Effectively using Whoop for an accurate altitude training camp with Team BMC’s Maxime l’Homme
Team BMC U23 rider Maxime l’Homme has undergone an extensive period of preparation for his biggest goal of the season: the World Championships in Andorra, taking place this week. Prior to the worlds, for three weeks, l’Homme, trained, slept, and lived at high altitude, adhering to all necessary protocols to maximize the benefits of this intense training block.
WHOOP played a helpful role in this process. Together, Team BMC and WHOOP conducted a non-scientific case study using biometric data provided by the WHOOP 4.0 to understand how the cyclist on the BMC Fourstroke 01 body responded to the altitude training camp.
Text: Sjors Beukeboom / BMC - Photos: Maxime Schmid
Earlier this season, WHOOP partnered with Team BMC to provide the team’s athletes with comprehensive biometric data to enhance their recovery and performance, while also sharing live data during the broadcasting of UCI MTB World Cups. Team BMC’s l’Homme is one of the athletes who actively uses WHOOP to track his fitness and recovery. Ahead of his altitude camp in late July, WHOOP provided the U23 rider with information from earlier case studies, helping him optimize the benefits of the camp.
Understanding altitude training: insights from WHOOP and L’Homme
Training and racing at high altitude, such as the elevation of over 2000 meters in Andorra’s world championships this week, presents unique challenges to the body due to reduced oxygen levels. WHOOP specialists explained to l’Homme that key biometric metrics, including Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Resting Heart Rate (RHR), and Respiratory Rate, can change significantly under such conditions. These metrics are critical indicators of recovery, with HRV in particular being a valuable measure of the body’s readiness to perform and respond to stress. “These factors can affect recovery, one of the most valuable metrics provided by the WHOOP 4.0,” l’Homme noted before starting his three-week training block on the mountain.
L’Homme’s altitude camp, which spanned July and August, was strategically significant. Based in Bulle, Switzerland, at an elevation of just over 800 meters, l’Homme began his altitude training on Monday, July 22nd, above Davos at an elevation of 2385 meters.
“During these three weeks, we spent most of our time at higher altitudes,” l’Homme explained. “However, for training, we preferred to descend to Davos, which is around 1500 meters above sea level. This approach was designed to avoid overwhelming the body with stress at the start of the camp.”
WHOOP’s specialist team recommended that l’Homme take the first five days at altitude relatively easy until his biometric data returned to baseline levels measured at home. Starting with high-intensity workouts too soon at altitude could undermine the purpose of the training camp. L’Homme carefully monitored his WHOOP biometric data, waiting patiently for his numbers to normalize before increasing the intensity of his workouts.
Monitoring adaptation: WHOOP data and sleep metrics
L’Homme observed several changes in his WHOOP metrics during the initial days at altitude, particularly in his sleep patterns. During the first week, his sleep performance improved, with an average increase of 19 minutes in REM sleep and his time in bed increased significantly as well. As the camp progressed, his sleep patterns slightly shifted. In the third week, l’Homme spent over an hour more in bed than his 90-day average before the camp, though he also experienced more time awake and in light sleep stages.
| Metric | Baseline (at home, 30 day avg prior to altitude camp) | First week at altitude (July 23 to 29 / 2385m) | Second week at altitude (July 30 to Augsut 5 / 2385m) | Third week at altitude (August 6 to 12 / 2385m) |
| Resting heart rate (bpm) | 44 | 46 | 49 | 47 |
| HRV (ms) | 87 | 85 | 79 | 78 |
| Respiratory rate (rpm) | 15,3 | 16,1 | 16,8 | 16,6 |
| Whoop recovery score (%) | 72% | 63% | 58% | 58% |
| Average Whoop strain score (/21) | 15,3 | 18,4 | 17,7 | 17,1 |
| Whoop sleep performance (%) | 82% | 92% | 87% | 87% |
| Wake events | 19 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| Time in bed (h) (including time awake) | 08:43 | 09:29 | 09:20 | 09:55 |
| REM sleep (h) | 02:27 | 02:46 | 02:27 | 02:14 |
| Deep sleep (h) | 01:50 | 02:01 | 02:00 | 01:54 |
| Light sleep (h) | 03:23 | 03:21 | 03:39 | 04:00 |
| Time awake (h) | 01:03 | 01:21 | 01:14 | 01:47 |
While it is challenging to attribute these changes solely to the altitude, the higher intensity of workouts during the camp likely contributed more significantly to the variations in WHOOP strain scores and sleep metrics. L’Homme’s strain score, which averaged 15.3 in the 90 days before the camp, increased to 18.4 during the first week at altitude, and remained elevated at 17.1 in the following two weeks. The increase in WHOOP strain score can potentially be attributed to getting used to training on higher altitude, ultimately also requiring a longer recovery phase afterwards. The higher training load also affected his recovery, with a decrease of 9 to 14% in his recovery scores over the three-week training block.
Interestingly, his respiratory rate increased during the altitude camp, which is expected as the body compensates for lower oxygen levels by breathing more frequently. There were only minor changes in l’Homme’s Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and HRV during the camp.
There was a noticeable increase in RHR during the first and second weeks at altitude, peaking at 49 bpm, before slightly decreasing in the third week. This suggests that l’Homme’s body was initially stressed by the altitude, as the heart works harder to deliver oxygen in lower oxygen environments.
HRV, a key indicator of recovery and adaptation, decreased consistently over the three weeks, indicating that the body was under increasing stress, particularly as the training load remained high.
Back at home: observations from the camp
The data suggests that l’Homme’s body was under considerable stress during the altitude camp, particularly in terms of heart rate, respiratory rate, and recovery. The progressive increase in RHR and decrease in HRV and recovery scores highlight the physiological challenges of adapting to and training at high altitudes. Despite these stresses, l’Homme's ability to maintain a relatively stable strain score in the later weeks indicates a level of adaptation to the high-altitude environment.
During the first week at altitude, l’Homme required more recovery time, reflected in increased time spent in bed and REM sleep, alongside a significant rise in his strain score, which can partly be explained by the altitude adaptation phase his body was in throughout that week. Apart from that, l’Homme’s body seemed to have responded normally to the three-week altitude camp on a mountain close to Davos.
Reflecting on the camp, l’Homme mentioned on the final day, “I could feel that I was slowly acclimatizing to the altitude day by day. I believe we approached the altitude camp correctly in terms of training intensity, as my WHOOP data did not show drastic changes compared to training at home. I did not experience any extreme drops in recovery scores or significant dips or rises in certain parameters.”
Looking ahead: the World Championships on altitude
With the World Championships now on the horizon, l’Homme feels prepared and is eager to see how his extensive preparation will translate into race performance.
However, before heading into Andorra, there is still work to be done to arrive in the best possible shape. This includes, continuing to ensure high-quality sleep, aiming for consistent REM and deep sleep as seen during his camp. Maxime focused on maintaining the increased time in bed and maximizing restorative sleep phases.
In addition, Maxime started tapering his training intensity right after the altitude camp. This involved reducing volume and intensity gradually over the next two weeks, allowing his body to adapt and recover while maintaining sharpness. In addition, he included a few high-intensity sessions that mimic race conditions but were short and controlled. This keeps the body accustomed to the intensity without overloading it.
Also important to L’Homme was to continue the acclimatization process. He maintained exposure to altitude to retain the physiological adaptations gained during his training camp. Spending time at a similar elevation to the race site (around 2000m) helped his body remain adapted to the conditions. The plan to spend a week at home sleeping at altitude and training at lower elevations, is scientifcally-proven to be a good strategy to retain altitude adaptations while avoiding excessive WHOOP strain.
L'Homme continued to use his WHOOP and the collected biometric data to monitor his scores, which helped him to make minor adjustments throughout this tapering phase. In addition, he paid close attention to his nutrition and hydration, to support performance and recovery.
This Friday, he will line up in the Swiss national kit for the World XCC Championships, starting at 16:45h. On Sunday at 11:00h, l’Homme will compete in the World XCO Championships. Last year, he finished 22nd in the XCO race and for this year, he hopes to move up the in the U23 rankings.
*Please note: This story is not a scientific study, nor is it intended as medical advice, tips, recommendations, or anything similar. Do not take this storyline as a base for your own training and performance: always seek for help from professional trainers and coaches.
