Coyote2

S**t. My hematocrit is 43.4 -- "reference range" is considered 42.0-54%. My red cell count is also on the low end of the range, which makes sense.

In other words, I suck and I always will suck, unless I can get my hands on some EPO.

(Sit back and wait for Pcad to applaud my self-loathing.)

ElJamoquio

I think the normal guideline for having a 'problem' is somewhere around 30%.

bad_mojo

IMHO that reference range is crap. I usually see hematocrits in the 42-45 at work. I don't think I've ever seen a crit at 50 or better*. You're hematocrit really isn't going to be an indicator of fitness as training really isn't going to do too much to it. Unless you're moving up into the mountains or sleeping in a barometric chamber at night you're going to stay pretty steady (and comparable to people you're racing against). Fitness will improve how efficiently you work at aerobic and anaerobic levels without causing a change in your crit.


* -- except for the guy who had a disease that caused excessing (and dangerous) amounts of red and white blood cells and platelets, he was definitely not a cyclist

jkizzle

YALL SUCKAS GOT SERVED

bad_mojo

I'm confused...

ericm979

Mine is low as well. But according to my doctor, who has treated much better cyclists than me, it's common for endurance athletes to have low hematocrit.

substructure

That's why some of them do something about it.

Zinn-X

like what?

Voodoo76

I thought most cyclists were around 49 to 49.999

Bob Dopolina 

Start with a more comprehensive blood test.

Supplement to raise your TIBC.

Fat Boy

It's called 'Don't take a knife to a gunfight'

patentcad

Coyote2

Well, I talked to a doctor about it...Not my personal doc, just a friend who happens to be an MD. She says that smokers usually have higher hematocrits, gave some medical reason for it (blah, blah).

Anyway, today I'm having trouble keeping the cigarette lit while I'm doing intervals; any advice?

merlinextraligh

+1

There's a reason they set the level that puts you out of competition at 50.

They wanted to set it high enough that it wouldn't routinely occur, through normal means

prendrefeu

Send a PM to Cipollini. He's not racing these days now that he had a "disagreement" with Michael Ball. Being bored, there's a good chance he's on BF.

bad_mojo

Yea, smoking causes damage to the lungs at the level of gas exchange. So for a given percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere, a person with a diseased lung will have proportionally less oxygen in their blood then a normal person. So the sick person's body responds by making more red blood cells.

So if I get medically diagnosed with emphysema and get prescribed supplemental oxygen, would I be able to use it in a race? While the extra oxygen would be nice, the large tank would really hurt when I climb. It probably wouldn't be aerodynamic.

cat4ever

Hematocrit is not an absolute indicator of past/present/future fitness.

pseudobrit

Unless you could somehow integrate such a device into the tubing of your frame.