DAGESTAN'S TRAINING SECRETS 🤫 (PART 2) From their teenage years, Khabib, Islam and their teammates spent 3-4 months each year training in the mountains of Dagestan. The fighters performed sprint intervals, circuit training and wrestling drills almost 2000m above sea level. At higher altitudes, the air is thinner, meaning there's less oxygen available. To compensate for the reduced oxygen, the kidneys produce more EPO, a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells. More red blood cells lead to a greater oxygen carrying capacity. Training at altitude can also improve the density of mitochondria in the muscle and their ability to utilise oxygen. The body also becomes better at buffering lactate. This means that an athlete can maintain higher training intensities for longer. Training at altitude and in rough conditions for multiple months each year would have also added to the fighters great mental toughness and resilience. Some of the research on the physiological benefits of altitude training is inconclusive. Not everyone seems to benefit from training at elevation - but Khabib's father Abdulmanap described how his fighters were significantly fitter at sea level after returning from the mountains. #combatathlete #combatsports #strengthandconditioning #conditioningtraining #athletetraining #athletictraining #athleticperformance #conditioning #fitness #cardio #endurance #stamina #vo2max #altitudetraining #wrestling #mma #sambo #grappling #striking #dagestan #khabibnurmagomedov #islammakhachev