high altitude training
4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.
Lesson Overview
Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA
Learning Objectives
- Explain the key ideas of high altitude training
- Apply high altitude training to exam-style questions
- Develop independent study skills
- Build cross-topic connections
Prerequisites
- Read the revision notes for high altitude training first (GCSE Revise summary)
- Key vocab to pre-teach: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit
- Basic skills: reading the summary notes and answering the practice questions there
Materials & Equipment
- Exercise book, coloured pens
- Ruler
- Printed revision notes (link below)
- Internet for videos (see Resources)
Lesson 1: Introduction: high altitude training
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Write down everything you already know about high altitude training. Then check against the key terms: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: high altitude training. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: high altitude training. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Physical Education because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look
Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: At what altitude is high altitude training typically performed?
Plenary (5 minutes)
Check Out
Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about high altitude training.
Lesson 2: Core Concepts: high altitude training
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Review Previous Lesson
Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on high altitude training. Check them against the notes below.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Definition: High altitude training involves exercising at elevations above 2,500 metres (8,000 feet) where the air pressure and oxygen concentration are significantly lower than at sea level. This hypoxic (low oxygen) environment forces the body to adapt.
The challenge: At altitude, each breath delivers less oxygen to the blood. The heart must work harder to deliver sufficient oxygen to working muscles, meaning the same exercise intensity feels much harder than at sea level.
Erythropoiesis: The most significant adaptation. The kidneys detect the lower oxygen levels (hypoxia) and release the hormone erythropoietin (EPO) . EPO stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
The key benefit: When an athlete returns to sea level after altitude training, they retain the increased red blood cell count and haemoglobin concentration for a period of time. This means their blood can carry more oxygen than before, improving endurance performance at sea level.
Despite its benefits, altitude training has significant limitations:
"Live High, Train Low": A strategy where athletes live at altitude (gaining the physiological adaptations) but descend to lower elevations to train (maintaining training intensity). This attempts to gain the benefits of altitude while minimising the limitations.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Increased RBC production (more oxygen carried per unit of blood) | Cannot train at maximum intensity (reduced oxygen availability) |
| Increased haemoglobin concentration | Expensive - requires travel to altitude camps |
| Improved sea-level endurance performance | Effects are temporary (lost within 2-3 weeks of return) |
| Increased capillarisation and mitochondria | Risk of altitude sickness |
| Delayed fatigue in endurance events | May lose anaerobic fitness during altitude stay |
Practice (10 minutes)
Q: At what altitude is high altitude training typically performed?
Answer: Above 2,500 metres (8,000 feet).
Plenary (5 minutes)
Explain Back
Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.
Lesson 3: Application: high altitude training
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Quick Recall
Recall the key terms: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit. Define each in one sentence.
Main Content (35 minutes)
Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.
Q1: At what altitude is high altitude training typically performed?
Answer: Above 2,500 metres (8,000 feet).
Q2: Explain the process of erythropoiesis and how it benefits an endurance athlete.
Answer: At altitude, the lower oxygen levels are detected by the kidneys, which release the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). EPO stimulates the red bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. More RBCs means the blood can carry more oxygen, which benefits endurance athletes by improving oxygen delivery to working muscles, delaying fatigue and improving VO₂ max.
Q3: Why can't athletes train as hard at altitude as they can at sea level?
Answer: At altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen is lower, meaning less oxygen diffuses into the blood at the alveoli. With less oxygen in the blood, the heart must work harder and muscles receive less oxygen per unit of blood. This means the same exercise intensity requires a higher percentage of maximum effort, and the athlete simply cannot reach the same maximum speeds, powers or workloads as at sea level.
Q4: Describe three limitations of high altitude training.
Answer: (1) Cannot train as hard - reduced oxygen means lower maximum training intensity, potentially losing anaerobic fitness. (2) Expense and accessibility - altitude camps are costly and not accessible to all. (3) Effects are temporary - increased RBC count decreases within 2-3 weeks of returning to sea level. (Other valid: altitude sickness, unfair advantage.)
Q5: Explain the "live high, train low" approach and why it is used.
Answer: "Live high, train low" involves living at altitude (2,000-2,500m) to stimulate the body's adaptations (especially EPO release and increased RBC production) while descending to lower elevations (below 1,000m) for training sessions. This approach aims to gain the physiological benefits of altitude exposure while maintaining the ability to train at sea-level intensities, overcoming the main limitation that athletes cannot train as hard at altitude.
Q6: Why are the benefits of altitude training temporary?
Answer: The benefits are temporary because when the athlete returns to sea level, the kidneys no longer detect low oxygen levels, so EPO production decreases to normal. Without the stimulus of continued altitude exposure, the body gradually returns RBC production to normal levels. The extra RBCs have a lifespan of approximately 120 days, so the enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity diminishes over 2-3 weeks as excess RBCs are naturally broken down and not replaced at the same rate.
Plenary (5 minutes)
Error Review
Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.
Lesson 4: Exam Practice: high altitude training
Duration: 50 minutes
Starter Activity (5 minutes)
Command Words
Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).
Main Content (35 minutes)
Exam-Style Question
Attempt a past-paper style question on high altitude training from the exam board past paper finder (see Resources), then mark it against the scheme.
Exam Tips: Know that altitude training is above 2,500m | The key adaptation is EPO release → increased RBC production → increased oxygen-carrying capacity | Always balance benefits with limitations in your answer | "Live high, train low" is the smart approach - know why | Effects are temporary (2-3 weeks) - timing the return is crucial | Altitude = less oxygen pressure, not less oxygen percentage (air is still 21% O₂)
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often think fitness and health are the same thing. Wrong: Fitness and health are the same thing Correct: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (WHO). Fitness is the ability to meet the demands of the environment. You can be fit but unhealthy (e.g. a marathon runner with flu). Students often think static stretching is the best warm-up. Wrong: Static stretching is the best warm-up Correct: Current evidence suggests dynamic stretching is more effective in warm-ups as it mimics sporting movements. Static stretching may actually reduce power output if held too long before activity. Students often think no pain, no gain is a good training principl
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
- Synoptic links: explain how high altitude training connects to another Physical Education topic you have studied
- Real-world: research one real-world use or example of high altitude training
- Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in high altitude training?"
Plenary (5 minutes)
Assessment Criteria
- Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
- Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
- Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2
Homework & Consolidation
- Consolidation: Re-answer any Lesson 3 practice questions answered incorrectly (20 mins)
- Retrieval: Write flashcards for the key terms: The challenge, Erythropoiesis, The key benefit (10 mins)
- Exam practice: One past-paper question on high altitude training from the board websites (15 mins)
- Extension: Explain high altitude training to someone else in your own words (10 mins)