Altitude Training | Hypoxic Training

The Tigers raised eyebrows during a training session on Tuesday when captain Robbie Farah and injured forwards John Skandalis and Keith Galloway were photographed wearing bizarre oxygen masks attached to small tanks.

Manly were also linked to the same type of oxygen training, although coach Des Hasler refused to comment on the issue yesterday.

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority chief Richard Ings told The Daily Telegraph last night that he did not believe the Tigers or Sea Eagles were breaching any part of the world anti-doping code.

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Rosalba C. wrote

In general, IHT contributes to improved immunological status. The occurrence of allergies and inflammatory diseases decreases. This has been observed in continuous exposure to altitude, as well as with IHT.

Studies have been able to show improvements to conditions of an inflammatory nature, such as arthritis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, auto-immune thyroiditis and inflammatory skin diseases. Even the difficult-to-treat and disabling disease rheumatoid arthritis showed a positive response, with seven out of 10 patients receiving IHT showing less inflamed joints, reduced pain and morning stiffness and reduced need for medication. All patients reported improved mood, sleep and appetite and increased physical activity.

Asthma has received particular attention, with several studies showing significant improvement. Observations made in the Netherlands have shown that asthmatics treated in climatic chambers that simulated altitudes of 1500 to 2550 metres improved rapidly, and with 60 to 100 treatments were ‘cured’. This certainly fits with the common observation that asthmatics, despite their obvious fears about altitude, usually have less asthma and do much better at altitude.

It is understood premiers Manly pioneered hypo-oxygenation in 2008 through an association with NSWIS.

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An altitude-induced PiO2 reduction, consequently leads to less oxygen available at the alveolar level in the lungs (PaO2), which in turn leads to less oxygen in the arterial blood (PaO2).

The altitude-induced decrease in PaO2 also induces a reduction in and kidney oxygenation (5). This reduction in kidney oxygenation is responsible for the stimulation of the production and the release of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO)(6). EPO stimulates red blood cell synthesis in the red bone marrow (7), which induces an increase in blood haemoglobin concentration. Higher haemoglobin concentrations increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, which can therefore help restore endurance performance.

Another effect of altitude-induced decrease in PaO2 is an increase in pulmonary ventilation (Ve). This hyperventilation acts to partly offset the effects of altitude on PaO2 by helping to restore normal O2 delivery to tissues(8).

HIGH performance athletes, the AFL’s most successful football team (the Brisbane Lions), mountaineers and sports medicine practitioners are just some of the users of the Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) equipment developed in Australia and manufactured in Melbourne by Biomedtech Australia Pty Ltd.

Several competitors at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Melbourne will be using the Biomedtech GO2Altitude or AltiPower low oxygen (hypoxic) air breathing equipment to enhance their endurance, performances and general well being.

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Pre-competition altitude training has long been used as strategy to enhance performance in endurance athletes. But how much does altitude training really help and can athletes reap the same benefits from simulated altitude training? Belle Roels and Grégoire Millet look at the latest evidence

The popular belief that altitude training enhances endurance has probably arisen from the success of a number of middle to long-distance runners who have resided at altitude(1). Meanwhile, the scientific theory for using altitude training has long been based on the assumption that the aerobic performance may be enhanced as a consequence of increases in red blood cell count (RBC) or erythrocytes, serum erythropoietin (EPO), and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, which enhance oxygen-carrying capacity and maximal oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max) of an athlete training at altitude, allowing them to train and perform better upon return to sea level or to lower altitude(2, 3)…

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Physical Education and Sport Vol. 6, No 1, 2008, pp. 11 - 20

Scientific Paper
THE INFLUENCE OF INTERMITTENT HYPOXIC TRAINING
ON THE BODY OF AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE
UDC 796.41.85

Martin Pupiš, Ivan Čillík

Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Humanities,
Matej bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic

Abstract. In our research we monitored the influence of intermittent hypoxic training on the
body of an athlete. We evaluated oxygen saturation of the blood during hypoxia, which
ranged from 90% down to 75%, at the end of a three-week course. These results were also
confirmed by the oxygen content in the inhaled air, which at the end of the period dropped
down even below 9%, and that corresponded to a simulated altitude of about 7000 m.
Spiroergometry revealed an increase in VO2max, from 4105 ml.min-1 to 4364 ml.min-1,
VO2max.kg-1 from 65,4 ml.min-1.kg-1 to 69,9 ml.min-1.kg-1 and submaximum performance
W170 from 3, 34 W to 3, 40 W. Maximum performance in the 3-km walk improved by 13.7
seconds, the submaximum performance in the 10-km walk improved by 1:42 minutes. The
load in the 10-km walk performed at the level of the anaerobic threshold showed an
improvement of 1:29 minutes. We did not find any significant changes in the haematological
components; the values of haemoglobin and haematocrit remained almost unchanged. A
mild increase was recorded in the medium erythrocyte volume, which increased from 96.8 fl
to 98.2 fl, and in the iron-binding capacity, which increased from 52 μmol.l-1 to 58 μmol.l-1.
As far as blood is concerned, we found an increase in the number of reticulocytes from
5.1000-1 to 7.1000-1, which amounts to 40%.
Key words: intermittent hypoxic training (IHT), maximum oxygen consumption, blood
components, saturation, maximum performance