Wake Up Call

[AustinL911]

Training Mask 2.0 Original | Training Mask USA

Anyone worried about altitude should try this...

Those things are a gimmick and won't prepare your body for altitude in any way, shape, or form. You need to live in either a hypoxic (<21% Oxygen) and/or a hypobaric (~ <600mmHg; 760mmHg is @ sea-level) environment for an extended period of time (about a week, give or take). The only benefit those masks MIGHT provide is strengthening your diaphragm.

 

[conhawa]

Have your doctor prescribe you some Diamox. I live in WV and climbed the Tetons on 3 occassions. The altitude made me very sick the first time. I used diamox the next 2 times and felt great. Of course..it will not replace poor conditioning.

 

[JWP58]

Nothing is going to replace actually hiking with a pack, but the better shape you can be in the less it will suck. I am a firm believer in sport specific training, but if that's not really possible you have to do what you can do.

I would work on endurance and high intensity anaerobic exercises, along with strength training. Keep up the long lower intensity treadmill hill climbs, but once or twice a week perform interval training (can be on rower, stationary bike, hill sprints, whatever). You'll need both endurance and the ability to handle short bursts of high intensity output. Couple that with strong legs and back/core and you'll have a great base that will help a lot up in the mountains.

The more efficient your body is (V02 max) the better you'll cope and adapt to altitude.

 

[Lukem]

It's like running for a month... first day you are sucking wind but by the end you can breath a lot more efficiently even though the amount of oxygen hasn't changed. If your lungs are more effective they will use less oxygen.

That isn't how the body changes to elevation/training/etc. at all. Lungs don't use less oxygen, the body produces more red blood cells. The mask won't cause that to happen. If you want a gimmick that kinda does that, buy a hypoxic sleep chamber. Nothing equals being at altitude.

 

[Superkodiak38]

Have your doctor prescribe you some Diamox. I live in WV and climbed the Tetons on 3 occassions. The altitude made me very sick the first time. I used diamox the next 2 times and felt great. Of course..it will not replace poor conditioning.

So IO had to Google it but found this interesting
BasecampMD.com