I saw a dude wearing one of those elevation training masks
06-06-16, 04:35 PM
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There may be more to EPO than hematocrit. So don't know. I do know there is a limit on red blood count allowed - EPO or not and it differs by gender, but for men it is 50% (I think).
You can get there without EPO.
The best cyclists in the world are living near sea level. Some sleep with hypoxia setups and some don't. A few live at altitude, and they excel at the altitude races, but don't do as well at the sea level.
My thinking is the trained pro/super elite finds limits that more red blood cells would not help. The more O2 you supply, the more waste you get. So there is a balance of something. Lactate handling being something new to look at that traditionally was tested by sticking figures, can now be tested during activity.
You can get there without EPO.
The best cyclists in the world are living near sea level. Some sleep with hypoxia setups and some don't. A few live at altitude, and they excel at the altitude races, but don't do as well at the sea level.
My thinking is the trained pro/super elite finds limits that more red blood cells would not help. The more O2 you supply, the more waste you get. So there is a balance of something. Lactate handling being something new to look at that traditionally was tested by sticking figures, can now be tested during activity.
06-06-16, 04:55 PM
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Thanks. The clinical world officially starts to worry about sludging and clotting at 52 in men and 48 in women. You can certainly get there without EPO, but you wouldn't want to. I have also heard there may be more to EPO than hematocrit. It may stimulate blood vessel proliferation. It is known to promote the differentiation of blood vessel precursor cells.
Last edited by MoAlpha; 06-06-16 at 07:03 PM.
06-06-16, 05:22 PM
#28
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Wrong. Train high and live low. How do Everest climbers train? They go high and stress themselves and go back to base camp to recover.
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Il faut de l'audace, encore de l'audace, toujours de l'audace
1980 3Rensho-- 1975 Raleigh Sprite 3spd
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1988 Ducati 750 F1
06-06-16, 06:21 PM
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Ah...true. %O2 is the concern. I was talking more about the comparison with living or training at a higher altitude: with lower atm pressure, there is less available O2 so the body has to compensate with higher RBC production. But the mask under discussion doesn't do any of the things either one of us is talking about. It just makes the breathing process more difficult and supposedly develops normally underdeveloped muscle groups, or so I have heard.
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06-06-16, 06:26 PM
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I don't know the purpose of the mask. It may be a breathing trainer of some type.
I was just thinking the reduced O2 aspect - if that even is an aspect - for improving HCT / increasing RBC was not going to do it.
I used a "lung" trainer 30 years ago (if interested I'll post) and it really helped me take fuller breaths. I used to hack a lot.
I was just thinking the reduced O2 aspect - if that even is an aspect - for improving HCT / increasing RBC was not going to do it.
I used a "lung" trainer 30 years ago (if interested I'll post) and it really helped me take fuller breaths. I used to hack a lot.
06-06-16, 06:39 PM
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My own subjective observations:
- I live at 5300'MSL.
- On a mtn climb at about 9500'MSL I need to start consciously forcing myself to make every breath as deep as possible.
- Above 12,000'MSL my breathing transitions to breathing/gasping as fast/deep as possible.
- By 14,000' I'm stopping every 1/10 mile to catch my breath.
- I live at 5300'MSL.
- On a mtn climb at about 9500'MSL I need to start consciously forcing myself to make every breath as deep as possible.
- Above 12,000'MSL my breathing transitions to breathing/gasping as fast/deep as possible.
- By 14,000' I'm stopping every 1/10 mile to catch my breath.
06-06-16, 10:36 PM
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06-07-16, 02:44 PM
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It can turn you into a bit of a ******y bossy type like this guy:
The mask doesn't reduce oxygen at all, just makes it harder for you to breathe in, so as mentioned, it may train you to breathe more deeply with diaphramatic/belly breathing.
The mask doesn't reduce oxygen at all, just makes it harder for you to breathe in, so as mentioned, it may train you to breathe more deeply with diaphramatic/belly breathing.
06-07-16, 02:52 PM
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This is what I would think. All you are effectively doing is decreasing intensity. The only advantage I could possibly see would be that you can get your cardio up to a high level while not having to put out as much power (since O2 is restricted). Maybe that would give you the benefit of a hard cardio workout without the same level of fatigue in the legs the next day. But it just seems to me to artificially interfere with your body "processes" during a workout and then removing it later is not going to be beneficial long term.
