Geert Kleinnibbelink

Chapter 5 118 METHODS Study Population Twenty-one healthy normotensive individuals (fourteen males) were recruited for the study. Participants were eligible to take part in this study if they were able to run on a treadmill and that they did not train for more than two hours a week at moderate-to-high intensity for the last six months. Exclusion criteria were a body mass index (BMI) < 18 or > 30 kg/m 2 , a possibility of pregnancy, personal history of cardiovascular disease, positive family history of cardiovascular death ( < 55y), exercise-limiting respiratory disease and physical (i.e. musculoskeletal) complaints making completion of the 12-week training program impossible. The procedures were in accordance with institutional guidelines and conformed to the declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Ethics Research Committee of the Liverpool John Moores University (18/SPS/065). Participants gave full written and verbal informed consent before participation. Study design In this prospective randomized cross-over study, participants attended the laboratory on 36 separated occasions divided into four parts, see Figure 1 . During the first visit, baseline measurements were performed. Visits 2 and 3 included the actual test days to study the acute effects of hypoxia versus normoxia on PEH. Visits 4 to 35 (training program) and visit 36 (follow-up measurements) comprised the chronic part to study; the relationship between PEH during the first visit versus the long-term changes in BP.