most riders avoid scheduling key events immediately on return.

Can amateurs benefit from an altitude camp?

Yes, if they commit to real altitude (2,000m+), enough duration (2–4 weeks), and the right structure. The gains are smaller and more variable than for full-time pros, and the cost is significant. For many amateurs a home heat block delivers a meaningful share of the benefit at a fraction of the cost.

Do I need to monitor iron levels for an altitude camp?

Yes. Red blood cell production depends on adequate iron, so low iron stores can blunt the entire adaptation. Check iron status well before a camp and address any deficiency in advance — turning up iron-deficient wastes much of the altitude stimulus.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

13 Years Of Coaching Pros: What Amateurs Don't Know

How Team Bora Build Endurance: John Wakefield on Ultra Cycling Training

Heat Training for Cyclists: +30 Watts FTP | Roadman Cycling