Altitude and EPO

Re: Altitude and EPO

Posted by: sportfun2

Hey everyone,
I am pretty new to this forum and I have answered a lot of my own questions by digging around but can't seem to find any info on how the body reacts to altitude while on E.
This year I will be starting E after learning a lot and getting a crit reader. Plan is to go from mid 40's to low to mid fifties.
I live at sea level and want to perform well at a race at 2500m. I will be at the race 1 week before the event. I have done racing at this altitude before and always suffer...very badly...I don't handle altitude very well.
My questions...
-how much does E help at altitude if you normally race and train low....about the same as if you lived and trained and raced up high?
-Would you see another few % gains in HRT from being at altitude?

thanks

Epo is way better then living at altitude. The trouble with altitude living is that it will not get your crit even to 50% unless you plan to live in the Andes at 14,000 feet
Another thing is that you can train harder at lower elevations and also recover better at night.

So bro the high crit from epo will help you way way more than living and training at altitude. If you go to 8,200 feet(2500meters) for a week or two to race you will not see any increase in crit if you have jacked to 46% or higher.
If you are a good rider for your category and you come to this race at 53-55% you will crush your opposition bro and especially if there are long climbs where drafting and team tactics mean nothing.

Have fun

RG

Thanks for the reply RG!
This question may belong in the "my research on EPO" post cause of all the water discussion but is more water intake needed at altitude compared to sea level for the vit E taking athlete. My coach wants min of 4-5liters of water per day once traveling to altitude above what is consumed during and right after training.

Also, if you are a tested athlete holding a crit slighty above the 50% mark can you drop your crit very much by drinking a lot? say 2 liters? How many pts could a person drop by water intake alone? I know IV solution is a better way to do this but is a more difficult option.

Thanks,
sportfun2

Re: Re: Re: Altitude and EPO

Posted by: sportfun2

Thanks for the reply RG!
This question may belong in the "my research on EPO" post cause of all the water discussion but is more water intake needed at altitude compared to sea level for the vit E taking athlete. My coach wants min of 4-5liters of water per day once traveling to altitude above what is consumed during and right after training.

Also, if you are a tested athlete holding a crit slighty above the 50% mark can you drop your crit very much by drinking a lot? say 2 liters? How many pts could a person drop by water intake alone? I know IV solution is a better way to do this but is a more difficult option.

Thanks,
sportfun2

Yes you do indeed need more water at altitude...good question bro.

Things that contribute to this are increased ventilation of cool to cold dry air causing water loss via the lungs. There is some diuretic affect at altitude too...causing you to loose more water via urination. Also, more sweating. BUT at 2500 meters these things will be quite minimal bro.

Once fully hydrated you cannot drop crit via oral intake very much at all bro.....you need IV fluid and osmotics. Even with IV use you body immediately starts to get rid of the excess water via the kidneys...so that can be tricky.

RG

Sport,

I was at a race recently that was about 500ft above sea level, then we stayed around for a week to sight see in a near by area that was about 8000 ft above sea level. My crit was dropping.

So further to what R/G was covering - If you are a natural 40-44% guy and you stop dosing one week before the race...which you must unless you like publish humiliation and disqualification...then your body will need to do any compensation for 8000 ft if you are already at 54-55%

If you have never done E in the past..I think i am quoting R/G again:
"Compared to high crit (E), everything else is peanuts!!"

Depending on the length of your race, the level of dehydration, and the time you have to make correction before testing - Glycerol works very well for keeping fluid IN the body. You can get hyper-hydrated with the stuff!!! If taken in combination with Phosfates (to help empty the stomach) in can allow you to hold fluid rather than pass it. But...on more time.....like R/G stated, IV is the best! All other things aside, 2 bags of IV fluid after a 9 or 10 hour race in the heat makes an enormous differance in the way you feel the next day.

Everything is peanuts compared to a high crit.

he he he he he....laughing like Beavis and Butthead

RG