Altitude Training | Hypoxic Training

High Performance Equine Hypoxicator

Until recently, training horses at “altitude” in the same way as for humans was impractical.

However, what was once impractical is now a real option for race horse trainers with the advent of Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT) or simulated high altitude training.

Simulated high altitude training can vastly improve athletic performance by deliberately inducing hypoxia with the animals body producing more red blood cells, which in turn results in increased oxygen delivery to the tissues such as the heart, lungs and skeletal muscle.

There is no evidence that IHT will enhance the performance of the animal beyond its own genetic potential. But there is evidence that IHT does have a therapeutic role in minimising muscle damage associated with strenuous exercise.

Other applications of IHT include acclimatization of horses for air travel, enhance effects on fertility, and assists with the management of lung disease associated with Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage in horses.

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By Brendan Gallagher

With the next year’s Tour de France spending a significant time 2000 metres above sea level next year Dave Brailsford, the team principal at Team Sky, has asked his sports scientist to overhaul his their training schedule for riding at such altitude.

A failure to ride competitively on the very highest reaches of this year’s mountain stages was quickly identified as the root cause for Bradley Wiggins being unable to get on terms with the main yellow jersey contenders and was already being looked into by Brailsford and his team.

Although Sky trained on all of the highest climbs in this year’s Tour, unlike most teams they did not organise long camps at altitude before the three-week race, but it is something they are seriously considering for 2011.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/8075275/Tour-de-France-2011-Team-Sky-preparing-for-altitude-training-ahead-of-Alpine-endeavours.html

Authors:

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/8097717_Effects_of_hypoxic_interval_training_on_cycling_performance

Oct 06,2010 - Dubai, UAE – 6 October, 2010: For decades, spending time in high altitude conditions has been the most successful natural method to effectively enhance oxygen absorption, transport and utilisation by the body. With the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome one of the highest in the world, discoveries in molecular medicine showing the enormous potential in targeted usage of high altitude climate conditions allows for new strategies for therapy and prevention of the disease in the UAE.

According the Dr Richard Reyes, founder and medical director of the Reyes Longevity Programme, there is a well defined sequence of molecular events which result in the correction of the components of the metabolic syndrome; high cholesterol and triglycerides, high blood pressure, low HDL, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

“The main difference in high altitudes compared to sea level conditions is the decreasing air pressure with increasing height,” says Dr Reyes. “As the air gets ‘thinner’ and the body absorbs less oxygen, the heart rate and breathing increases. The low oxygen saturation in the blood, also known as hypoxia, causes a chain of positive biological adaptations. An increase in red blood cell production, better utilisation of nutrients in muscles and tissues, increased economy of the cardiovascular system and the optimisation of the heart rate at rest are only a few examples of how high altitude conditions can work towards correcting the components of the metabolic syndrome.”

Dr Reyes will be speaking at the 3rd International Congress in Aesthetic, Anti-Aging Medicine & Medical Spa Middle East (ICAAM), which will be held at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai, UAE from 26 to 27 November 2010. Leading experts in aesthetics and anti-aging medicine will be on site to demonstrate latest techniques and showcase latest anti-aging research such as the use of high-altitude climate to correct the metabolic syndrome.

“Changes in response to high altitude can be seen after just one or two hours of training exposure per week,” says Dr Reyes. “Correcting the disrupted metabolic process can go a long way towards slowing down the aging process. Cellular aging is understood in part to be due to the accumulation of the effects of oxidative stress and free radical formation. Exposure to altitude counteracts both of these – it is well recognised that people who live in the mountains have longer lives than those at sea level.”

http://bignews.biz/?id=925256

Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 01/09/2006;

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/6899290_Leukocyte%27s_Hif-1_expression_and_training-induced_erythropoietic_response_in_swimmers

By: Mona Brown

October 1, 2010

In recent months FAA Administrator Babbitt has promoted specific tailored hypoxia training, along with high-altitude handling, for commercial and private pilots who want to fly at high altitude. Indeed, FAA Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14CFR) establishes mandatory requirements for high-altitude training using military altitude chambers at 15 U.S. locations, but few chambers are available for candidates in other countries and theoretical presentation is often the limit of studies. However, Biomedtech Australia at Moorabbin, Melbourne, has developed a range of hypoxicators under the trademarks of “go2altitude” and “Altipower” that can provide an acceptable alternative to training in the chamber.

In the last 30 years several accidents have highlighted the importance of hypoxia training. On Sept. 25, 1979, an instructor and student on type conversion were killed in the crash of Beech King Air 200 G-BGHR. Investigators blamed the accident on oxygen system failure. Two decades later, on Oct. 25, 1999, Learjet 35 N47BA crashed, killing the crew and four passengers, including golfer Payne Stewart. The accident was attributed to the airplane’s failure to pressurize. The Sept. 4, 2000, crash of Beech Super King Air 200 VH-SKC killed the pilot and seven passengers. Investigators attributed the accident to a pressurization failure. Finally, a Boeing 737 (5B-DBY) crashed Aug. 14, 2005, killing the crew and 115 passengers. Failure to pressurize was listed as the cause.

The Greek AAIASB report into the 737 accident includes a recommendation that “EASA/JAA should require practical hypoxia training as a mandatory part of flight crew and cabin crew training. This training should include the use of recently developed hypoxia training tools that reduce the amount of oxygen a trainee receives while wearing a mask and performing tasks.” The Biomedtech system was demonstrated to airline personnel at a CAA seminar as an option for hypoxia training.

Researchers were already studying hypoxia before World War I, but it was not until the mid-1930s that the Mayo Clinic investigated the effect of varying the oxygen proportion of air supplied to a pilot’s mask. Unfortunately, it was impossible to measure gas proportions accurately, and the results were inconclusive.

After the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City it became obvious that athletes who trained at high altitude had a significant advantage over those who had trained at lower levels, and Simon Bassovitch of Biomedtech Australia at Moorabbin, Melbourne, started to research the feasibility of providing a portable simulated high-altitude training environment for athletes.

The result was called “hy­­poxicators” and by 1992 Bassovitch specialized in the supply of these systems, which varied the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen to achieve a particular altitude. These hypoxicators–used by athletes worldwide–can help pilots recognize hypoxia without the use of an altitude chamber. Using membrane technology to vary the required oxygen/nitrogen mix, Biomedtech has eliminated the need for cumbersome gas cylinders. The examinee has to hold a breathing mask to his face, experiencing all symptoms of oxygen starvation while being asked to carry out various exercises. All test results are recorded automatically and copies are presented to the candidate in written or DVD form.

Since there is no requirement to have an altitude chamber, trainees need not meet the medical standards required to experience explosive decompression, providing greater flexility of operation.