Denver Altitude

[Dunnie]

Interesting ... Jets need to come out swinging and put this game out of reach early.

THE QUESTION

We’ve all heard it. Denver area sports teams have an edge because they live and train a mile above sea level.

But whether altitude alone is enough to affect the outcome of games has long been a matter of debate. 9NEWS Sports team set out to verify just how out of breath opposing teams are at a mile high.

WHAT WE FOUND

The Verify team started its search by talking to Dr. Inigo San Millan. He runs the sports performance program at the University of Colorado’s Sports Medicine and Performance Center in Boulder.

The facility brings in athletes from around the world to test how they perform at different altitudes.

The data from all those athletes led Millan to the conclusion that every for 1,000 feet of elevation gain, a person loses 2 percent of their ability to consume oxygen and gets exhausted 4 percent faster than they normally would.

At one mile above sea level, that’s a 10 percent drop in your body’s ability to transport oxygen and 20 percent drop in time to exhaustion.

“That could be substantial, especially when we talk about high exercise intensities,” Millan said.

For example, let’s look at hockey.

One of the best players in the NHL is Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, who plays his home games at sea level. Ovechkin averages about 20 minutes of ice time per game. That means – if Millan’s numbers are true -- Ovechkin should drop to about 16 minutes of ice time when he plays in Denver.

9NEWS checked Ovechkin’s ice time for his last appearance at the Pepsi Center in November and found he played 16:49 against the Avalanche.

Fatigue is not the only problem, Millan said.

People who live at sea level don’t sleep as well when the visit they Mile High City. They also dehydrate more easily.

“Another thing we see, the lactate production from the muscles, at altitude at high intensities, it is much higher,” Millian said.

That causes more than cramps. Lactate gets in the way of proper muscle function and slows people down.

Lastly, people burn fats and carbohydrates differently at higher elevations.

“If you don’t have a good nutrition plan coming here, both for hydration as well as carbohydrates mainly, your glycogen storage might be lowered as that’s going to affect you out in the field,” Millan said.

All of those statistics makes it sound like Colorado teams enjoy a significant home field advantage, so we asked Millan straight out if that’s the case.

“It doesn’t matter the sport. When you come to altitude and you want to compete, you’re going to suffer, you’re going to pay for it,” Millian said. “And if someone is waiting for you here, right, with the knife well sharpened, they should take advantage of you.”

So, how can altitude be a part of a team’s winning strategy?

“You just crank it up, the tempo, especially in the third and fourth quarter, because that’s when the other team should go down,” Millan said.

He also suspects mile high coaches would benefit from changing their practice routines.

“One of the things we are trying figure out is those, especially the lineman, they are not very fit to start with. The training for them even at this altitude that they are adapted might not as tolerable as for other lineman at sea level,” Millan said. “And they might travel through the week more fatigued or accumulate more fatigue towards the weekend compared to other lineman coming from sea level.”

Visiting teams can also take steps to mitigate the effects of altitude.

Acclimating to the mile-high air takes at least nine days – an amount of time that’s not practical for professional sports teams to spend in Denver ahead of a game, Millan said.

What they should do instead is arrive as close to game time as possible. That way they avoid some of the negative effects like poor sleep and dehydration.

Finally, it’s important for away teams to know about any medical conditions that might prevent players from competing at high altitude.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark fell gravely ill after playing the Broncos in 2007.

Clark has a genetic abnormality called Sickle cell that affects red blood cells. At high altitudes Sickle cell can cause serious problems with spleen function. Clark ultimately had his spleen and gall bladder removed after the 2007 game.

BOTTOM LINE:

Altitude affects an athlete’s performance. Teams who practice at sea level tire 20 percent faster and transport 10 percent less oxygen in their bodies when they compete in Denver.

But a team’s overall ability matters too. Altitude gives mile-high teams an edge, but it can’t win games.

[Bronx]

I imagine that professional athletes already go through hypoxic training. 

[FloridaJetsFan]

So you’re saying there’s a chance?


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[Drums]

How come we are playing there twice in a row? I feel like we always go to Denver.

[doitny]

well there 0-2 this year at home.

i think the bigger thing for us is how well do east teams play out west. 

[Vudu]

We kicked their asses in that same altitude last year

[Lupz27]

34 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

Interesting ... Jets need to come out swinging and put this game out of reach early.

THE QUESTION

We’ve all heard it. Denver area sports teams have an edge because they live and train a mile above sea level.

But whether altitude alone is enough to affect the outcome of games has long been a matter of debate. 9NEWS Sports team set out to verify just how out of breath opposing teams are at a mile high.

WHAT WE FOUND

The Verify team started its search by talking to Dr. Inigo San Millan. He runs the sports performance program at the University of Colorado’s Sports Medicine and Performance Center in Boulder.

The facility brings in athletes from around the world to test how they perform at different altitudes.

The data from all those athletes led Millan to the conclusion that every for 1,000 feet of elevation gain, a person loses 2 percent of their ability to consume oxygen and gets exhausted 4 percent faster than they normally would.

At one mile above sea level, that’s a 10 percent drop in your body’s ability to transport oxygen and 20 percent drop in time to exhaustion.

“That could be substantial, especially when we talk about high exercise intensities,” Millan said.

For example, let’s look at hockey.

One of the best players in the NHL is Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, who plays his home games at sea level. Ovechkin averages about 20 minutes of ice time per game. That means – if Millan’s numbers are true -- Ovechkin should drop to about 16 minutes of ice time when he plays in Denver.

9NEWS checked Ovechkin’s ice time for his last appearance at the Pepsi Center in November and found he played 16:49 against the Avalanche.

Fatigue is not the only problem, Millan said.

People who live at sea level don’t sleep as well when the visit they Mile High City. They also dehydrate more easily.

“Another thing we see, the lactate production from the muscles, at altitude at high intensities, it is much higher,” Millian said.

That causes more than cramps. Lactate gets in the way of proper muscle function and slows people down.

Lastly, people burn fats and carbohydrates differently at higher elevations.

“If you don’t have a good nutrition plan coming here, both for hydration as well as carbohydrates mainly, your glycogen storage might be lowered as that’s going to affect you out in the field,” Millan said.

All of those statistics makes it sound like Colorado teams enjoy a significant home field advantage, so we asked Millan straight out if that’s the case.

“It doesn’t matter the sport. When you come to altitude and you want to compete, you’re going to suffer, you’re going to pay for it,” Millian said. “And if someone is waiting for you here, right, with the knife well sharpened, they should take advantage of you.”

So, how can altitude be a part of a team’s winning strategy?

“You just crank it up, the tempo, especially in the third and fourth quarter, because that’s when the other team should go down,” Millan said.

He also suspects mile high coaches would benefit from changing their practice routines.

“One of the things we are trying figure out is those, especially the lineman, they are not very fit to start with. The training for them even at this altitude that they are adapted might not as tolerable as for other lineman at sea level,” Millan said. “And they might travel through the week more fatigued or accumulate more fatigue towards the weekend compared to other lineman coming from sea level.”

Visiting teams can also take steps to mitigate the effects of altitude.

Acclimating to the mile-high air takes at least nine days – an amount of time that’s not practical for professional sports teams to spend in Denver ahead of a game, Millan said.

What they should do instead is arrive as close to game time as possible. That way they avoid some of the negative effects like poor sleep and dehydration.

Finally, it’s important for away teams to know about any medical conditions that might prevent players from competing at high altitude.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark fell gravely ill after playing the Broncos in 2007.

Clark has a genetic abnormality called Sickle cell that affects red blood cells. At high altitudes Sickle cell can cause serious problems with spleen function. Clark ultimately had his spleen and gall bladder removed after the 2007 game.

BOTTOM LINE:

Altitude affects an athlete’s performance. Teams who practice at sea level tire 20 percent faster and transport 10 percent less oxygen in their bodies when they compete in Denver.

But a team’s overall ability matters too. Altitude gives mile-high teams an edge, but it can’t win games.

Sounds like they would have a better advantage when on the road because of high altitude training 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

[FootballLove]

An important thing for this game is to NOT have our defense out there for 40 minutes (compared to Denvers being out there 20 minutes). GET OFF THE FIELD ON 3rd DOWNS! And focus on TURNOVERS. We want our entire defense to be rested, and not overworked. This game may be the biggest for our high rotation on our Dline. Keeps all 10 men fresh and ready to rumble. No single player playing gassed.

On the other side of the coin, we need ZW to keep playing well, keeping our offense and THEIR defense on the field. And RUN THE BALL> Dlineman get gassed faster chasing the RB down after down.

Last. call on Gregg the Legg anytime we are stopped at the 50 or closer. A FG try from 50 would be 68 yards....and in the thin air, the Legg will booooom it through.

DENVER CAN'T GET HERE FAST ENOUGH!

[Beerfish]

Oh good we can have more excuses for our defense.

[Hex]

This team and its players need no more excuses. If they can't play well against one of the bottom 2 teams in the league...

At least at that point we know what we have

[dcJet]

Remember when we wilted in the last drive against Tebow in Denver.  

NFL ****ed us.  We played Sunday night in NJ against the cheats and then had to play Thursday night in Denver.  

[Dunnie]

This team and its players need no more excuses. If they can't play well against one of the bottom 2 teams in the league...
At least at that point we know what we have

This is true... I still think pulling a head early could help.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Hex]

1 hour ago, Dunnie said:

This is true... I still think pulling a head early could help.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk
 

Oh, definitely.

[Prodigal Syndicate]

5 hours ago, Beerfish said:

Oh good we can have more excuses for our defense.

You know I was going to say we need to be more worried about the offense, and we do, but. I looked up how our offense and defense rank in total yards.

Our offense is bottom 5 in the league.

But I was surprised to see our defense is currently bottom 10. Last year we were top 5.

[Sperm Edwards]

Meh, keep an extra couple dozen oxygen tanks on the sideline. Problem solved, long enough to get through a game.

[rangerous]

Denver teams are also typically lighter, weight wise. The jets do a lot of substitutions on the dline so I don’t think the defense will have a proble staying fresh.  The secondary may have issues with reed out.

[Claymation]

10 hours ago, Bronx said:

I imagine that professional athletes already go through hypoxic training. 

They should get these masks for the defense so they can look like Bane.

[#27TheDominator]

1 hour ago, rangerous said:

Denver teams are also typically lighter, weight wise. The jets do a lot of substitutions on the dline so I don’t think the defense will have a problem staying fresh.  The secondary may have issues with reed out.

Not just Reed.  Reed and Echols.  Reed is in concussion protocol and Saleh is acting like he will be back.  I read that Pickett is the last guy to come back the same week and that was week 7 last year.  Reed didn't miss any snaps, so I don't know when it happened.  Hall is so sh*tty that they only played him 4 downs last week.  This is why they brought in 3 more corners to the practice squad.  I am thinking James will be active and probably see the field.  I have no idea why Hall is still on the roster.  

I am not sure of the distribution, but Hall and Reed played the whole game.  Carter played 50 and missed 20 snaps.  Whitehead played the whole game.  Amos missed 2 snaps.  You would assume that the extra snaps for dime would go to Echols, but Echols hurt his hamstring on one snap and they played Hall for 4 snaps.  Ashtyn Davis played 12 snaps.  I assume they were using him for some type of Echols replacement and his ability at that might be part of the reason they kept him around.  Adams returned to practice (limited) and I think we had better hope Adams comes back this week or it is going to be pretty messy on the backend.

https://www.si.com/nfl/jets/news/starting-cornerback-lands-in-concussion-protocol-backup-also-out-on-wednesday

Quote

Jets' Starting Cornerback Lands in Concussion Protocol, Backup Also Out on Wednesday
Robert Saleh delivers injury updates as team preps for battle vs. Broncos
RALPH VENTRE20 HOURS AGO

The New York Jets were without two battle-tested cornerbacks at the start of Wednesday's practice in Fordham Park.

With a trip to Denver awaiting, starter DJ Reed and backup Brandin Echols were both labeled as non-participants by Jets' head coach Robert Saleh.

In a newly-revealed occurrence, Reed has encountered concussion symptoms and must pass through the league-mandated five-phase protocol in order to return to full participation.

"DJ Reed was entered into the concussion protocol. He won't practice today, but we are optimistic that he'll get everything cleared by gameday," said Saleh on Wednesday morning.

Reed has started all 21 games for Gang Green since signed as a free agent in 2022. He's made 28 tackles through the first four weeks of the 2023 campaign. 

"A couple of [concussion] symptoms, but we're optimistic," added Saleh.
Meanwhile, Saleh already ruled Echols out for the Week 5 road game against the Broncos. The second-string cornerback, who plays a regular role on special teams, injured his hamstring in last Sunday night's loss to Kansas City. He missed the season opener due to a suspension but has appeared in all three games since. 

"Echols, he's dealing with a hammy. He's gonna be out, for the game," said Saleh.

The loss of Echols and Reed's possible unavailability explains why the Jets added three cornerbacks to their Practice Squad on Tuesday. The team announced the return of Craig James along with the addition of Tae Hayes and Kalon Barnes.

Starting free safety Tony Adams (hamstring) and backup offensive guard Wes Schweitzer (concussion), who have both missed the past two games due to injury, returned to practice in a limited capacity as the Green & White preps for a visit to Mile High Stadium on October 8 at 4:25 pm ET on CBS.

BY RALPH VENTRE
Ralph, a former college football conference administrator, brings 20 years of media experience to the New York Jets beat

 

[AFJF]

Definitely an issue if you're not used to it.  Lived in Colorado Springs for a year which is even higher altitude than Denver.  We had people stationed there for a few weeks who would get shipped off to another base because they never adjusted and they'd be getting shortness of breath and vertigo walking up a flight of stairs.

There's a reason why the US Olympic training center is out there.

[AFJF]

3 hours ago, Sperm Edwards said:

Meh, keep an extra couple dozen oxygen tanks on the sideline. Problem solved, long enough to get through a game.

Yes and no.  Everyone responds differently to it.  When I first moved there I felt it the second I stepped off the plane and that was way before I was super fat.

However, this is a case where the Jets are the better football team and it shouldn't be much of an issue.  I'd maybe dress an extra D-lineman though.

[The Crusher]

15 hours ago, Dunnie said:

Interesting ... Jets need to come out swinging and put this game out of reach early.

THE QUESTION

We’ve all heard it. Denver area sports teams have an edge because they live and train a mile above sea level.

But whether altitude alone is enough to affect the outcome of games has long been a matter of debate. 9NEWS Sports team set out to verify just how out of breath opposing teams are at a mile high.

WHAT WE FOUND

The Verify team started its search by talking to Dr. Inigo San Millan. He runs the sports performance program at the University of Colorado’s Sports Medicine and Performance Center in Boulder.

The facility brings in athletes from around the world to test how they perform at different altitudes.

The data from all those athletes led Millan to the conclusion that every for 1,000 feet of elevation gain, a person loses 2 percent of their ability to consume oxygen and gets exhausted 4 percent faster than they normally would.

At one mile above sea level, that’s a 10 percent drop in your body’s ability to transport oxygen and 20 percent drop in time to exhaustion.

“That could be substantial, especially when we talk about high exercise intensities,” Millan said.

For example, let’s look at hockey.

One of the best players in the NHL is Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, who plays his home games at sea level. Ovechkin averages about 20 minutes of ice time per game. That means – if Millan’s numbers are true -- Ovechkin should drop to about 16 minutes of ice time when he plays in Denver.

9NEWS checked Ovechkin’s ice time for his last appearance at the Pepsi Center in November and found he played 16:49 against the Avalanche.

Fatigue is not the only problem, Millan said.

People who live at sea level don’t sleep as well when the visit they Mile High City. They also dehydrate more easily.

“Another thing we see, the lactate production from the muscles, at altitude at high intensities, it is much higher,” Millian said.

That causes more than cramps. Lactate gets in the way of proper muscle function and slows people down.

Lastly, people burn fats and carbohydrates differently at higher elevations.

“If you don’t have a good nutrition plan coming here, both for hydration as well as carbohydrates mainly, your glycogen storage might be lowered as that’s going to affect you out in the field,” Millan said.

All of those statistics makes it sound like Colorado teams enjoy a significant home field advantage, so we asked Millan straight out if that’s the case.

“It doesn’t matter the sport. When you come to altitude and you want to compete, you’re going to suffer, you’re going to pay for it,” Millian said. “And if someone is waiting for you here, right, with the knife well sharpened, they should take advantage of you.”

So, how can altitude be a part of a team’s winning strategy?

“You just crank it up, the tempo, especially in the third and fourth quarter, because that’s when the other team should go down,” Millan said.

He also suspects mile high coaches would benefit from changing their practice routines.

“One of the things we are trying figure out is those, especially the lineman, they are not very fit to start with. The training for them even at this altitude that they are adapted might not as tolerable as for other lineman at sea level,” Millan said. “And they might travel through the week more fatigued or accumulate more fatigue towards the weekend compared to other lineman coming from sea level.”

Visiting teams can also take steps to mitigate the effects of altitude.

Acclimating to the mile-high air takes at least nine days – an amount of time that’s not practical for professional sports teams to spend in Denver ahead of a game, Millan said.

What they should do instead is arrive as close to game time as possible. That way they avoid some of the negative effects like poor sleep and dehydration.

Finally, it’s important for away teams to know about any medical conditions that might prevent players from competing at high altitude.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark fell gravely ill after playing the Broncos in 2007.

Clark has a genetic abnormality called Sickle cell that affects red blood cells. At high altitudes Sickle cell can cause serious problems with spleen function. Clark ultimately had his spleen and gall bladder removed after the 2007 game.

BOTTOM LINE:

Altitude affects an athlete’s performance. Teams who practice at sea level tire 20 percent faster and transport 10 percent less oxygen in their bodies when they compete in Denver.

But a team’s overall ability matters too. Altitude gives mile-high teams an edge, but it can’t win games.

Huh, my glasses are old and I read the title as attitude instead I of altitude. Very strange read when you do that, 

[Sperm Edwards]

3 hours ago, AFJF said:

Yes and no.  Everyone responds differently to it.  When I first moved there I felt it the second I stepped off the plane and that was way before I was super fat.

However, this is a case where the Jets are the better football team and it shouldn't be much of an issue.  I'd maybe dress an extra D-lineman though.

You just didn't have any cans of Perri-air with you. Would've fixed you up proper. 

 

 

[Jet_Engine1]

Zach is from Utah. He is impervious. He is an iron willed man of the Mountains. He will grant his teammates the power of high altitude oxygen suckitudity. 

 

😆 

[Green Ghost]

19 hours ago, Prodigal Syndicate said:

You know I was going to say we need to be more worried about the offense, and we do, but. I looked up how our offense and defense rank in total yards.

Our offense is bottom 5 in the league.

But I was surprised to see our defense is currently bottom 10. Last year we were top 5.

Wow. That IS surprising.

[Green Ghost]

10 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Zach is from Utah. He is impervious. He is an iron willed man of the Mountains. He will grant his teammates the power of high altitude oxygen suckitudity. 

 

😆

If you didn’t put me on ignore two hours ago, I’d have given this post a 😂 you big donkey.

[Maxman]

Great now we have to worry about the Jets lactating on the field.

[FactsOnly]

It’s in Zach’s hand now

rejoice

[Dcat]

On 10/4/2023 at 10:41 PM, Beerfish said:

Oh good we can have more excuses for our defense.

that's your take on this?

[RoadFan]

I lived in Fort Collins and Denver for a combined 7 years.  Yes, altitude is noticeably harder on your lungs during exercise.

Some people actually get altitude sickness for a day even in Denver and not the mountains.

Lastly, you MUST wear chapstick or your lips will split in half until your body adjusts to the dry air.