As always, i will defer to the ole standby- I cant speak for or against any one thing in absolute, and hey- if it works/worked for them, then good on them. I just disagree with its efficacy.
OR, you could save yourself the trouble and periodically hold your breath for periods of 15-30 seconds during your training. Save on shipping and all that. There is as much evidence to support that method as a mask! (smartass) :cool:
dont know if its been mention but in my down time or before workouts i use a little thing called expand a lung... works wonders especially when im doing water con...
I know this is an old thread but I just found it. The elevation training mask 2.0 is a marked improvement over the first one. It allows for gas mask training without having to have the mask covering your eyes. I've been using it for about a month and I love it. I can run further, longer with increased lung capacity and overall comfort without the mask now. And with it, as comfort levels increase, gas mask pt isn't as grueling. The body learns to use oxygen better, and more efficiently. A month in and I love it. Plus, you look like the biggest badass around. And that's always a good thing. rah
That whole article I felt like he was about to sell me something. Then at the bottom lo and behold he was trying to sell me his DVD. The source this comes from though says that there were no gains in short-term use.
You're right, the article may have been a bit biased. Here's another one that takes a little different tone (using oxygen restriction masks for mountain climbers). It says that they can reduce the effects of altitude sickness but no improvement in work performance.
I've been using mine for about a month now and i can definitely notice a difference in pulmonary capacity on road runs and aerobic intensive workouts. i use it during warm ups to a workout and on runs. i love it.
Many studies show that you "get the best of both worlds" with a live high, train low regimen. Instead of traveling constantly, athletes at sea level sometimes sleep in elevation tents. So I guess you could potentially benefit by using a training mask in a similar fashion, ie when you sleep not when you train (providing you don't suffocate yourself).
I just got version 2.0 for Xmas. I use it at my Crossfit gym and when Im doing my hourly 50 push ups I'm not qualified to get too deep into the science but I have been active a long time and would be hard pressed to believe there is ZERO improvement in work performance. However, we still have our final 5 miler, PT test and 12 miler when I get back so I'll be able to have a no shit comparison then.
