Abstract
This monograph study examines changes in personal mood during a stay and training in hypoxia conditions and the survey was realized with elite endurance athletes - runners. Based on the literature review, we have found enough of researches that have already discussed the relationship between mood changes, measured by the POMS questionnaire, together with changes in athletes performance in a normoxic environment, but we have found lack in research, that would be concerned about the hypoxic environment.
For this reason we have decided to place our investigation into the hypoxic environment. The objective of the presented work was to find out whether throughout of the period of staying and training in the hypoxic environment is there a statistically significant change in the moods, measured by the POMS questionnaire, compared to staying and training in normoxic environment.
Our effort was to verify the use of the POMS questionnaire on sample of elite athletes to suggest another possibility of a non-invasive method of a trainability control in natural hypoxia. It is already known, that staying in a naturally hypoxic environment, there are no available means to control trainability that it is in the normoxic environment, that an athlete and his coach normally employ and are used to.
Our research has the character of a quasi-experiment with a plan of repeated measurements. As a method of data acquisition, the questioning was carried out using standardized POMS questionnaire, analysis of training documentation and in selected persons also heart rate measurement and analysis of blood biochemical examination records.
Additionally, a controlled interview was included and two case reports are part of the work. A statistically significant difference in moods was observed in the second week of the training camp, when a naturally hypoxic environment reduced the Energy Index and increased the Total Mood Disturbance of the athlete.
Case studies investigations found no correlation between reduced athletic performance nor changes in morning resting heart rate or biochemical blood analysis. However, a correlation between reduced performance and increased Total Mood Disturbance has been observed.