Preparing ACTAS athletes for training and competing in challenging environments

ACTAS is responsible for the development and preparation of Canberra athletes for regional, national and international sporting competition. In many instances these sporting events take place in challenging environmental conditions such as high altitude, hot ambient temperatures and high ambient relative humidity. UCRISE has significant capacity to support athlete preparation and pre-event environmental acclimation (heat and altitude) to optimise performance of ACTAS athletes in events that take place under environmental stress. Thus, the primary purpose of this project is to support ACTAS athlete preparations for competitions in challenging environmental conditions by providing access to the UCRISE state-of-the-art environmental chamber for purposes of acclimation training. The secondary purpose is to provide ACTAS staff and coaches advice on best practice for undertaking heat and altitude acclimation protocols and assistance in determining the effectiveness of these training blocks through provision of pre and post testing.