is there any way to simulate high altitude training

[chelitoazul01]

i was thinking wearing a mouth guard but im not sure

[yodamann]

Wear one of those flu masks?

[Bullrush]

i use a straw when im on the stationary bike. its hard as hell to breathe thru that thing because it takes longer to breathe in and out and theres not much air getting into your body. and once you get really tired and your heart rate goes up and you have to breathe in and out at the same time because it takes so long to breathe in/out. you breathe in and before youre finished you already wanna breathe out again. needless to say that if this goes on for 10-15 minutes or whatever at some point youre just gonna quit. oh and dont use your nose either, just breathe in/out ouf your mouth

the mouthguard thing is decent too but unless you have a really big mouthguard i dont see the point of that

[{Pito}]

I doubt a mouthgaurd can replicate high altitude training. I do, however train with my mouthguard on and it definitely helped.

[cusd'amatokid]

wear a snorkel and plug your nose, wanderlei does it

[Bullrush]

man his nose is busted up. but anyway thats exactly what i meant. snorkel i guess is better than a straw. the only downside to that is that to the clueless idiots in your gym you will look like a ****in moron

[cusd'amatokid]

^ lol true

[lys3rg0]

Why would you want to simulate high altitude training? You planning on fighting in Bolivia or Tibet any time soon?

[g0tcha]

if by mouth guard you mean gum shield then yes you can simulate it. you just have to make sure you dont cheat by smiling when you're breathing hard because you can breath around the gum shield. the straw thing is a little extreme imo if you're really looking to pass out. you could try the snorkel like silva if you really want to. another alternative is just breathing through your nose only which is ****en hard too. first time i ever did conditioning with a gum shield i got altitude sickness and had a headache for like 3-4 hours. conditioning for 15-20 minutes straight with a gum shield and heart rate at 200bpm will **** anyone up. good luck

[lys3rg0]

controlled studies in trained athletes have not confirmed a benefit for hypoxic exercise WITHOUT CONCOMITANT ACCLIMATIZATION.

And the direct effects of interval training to stress and improve an athlete's maximum aerobic capacity (VO2 max.) at altitude deteriorate with training at elevation as a result of the inability to achieve a VO2 max. that is comparable to what is possible at sea level. During interval work outs, speed, oxygen uptake, heart rate, and lactate levels are all lower than those from lower altitudes suggesting that interval training is best performed as near sea level as possible.

iow you should train at sea level and live at high altitude because the beneficial adaptation comes from long term effects of acclimatisation. and you ar training your cardio system to work around less oxygen, not pushing it to develop, which is what you should be doing and is way more efficient.

There have been a lot of studies about this in aerobic sports like cycling and biathlon, the only thing training at altitude does is help you handle efforts at altitude, it is not so good if you are training for something that will take place in a normal setting.


wear the snorkel at home every day but not during training. sleep in a hypobaric chamber or transform your whole house into one if you can afford it, like the Finland cross country skying team did for 3 months before the last olympics.

Are there any strategies that can use altitude to benefit a training program?

The answer to this question is YES. But it requires balancing the acclimatization benefits of an increased red cell mass from living at altitude (one must be at altitude for more than 12 hours a day to maintain an increase erythropoietin level) while maximizing the VO2 max. achieveable in training equivalent to that possible at sea level.

How high must one live to maximize acclimatization? An altitude of 2500 to 2800 meters maintains a balance between stimulating erythropoietin and minimizing the effects of acute mountain sickness that occur with increasing frequency at higher elevations.

How long should one live at altitude to maximize benefits?? At least 3 to 4 weeks.

How long will the acclimatization effects last? Based on actual performance studies, 2 to 3 weeks at most before they begin to reverse.

And the optimal training altitude? Although this should be individualized as some athletes do quite well maintaining a high VO2 max training at high altitudes, the general rule is to train as close to sea level as possible, preferably below 1500 meters.

So it is the balance between acclimatization and deconditioning that gives the personalized answer for each individual athlete. A few can maintain a high training VO2 max. even while training at altitude enabling them to live at altitude and train there as well. But the vast majority need to descend to train several times a week or face a competitive disadvantage from deconditioning.