Altitude Training | Hypoxic Training

Body strength will be build through a combination of weight training and functional fitness training. Respiratory endurance will come through training hypoxically using the Go2Altitude system …

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.. Running Economy. Once again, it does not measure what we think it does. This has been dabled in for years in cycling (Which is an interesting story…They found that cyclists preferred pedaling at high revolutions per minute, while the research
showed that pedalling at a low RPM was more ‘efficient’ when measured via economy (VO2)…They were baffled. Then some guys got the bright idea of measuring efficiency in a different way (energetic cost- basically in joules/per kg/per meter, or thought of as how much energy does it take to cover a distance) and they found that in terms of this efficiency, cyclist were more efficient at high RPMs…just like the elites preferred…Similar research is starting to happen in running).

More info:
http://stevemagness.blogspot.com/2009/12/fallacy-of-vo2max-and-vo2max.html

At sea level, artificial environment can be created by decreasing the partial pressure of oxygen by enriching the air with inert nitrogen. The barometric pressure of air in this artificial environment remains same at 760 millimeters mercury. This is called the normobaric condition. The physiological response of the athlete is dependent primarily on the partial pressure of inhaled oxygen. Research establishes that ventilatory and hematological responses to the simulated environment of high altitude were identical irrespective of the method of reduction of partial pressure (hypobaric hypoxia) or concentration of oxygen (normobaric hypoxia). The condition of enriched oxygen at high altitudes (hypobaric hypoxia) was also tried on the athlete simulating the sea level conditions.

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Although most elite athletes invest a considerable amount of time and resources training at altitude, the practical benefits gained remain to be clearly established despite almost half a century of investigation. Elucidating the potential factors that affect physical performance after return to sea level has been the subject of much interest and controversy.

The time spent exposed to the hypoxia of altitude would appear to be an important mediator of sea level performance. A combination of physical exercise and intermittent hypoxia (defined as an exposure time of 30 minutes to 12 hours a day) has been shown to accelerate the normal adaptations invoked by a comparable programme of normoxic training with cardioprotective and performance enhancing benefits.1 In contrast, increased free radical mediated oxidative stress,2 decreased cell mediated immunity,3 and increased incidence of infectious episodes4 have been reported in continuous hypoxia (defined as an exposure time of 24 hours a day). We have previously reported two cases of infectious mononucleosis following chronic exposure to 1500–2000 m.5

Glutamine has been identified as a conditionally essential amino acid required for lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage phagocytosis, and it has been suggested that any physiological decrease in plasma glutamine may impair the host’s defence against opportunistic infections.6 In the light of these findings

1. D M Bailey1,
2. L M Castell2,
3. E A Newsholme2,
4. B Davies1

Rosalba C. wrote
http://www.wellbeing.com.au/natural_health_articles?cid=7157&pid=17353

Oxygen deficiency is associated with many diseases. It has been postulated to play a role in many metabolic diseases, including cancer, fatigue, epilepsy and poor neurological functioning. For this reason it might seem difficult to accept that hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, might actually be a more powerful healing factor than therapies that promote giving oxygen.

IHT increases the efficiency with which the body takes up, transports and utilises oxygen. The heart and lungs are stimulated to increase their functions and even over the long term to increase in size. Blood vessels dilate and new capillaries are formed in the heart, brain and skeletal muscles. In the blood, levels of erythropoietin (EPO), haemoglobin and myoglobin increase. All these factors make the blood capable of carrying more oxygen. On a cellular level there is a growth of the cellular structures needed for the metabolism of oxygen.

If you undergo IHT, the net effect is a decrease in the need for oxygen by about 20 per cent and an increase in the ability to use oxygen, as measured by VO2 max. Like a finely tuned motor vehicle, if you are adapted to altitude with IHT you can run on less fuel with less wear and tear to your ‘motor’. And when you need to run in high gear you can do so and use all the fuel or oxygen you need to achieve maximum performance.