Acclimating

• 1). Prepare your body at current altitude several weeks before introducing it into a low-oxygen environment. This requires heightening your endurance, which can be achieved through extended exercise, usually running. Running is an aerobic exercise, which means it requires oxygen (anaerobic exercise requires little to no oxygen). Over several weeks, continue extending the time and intensity of your workout. This will build your lung capacity, which is the first step in acclimating. The second is increasing your number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen through your body.
  
  
• 2). Train at 60 to 70 percent of your current exercise regimen during the first 24 to 48 hours in a new low-oxygen environment. Do not train at full capacity as your body will be going through stages of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. At 60 to 70 percent exertion, your increased lung capacity from the preceding weeks will allow you to train without severe discomfort. During this time, your body will be creating more red blood cells to compensate for the decrease in oxygen.
  
  
• 3). Repeat your previous training of the several weeks preceding your transition into a low-oxygen environment. This means, start at your current fitness level and gradually increase the time and intensity of your workout. This stage will expand your lung capacity, increase red blood cells and train your body to extract more oxygen from a decreased supply. After four to six weeks of training in the new low-oxygen environment, your body will reach a new homeostatic state where you are able to function at full capacity in the current environment.