Why More Athletes Are Training With Simulated Altitude

Altitude training has long been used by endurance athletes to improve performance and prepare for demanding competitions. Traditionally, athletes travelled to mountain environments to gain the benefits of altitude exposure.

Today, altitude tents allow athletes to simulate high-altitude environments at home, making altitude training more accessible than ever.

Altitude sleeping systems create a reduced-oxygen environment that can stimulate physiological adaptations associated with endurance performance and altitude acclimatisation.

What Is an Altitude Tent?

An altitude tent is a sealed enclosure placed over a bed or training space that connects to an altitude generator.

The system reduces the oxygen concentration inside the tent to simulate high-altitude environments typically ranging between 2,000m and 3,500m.

Athletes can sleep or train inside the tent while breathing hypoxic air, allowing the body to gradually adapt to reduced oxygen availability.

This approach allows athletes to experience altitude exposure without leaving sea level.

Key Benefits of Altitude Tents

Altitude tents are widely used in endurance sport because they allow athletes to integrate altitude exposure into everyday training.

1. Improved endurance adaptation

Altitude exposure encourages the body to adapt to lower oxygen levels, which may support endurance performance.

2. Increased oxygen efficiency

Reduced oxygen environments encourage the body to optimise how oxygen is transported and utilised.

3. Expedition preparation

Mountaineers preparing for high-altitude expeditions often use altitude tents to begin acclimatisation before travelling to elevation.

4. Train at sea level intensity

Athletes can sleep at simulated altitude while continuing to train at normal oxygen levels during the day.

This strategy is known as sleep high, train low.

5. Convenient altitude exposure

Altitude tents allow athletes to incorporate altitude training into their normal routine without travelling to mountain training camps.

What Is Sleep High Train Low?

The sleep high, train low strategy is one of the most common altitude training methods.

Athletes sleep in a hypoxic environment overnight while training at normal oxygen levels during the day.

This approach allows athletes to gain altitude exposure while maintaining high training intensity.

Altitude tents make it possible to apply this strategy at home.

Who Uses Altitude Tents?

Altitude tents are widely used across endurance sports and expedition preparation.

Common users include:

• endurance cyclists
  
  

• triathletes
  
  

• marathon runners
  
  

• ultra endurance athletes
  
  

• mountaineers
  
  

• professional sports teams.
  
  

Sports science laboratories and Olympic training centres also use simulated altitude environments to study human performance.

How Long Should You Use an Altitude Tent?

Altitude training programs vary depending on the athlete and the goal of the training block.

Many programs involve:

• 6–10 hours of exposure per night
  
  

• simulated altitudes between 2,000m and 3,000m
  
  

• structured training blocks lasting 3–6 weeks.
  
  

Gradual increases in simulated altitude are often recommended as the body adapts to hypoxic conditions.

Altitude Tent vs Altitude Mask

Altitude masks are sometimes marketed as altitude training tools, but they function very differently from altitude tents.

Altitude masks

Altitude masks increase breathing resistance but do not change oxygen concentration.

Altitude tents

Altitude tents reduce the actual oxygen level in the air, creating a simulated altitude environment.

This allows athletes to experience physiological responses similar to those seen at high elevation.

Altitude Training at Home

Modern altitude systems allow athletes to integrate altitude exposure into home training environments.

Typical altitude training setups include:

• altitude generators
  
  

• altitude sleeping tents
  
  

• hypoxic training systems.
  
  

These tools allow athletes to implement altitude training strategies without travelling to high-altitude training camps.

RedCel Altitude Training Systems

RedCel develops altitude systems designed for athletes, explorers, and performance-focused individuals seeking to train beyond sea level limits.

Our altitude systems support structured altitude training strategies such as:

• sleep high train low
  
  

• endurance adaptation
  
  

• altitude expedition preparation.
  
  

Explore RedCel Altitude Systems

Discover how RedCel altitude training systems can help integrate simulated altitude training into your everyday performance routine.

Explore RedCel Altitude Systems →