The mountains overlooking the BYU campus is one of the unique aspects of BYU, creating a beautiful backdrop that shapes student life, outdoor culture, and the overall campus atmosphere.
While most people simply just admire the beauty of the scenery on campus, for BYU athletes, the high altitude has a dramatic effect on their bodies and influences the way they train and perform.
Dustin Williams, BYU’s cross country and track and field athletic trainer, gave insight into how BYU prepares its athletes to perform in such high altitudes and what specific strategies the staff uses to help their bodies adapt safely.
He explains the adjustments athletes make in their training intensity and recovery routines.
To put this into perspective, Provo sits at about 4,549 feet above sea level while the average elevation of a city in the United States is roughly 915 feet, meaning Provo is more than four times higher than the typical city.
This elevation creates unique challenges for athletes, primarily because the air contains less oxygen. For new athletes, this means their bodies must gradually adapt.
One immediate effect is that muscle endurance decreases during intense workouts due to the limited oxygen supply. Recovery times are also longer, training in low-oxygen conditions can increase muscle soreness and extend the time needed to fully recover.
However, these challenges also bring significant advantages. The body adapts to high altitude in stages, resulting in improved athletic performance compared to athletes who train only at lower elevations.
The first stage is an increase in breathing rate, as the body senses lower oxygen and the heart begins pumping more oxygen to the muscles. Within a few days, the body produces more EPO, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, improving oxygen transport.
Over several weeks, muscles become more efficient at using oxygen, and overall endurance improves. Over the long term, people living at high altitude develop larger lungs, increased oxygen flow, and a higher red blood cell count.
Williams notes that while the timeline varies for each athlete, it typically takes about three weeks.
“We really have to help them adapt and make sure they’re not pushing themselves too hard too quickly. We adjust their weekly mileage and their load volume to make sure the transition is safe,” he said.
While taking it slow and becoming fully acclimated is very important, William says the key component to training in high altitudes is having the tools to help athletes recover.
“A routine that our athletes will do after a hard workout is they'll do a formal stretch, then they'll do a sauna with a cold tub for about 8-10 minutes afterwards. That really helps the body recover," Williams said.
After adaptation, Williams emphasizes that high altitude training can be highly beneficial when done correctly.
“It actually can help, depending if you train appropriately, once acclimated, there's more benefits than downsides ultimately,” he said.
The true advantage comes when high altitude training athletes compete at lower altitudes, the extra oxygen-carrying capacity allows for improved endurance, faster recovery and the ability to perform at a higher intensity as compared to athletes who train only at sea level.
Although BYU benefits from training at high altitude, it is not the highest in the conference. Williams noted, “We’re not the highest. Colorado is at roughly 6,500 ft above sea level, and it’s no coincidence that they’re one of our most competitive teams.”
The advantages of altitude training have even boosted recruiting.
“We’ve seen a significant rise in professional runners choosing Utah because of its location and the benefits of high altitude training," Williams said.
With all the benefits that come from high altitude training, BYU has a home advantage. Since it can take up to three weeks for the body to adjust to high elevation, athletes from lower altitude states arrive at an automatic disadvantage.
They receive less oxygen, get tired quicker and recover slowly.
“We know there are teams in our conference that do not like competing here because of the challenge of coming to higher altitude,” Williams said.
So while being surrounded by mountains is aesthetically beautiful and great for outdoor activities, who would have known that they also help BYU athletes perform at a higher level? What appears to be just a scenic landscape actually plays a major role in shaping endurance, training strategy and overall athletic performance on campus.