hematocrit levels

[shoe16]

Does anyone know the normal range of fluctuation for hematocrit levels in the blood and whether those levelscan be improve with aerobic training? Thanks -
Fred B.

[Dark_youth]

So you're saying that in Arkansas blood is *way* thicker than water.

[brickheadb]

The normal range is something like 37% to 47%, but extremes are something like 28% to 54%. Anything outside of the normal range normally means something is wrong.

Aerobic training doesn't by itself change your hematocrit values though over time your increased musclature can cause an overall increase in blood volume and hence a decrease in hematocrit. Anaerobic training can modify it somewhat by causing RBC's to age prematurely.

[Mcgrupp33]

Hematocrit normally decreases with increased aerobic fitness.

[Th]

Wrong, endurance training will increase plasma volume and also increased red cell mass; the former will increase by a greater amount so hematocrit will decrease. It has nothing to do musclature.

Normal ranges will vary from lab to lab. One reference range is 38 to 52% for males (slightly smaller values for females).