The main objective of the project was to determine the effectiveness of altitude training for swimmers, comparing the Hi-Hi (living and training at moderate altitude) and Hi-Lo (living at moderate-high altitude but training at lower altitude) strategies with an excellent sea-level training camp. The aim was to reveal the physiological mechanisms involved in altitude training, including acclimatisation, training adaptations and how these could interact.

The project involved 61 elite swimmers (34 women and 27 men) and their coaches from various countries. Participants came from 8 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Tunisia. The study was carried out in different training centres:

• Sierra Nevada Altitude Training Centre, Spain (2,320 m): where the altitude-training groups (Hi-Hi, Hi-Hi3) lived and trained for 4 or 3 weeks respectively.
• Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain (190 m): where the initial assessments were carried out and where part of the Lo-Lo group trained.
• High Performance Centre (CAR), Madrid, Spain (655 m): where part of the Lo-Lo group trained.
• The Hi-Lo group also lived in Sierra Nevada but came down for some sessions to train in Granada, Spain (690 m).

The ALTITUDE project was scheduled between 1 October and 23 November 2011, with a total duration of approximately 30 days. The dates were selected with the 2012 season in mind, oriented towards qualification and preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games, during a preparatory period free of international competitions.

Professor Dr. Ferran A. Rodríguez was the principal investigator of the project, which had the collaboration of an internationally recognised scientific and medical team to design, monitor and evaluate a highly relevant scientific study while implementing a performance-oriented training plan agreed with the individual or national-team coaches.

The project received funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, reference PID2019-107409GB-I00.

The Altitude project has generated scientific output through various articles, congress presentations and the doctoral thesis of Dr. Diego Chaverri, but what undoubtedly stands out is the impact it has had on the knowledge of the technical teams preparing swimming athletes.