Anyone used an elevation training mask? Was thinking about getting one to run in. Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences using one? Are they worth getting?
The main advantage that I've heard about is that you can get a high intensity cardio workout without putting as much stress on your body - so if you're doing sprints, you can't run as fast with the mask on, so you are putting less stress through your muscles and joints, whilst still maintaining a very high heart rate.
This was just discussed in another thread I was reading, forget what site. Apparently, it has been shown that the elevation masks don't actually mimic elevation. They just make it harder to suck in air that has normal oxygen density. They exercise inspiration muscles, but don't affect your blood like being at elevation does. But as another poster said, might allow you to get in more of a work out in less of a time.
another argument i've heard about their use is that the adaptation to high altitude comes from chronic, not sporadic, exposure, so you're just making the workout harder but not significantly improving the adaptation to it, whereas the benefir of actual altitude training is that you live in it 24/7, adapt to perform better in it, and then compete or whatnot in a normal altitude so everything is way easier.
What are your personal experiences regarding the claims on the website here: http://www.o2trainer.eu/science/ and/or any discernible impact this training device had on your work rate in either martial arts training or S&C?
exercising the inspiration muscle alone is enough benefit do you think? Have you used one? So I'd have to wear it 24/7? might make my weekly asda trip more eventful
These methods are normally used by elite level athletes earning allot of money looking for an edge who find making changes through conventional methods much harder because of their level of conditioning Its also interesting how many pros that use them still gas If your not at that level id save your money and just train smarter Also most research seems to suggest living high but training low is the best way to go, you get the benefits of altitude living but training lower allows you to do more work to make the necessary changes you need, restricting your breath is not the same as living at altitude where there's a different temperature, humidity, a change in air pressure etc, so these devices seem to offer none of the benefits of living at altitude but all of the draw backs of training at altitude ie they limit your ability to work hard which has in some cases led to a decrease in both fitness levels and muscle mass in athletes
Yeah. I'm not itching to buy one, I just saw one online last night and have been peripherally aware of them for a little while. I'm very heavily focused on my cardio at the moment and it's the only thing I have time to work on with my training schedule as it is, if I don't want to burn out. I was thinking it might be a solid investment if it gave significant gains and maximised the time I spend on roadwork.
You can save yourself the money and get exactly the same benefits by just running up a steep hill. It will work in exactly the same way.
The benefit of elevation is meant to be that the lower O2 concentration in the air improves your uptake efficiency. These things just reduce the volume of air, or makes your breathing muscles work harder to get the same volume. That isn't the same thing at all. If breathing through a straw made your cardio awesome, rather than just reducing the amount of fuel your muscles get and making the same workload seem harder, then formerly-poorly-medicated asthmatics like me should be cardio machines. Spoiler: we are not.
Well looks like I'll not be dressing up like Scorpion from MK after all. Cheers for all the input guys. Glad I asked rather than making an impulse purchase.
I find them good, not for cardio so much as making you more efficient in your breathing pattern. Also good for the "mental" aspect I got mine pretty cheap and have never actually used it as much as I probably should have. In fact you could probably mimic the effect by tying a belt around your chest so you cannot draw in as much air
http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/altitude-masks-running/ Skip to the end - waste of money.
http://www.reddit.com/r/MMA/comments/ynuvj/training_mask_gets_debunked_by_science_on_their/ Hilary Williams takes the science apart
Since it must be at least 5 days since I pimped this site if you want to spend money to increase your conditioning head over to http://www.8weeksout.com/ultimate-mma-conditioning-order/ and buy what is hands down the nest book on mma conditioning and probably even general sports conditioning. Or even just sign up for his 4 week free conditioning plan you will learn a few new methods of training either way