How to Get the Lungs of a Mountain Sherpa

The Sherpa population in Tibet is world-renowned for their extreme levels of high-altitude fitness, often easily conquering Mount Everest climbs alongside seasoned and extremely fit climbers. You may have actually seen Nepalese Sherpas parodied in a popular Simpsons cartoon, in which Homer Simpson attempts to climb a difficult peak and the “lazy” Sherpas drag him up the mountainside at night in his sleeping bag as he snores away..

However, Sherpa altitude performance capabilities aren’t just the stuff of cartoons. A recent study actually found a mutation in the Sherpa population that allows them to have increased levels of an enzyme responsible for helping the cells’ powerhouse – the mitochondria – use oxygen to produce energy.

But what if you’re not a genetically superior human being with increased oxygen utilization capacity? Are there other ways that you can get the lungs of a mountain Sherpa?

You bet!

And in this episode, you’re going to discover how to stop struggling for breath during a workout, increase your oxygen capacity, increase your lung capacity, and get a better workout at any altitude.

Why It’s Hard to Exercise at High Altitude

Recently, many fellowathletes  and I competed in the inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe triathlon. The event turned out to be one of the most difficult races on the face of the planet, with the highest dropout and “did-not-finish” (DNF) rate of any other Ironman triathlon. It may not come as a surprise to you that the 6,500 foot elevation of Lake Tahoe played a large role in the difficulty of this event. 

But you don’t need to be doing an Ironman triathlon to experience the difficulties presented to your body by being at altitude. Just a few weeks ago, I attended a wilderness survival camp at 9,000 feet in Colorado. Despite my higher-than-average levels of fitness, I was huffing and puffing heavily within just a few minutes of hiking at this elevation.

So why is it so hard to exercise at altitude? While there are numerous books devoted to the topic of altitude and exercise, the basic problem is that there is significantly less oxygen in the air as altitudes approach about a mile or higher off the ground (around 5,000 feet), and as a result, your body simply has less oxygen to fuel brain, organs, and muscle activity. In other words, the air truly is “thinner.”

The first thing that happens when you get exposed to this thinner air is that your respiratory rate and heart rate speed up – whether you’re resting or exercising. But for many people, altitude sickness can also occur. The symptoms include uncomfortable headaches, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance. Unfortunately, exercise can aggravate these issues even more.

Check out 4 tips on how to get better lungs for improved performance at any altitude…

How to Get Better Lungs

Whether you plan on exercising at altitude, climbing Mt. Everest, visiting a friend in Colorado, or simply want to have better oxygen carrying capacity for your workouts anywhere, here are 4 quick and dirty tips to help you get the lungs of a mountain Sherpa:

1. Eat iron-rich foods. Your red blood cells use iron to help deliver oxygen to muscles, so if you’re low on iron, you may experience anemic-like symptoms whether you’re at altitude or sea level. In addition to cooking with cast-iron, you can also review some of the best iron-rich foods at WHFoods.com. These include lentils, spinach, sesame seeds, dark leafy greens, thyme, oregano and, of course, steak.
2. Use resisted or restricted breathing. One of the endurance training strategies I’ve written about is to implement a variety of different fitness devices to challenge your lungs and body with altitude simulation. These strategies include wearing a resisted breathing mask, using a resisted breathing device, swimming using a snorkel with restricted air flow, sleeping in an altitude tent, training with a hypoxic air generator, and even using proper breathing patterns throughout your work day and a habitual deep diaphragmatic breathing pattern.
3. Hydrate. As you’ve already learned, the atmosphere at higher elevations contains less oxygen and lower pressure. This can cause water to evaporate from your lungs and skin more quickly than at lower altitudes. When combined with your higher heart rate and faster breathing rate, this can result in a fast track to dehydration. So staying properly hydrated at high altitudes is important, and you should make it your goal to never “go thirsty” – which may require drinking nearly twice as much water as you’re used to! Of course, even if you’re not at altitude, adequate levels of hydration are going to make your workout much more comfortable. For more on this, my friend the Nutrition Diva has a fantastic article on how much water to drink.
4. Use natural supplements. Specific natural substances have been proven to help alleviate altitude sickness and to assist with oxygen capacity. For example, rats dosed with vitamin C can endure higher altitudes in lab simulations. Also, anti-oxidants such as Vitamin E, glutathione and alpha-lipoic acid have all been shown to have a similar effect. The amino acid L-Glutamine can also have a protective effect at high altitudes. Finally, adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola and ginko biloba can also help with lung function and oxygen carrying capacity at both sea level and altitude.

If you combine these 4 strategies with a good training program (such as my recommended workout for becoming a better athlete), you’re going to find that you breathe much more easily during your workouts, and you handle altitude better too!

If you have more questions about how to get the lungs of a mountain Sherpa, then join the conversation at Facebook.com/GetFitGuy!

Sherpas image courtesy of Shutterstock.