OK so we got 100+ Comments on Part I of the Elevation Training Mask Review, which tells me you guys have seen the ads, sponsored fighters and hype and really want to know…
Is the Elevation Training Mask Worth It?
To recap, this is where we left off last time:
“There are no studies on MMA specifically, so I had to search LONG and HARD to find something that would at least come close.
This took me FOREVER, because most of these altitude studies are done on endurance sport athlete such as runners, cyclists and cross-country skiers.
But lo and behold, I stumbled upon one, a moment before my eyes were about to explode from reading these cryptic journal articles all day. Scientists reading this – why can’t you write in normal English!”
Let’s go:
The title of this next study is, “Effects of intermittent hypoxic training on aerobic and anaerobic performance.”
The subjects included 16 moderately trained team sports players, born and living at sea level, with an average age of 20 years old and weight of 175 lbs.
The average VO2 max (marker of aerobic fitness) was 52.35 ml/kg/min, making the subjects a pretty good comparison to a typical MMA population with above average aerobic fitness, which should include YOU since you’re a regular on my blog.
If not, what the heck are you doing with all the info I’ve made available, both free and premium?
Moving on…
The subjects were divided into 2 groups: control (normal exercise at sea level) and hypoxic training (HT).
Just think of HT as the altitude training group (aka Live Low Train High).
Here’s the cool part, the exercise program they put these 2 groups through is an interval training program, specifically aerobic power intervals, for those who are familiar with the term from my MMA Ripped 8-Week Training Camp or my Optimal Interval Training report.
Here’s the program the subjects followed, 3 times a week for 4 weeks on a stationary bike:
- 10 reps of 1 minute above the Anaerobic Threshold (80% Wmax) alternated with 2 minutes below AnT (50% Wmax*)
- Training intensity was increased by 5% after 6 workouts, then another 5% after 9 workouts
This is a decent interval training protocol as it includes a sane amount of repetitions, proper intensity recommendations and progression.
And, drum roll please, here are the results that I’ve put together for you in simple to read chart format:
| Measurement | Hypoxic Training (HT) |
Normal Training (Sea Level) |
| VO2 max | + 7.2% | + 8% |
| Wmax | + 15.5% | + 17.8% |
| Onset Blood Lactate Accumulation (OBLA) | + 11.1% | + 11.9% |
| Peak Power | + 2.1% | + 8.5% |
| Hemoglobin | 15.4 –> 15.3 | 14.3 –> 14.5 |
| Hematocrit | 44.9 –> 44.8 | 43.9 –> 44.0 |
“What exactly do these results mean Eric?”
Basically, that when hypoxic training (training at altitude) was compared to normal training, subjects on a 4 week interval training program showed NO DIFFERENCES IN RESULTS.
That means there were NO CHANGES in:
- Aerobic fitness (VO2 max)
- Anaerobic power (Wmax)
- Anaerobic lactic power (OBLA)
- The ability of your body to transport oxygen (hemoblogin and hematocrit)…
… between training at altitude vs. training normally at sea level.
Things are NOT looking good for the Elevation Training Mask!
Now, you might have noticed the difference between the 2 groups with respect to peak power, especially since I highlighted them in yellow. :)
While these #’s show that normal training resulted in greater increases in peak power, these results are tricky and are actually NOT significant.
This is mainly because the normal training group started at 729 watts vs. 872 watts of peak power, making it a lot easier for them to increase because they started at a lower level.
It’s like the guy who just starts Bench Pressing can go from 100 lbs to 200 lbs a heck of a lot quicker than the guy who has trained for years and can Bench 300 lbs and is trying to hit 400 lbs.
The bottom line is that this study, which used interval training that resembles the training an MMA guy would do, showed NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALTITUDE AND NORMAL TRAINING.
I repeat…
Over a 4 Week Interval Training Program, Altitude Training
Showed No Benefit Over Normal Training at Sea Level
Sorry Elevation Training Mask, CLAIM #1 has been completely rebuked!
Again, on TrainingMask.com, they state, “Elevation Training Mask mimics the effect of High Altitude Training…”
Even if this is true, the studies I’ve cited have shown that High Altitude Training (Train High) is pretty much worthless with respect to aerobic AND anaerobic fitness.
Altitude training does not result in increased red blood cell count or improved oxygen transport, thus does not improve aerobic or anaerobic fitness at all and neither will the Elevation Training Mask!
Now, let’s move on to CLAIM #2 [even though rebuking Claim #1 makes this redundant]: “Following are the changes that significantly boost athletic performance when using Elevation Training Mask:
- Increases in Lung capacity as your lungs have to work 9 times harder to get the oxygen in
- Increases anaerobic Thresholds
- Gas exchange becomes more efficient
- Energy Production levels rise
- Mental and Physical stamina increase
- Mental Focus gets better
More pretty big claims from the Elevation Training Mask I’d say!
From the study I just described, #2, 3, 4 and the “Physical stamina” portion of #5 are all out the window.
But here’s something interesting I found about #1, “Increases in Lung capacity as your lungs have to work 9 times harder to get the oxygen in.”
When using the Elevation Training Mask, yes,
your lungs do have to work harder.
I don’t know about 9 times harder, the actual # doesn’t matter, but yes, they do have to work harder.
But that begs me to ask,
“Do stronger lungs or increased lung capacity
result in improved performance?”
This is all that really matters and I’ve got an answer for you that comes from a highly unlikely source…
The PowerLung is another device that trains your lungs through the same method as the Elevation Training Mask: constricted breathing.
The PowerLung constricted breathing device.
They’ve put some studies on their website here.
The one that we’re interested in as athletes is the very last one (coincidence?) found here:
The study tested a control group vs. a group that used the PowerLung five days per week for five weeks 5 sets of 25 breaths.
Let’s look at the results: using the PowerLung improved lung capacity and lung strength by measuring how much air was blown out after a maximal inhalation and how much air could be blown out in 1 second and 3 seconds.
So maybe there’s something to this constricted breathing after all?
Well, maybe not…
Here at the performance results from this study, straight from the PowerLung website:
“No significant differences for VO2 max, ventilation (VE), tidal volume (VT), or total time.
The control group demonstrated an increase in Anaerobic / Lactate Threshold (LT), a decrease in HRmax and a decrease in RERmax.”
So in terms of performance, there were no changes, except the group that didn’t use the PowerLung improved their Anaerobic Threshold!
What this means for the Elevation Training Mask is that although it may improve lung strength and lung capacity, this has no bearing on aerobic fitness (VO2 max) or anaerobic fitness (AnT).
Finally, with respect to the mental aspect of having your breathing impaired, I suggest you simply train with a partner who mounts you and keeps trying to cover your airways as you try to escape…
Or, you could do this…
——————————————————
CONCLUSION
If you read all of this and Part 1, you’re either really interested in being in top shape for MMA (good for you!), you love to spend some money on new gadgets but do your due diligence first, or you’re just killing time, hopefully time at work that you’re getting paid for. :)
Either way, congrats for having the patience to stick with it. In today’s ADD-riddled society, this kind of patience is rare.
Now, I just want to recap everything and summarize everything for those who skipped the science stuff or those who are still a little confused.
Takeaway #1 – Training at altitude doesn’t seem to improve performance, especially with respect to the physical demands of MMA
Takeaway #2 – The claims of improved performance using the Elevation Training Mask are based on more claims that altitude training improves performance, which are false and false, respectively
Takeaway #3 – Training with the Elevation Training Mask may improve lung strength and lung capacity, however, these improvements don’t result in any increases in aerobic or anaerobic fitness (unless your lungs are your limiting factor, which may be the case if you have COPD or some other lung disease)
These are my conclusions, based on this study and others I’ve read.
Are these conclusions definitive?
Unfortunately, in science, no, they’re not. They never are. For every variable, you’ll find some studies that find a benefit, some studies that don’t, and a bunch that show no difference.
But here’s what I’m going to do – use my BRAIN.
When you restrict breathing (Elevation Training Mask)
or oxygen (altitude), you can’t work as hard.
This is a fact.
It may feellike you’re working hard as heck, but in fact, the intensity will be much lower than what you could do without a mask or at sea level.
If you can’t work at a certain intensity level, you can’t push certain systems to the point where they can adapt.
Remember that old core training principle of adaptation.
So, because you can’t work at an intensity that will cause beneficial adaptations, you won’t get adaptations.
For submaximal endurance sports (ie marathon running, long distance cycling, etc), the case is very different, but for a mixed sport like MMA, where there’s a whole lot of high intensity going on, I think the Elevation Training Mask is a waste of time, and will go the way of the Ab Belt and Shake Weight.
Oh, wait, the Ab Belt and Shake Weight are still around?
Oh well. At least those on the inside, like anyone who is subscribed to my newsletter gets the real TRUTH. Too bad for the rest of the shee-ple.
You and I both know that shortcuts with no negative effects are few and far between.
If you were going to buy the Elevation Training Mask, I suggest you spend your money somewhere wiser, like some good quality organic food, or maybe a periodized strength and conditioning program that’s PROVEN to work.
Thanks for sticking with me. Boy my fingers sure are tired!
The last thing I’d like to ask of you:
Please do me a favour and Share this with your friends via the Facebook buttons below or just go old school and email them the link to this article.
I put a lot of work into this article series, so if you appreciate it, show me by spreading the good word my friend; spread the good word.
Sincerely,
Eric “MMA’s Myth Buster” Wong
P.S. In case you were wondering, this post is serious and NOT tongue-in-cheek and no, I do not make any money if you purchase a Elevation Training Mask, Ab Belt, or Shake Weight. :)
Elevation Training Mask Review FAQ
Here are some questions I know will be asked, if you have any more, let me know in the Comments section and I’ll answer them for you.
Q: How exactly does altitude training stimulate red blood cells?
A: Come on, weren’t you reading – it doesn’t! But living at altitude does (Live High). This is because the amount of oxygen in the air is less than at sea level, which is different than just not being able to breathe in enough air.
Here’s basically how it works: with normal breaths at altitude, your body doesn’t get much oxygen so it thinks, “I need more O2 or I’m gonna DIE! What should I do?”
Then this hormone EPO through the body’s infinite wisdom increases, which then stimulates the production of red blood cells.
But this takes time, like constant daily exposure over weeks, not over the hour or two of training that you might do in a day.
Q: So is wearing the Elevation Training Mask actually like being at altitude?
This is a fundamental question that I realize I didn’t address in the main articles so I’ll talk about it here.
In short – NO.
Here’s why…
At altitude, you aren’t getting as much oxygen because each liter of air has less oxygen in it (due to lower atmospheric pressure at altitude).
When you’re wearing the mask, each liter of air has the same amount of oxygen, you’re just getting less air overall.
You don’t get any altitude benefits because when you inhale, you’re getting less air than normal, but the % of oxygen stays the same.
When the normal amount of oxygen comes in with this breath, there is nothing different for your brain to adapt to, unlike at altitude, when you take in a normal breath, there is far less oxygen, so your brain goes, “Holy crap, what’s going on – I’d better do something about this or I’m gonna die.”
Q: If I wear the elevation training mask to bed, will it help stimulate increased red blood cells?
A: Nope, not at all, because when at rest, your body is getting the same amount of air and oxygen it always does, so it will not need to adapt to anything, just maybe a little stronger breathing at rest, which would be wasteful and unwanted. But if your wife asks you to wear the Elevation Training Mask to bed that’s another story ;)
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Leave A Reply (79 comments So Far)
Wilson Ng
So in other words you are saying that the training mask has no benefit MMA training. However, you haven’t ruled out that it has no benefit to running or cycling?
Vladimir Kelman
Sorry, for a second long post, but here’s an excellent explanation in a comment at Amazon http://goo.gl/2p6pY:
By Shane Skinman Hanson
First of all, the air we breathe at sea level is approximately 20.9% Oxygen, 78.9% Nitrogen , a combined amount just under 0.97% Argon and C02 with the remainder being small amounts of other gases. As you ascend in altitude the air becomes thinner with the troposphere’s constituents decreasing proportionately ,resulting in a Hypoxic or oxygen deficient air supply.
Hypoxia is a state occurring in humans where there is insufficient oxygen supply to meet demand. Being the wondrous machine it is, the body makes changes and adaptations in order to meet the demand placed upon it starting with increased heart rate, frequency and depth of breathing, vasodilation and increased capillarization to better carry oxygenated blood , pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction directing blood flow to the gas exchange site (the alveoli) , increased VO2max, mitochondria efficiency, power output and energy production plus a signalled increase in natural EPO production in the kidneys.
There are 3 levels of altitude as identified by the International Society for Mountain Medicine with the oxygen content decreasing as ascension in altitude is made. For example, if you were in the town of Eldoret, Kenya, home of world champion long distance runners, you will find yourself at 2400m above sea level with an atmospheric oxygen content of around 14.5%. As you ascend in altitude your blood oxygen saturation (SaO2%) drops with the hypoxic response occurring, however products like these masks will not cause your SaO2% to drop to the levels associated with high altitude training even under the most intense exercise as there is no alteration to the amount of oxygen passing through the mask and into your lungs.
It doesn’t take a medical degree to know that if you’re at sea level, breathing sea level air (20.9% oxygen) through a restrictive device, the air coming through it and available to you is still going to be of 20.9% oxygen content. So how do products like this simulate altitude training as they claim?
Quite simply, they don’t.
Which brings me to the point of what they actually do. Products like these are essentially diaphragm training devices. As they force you to draw deeper breaths you learn to use your diaphragm better whilst also building its strength as it works against the RESISTANCE CREATED BY THE FILTERS. That is all they do. Your oxygen processing will slightly improve with diaphragm training but only because of 1: retraining your breathing muscles by shifting focus from intercostal breathing to diaphragmatic and 2: the larger air volume you are able to take in with greater ease as a result of strengthening the diaphragm and using it in a controlled manner.
Vladimir Kelman
You said,
Takeaway #1 – Training at altitude doesn’t seem to improve performance, especially with respect to the physical demands of MMA
Takeaway #2 – The claims of improved performance using the Elevation Training Mask are based on more claims that altitude training improves performance, which are false and false, respectively
Takeaway #3 – Training with the Elevation Training Mask may improve lung strength and lung capacity, however, these improvements don’t result in any increases in aerobic or anaerobic fitness (unless your lungs are your limiting factor, which may be the case if you have COPD or some other lung disease)
I believe you are right if you consider “30 min of cycling exercise three times per week. One group trained in normobaric hypoxia at a simulated altitude of 2750 m” (or worse – Training Mask usage) to be a real altitude training. But as a mountain climber I know from a personal experience (not a study, sorry, but such studies very likely were performed) that after prolonged mountain climbs, especially at really high altitude, performance often increases significantly. Again – I don’t have time for a research, but from my own personal experience, it was unbelievable easy to run 50K UROC ultra-marathon after I spent several weeks in Bolivia at altitude of 3500 – 6000 m. The similar effect was just after about a week of climbing at relatively moderate altitude of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan (WA) – just below 4000 m.
It’s well known that long time runners like to train at altitude, the same do high-level cross-ski sportsmen. I’m sure there is a solid evidence of this being advantageous, not only anecdotal ones.
Glenn
Question is: How do you break it to those ‘sold’ athletes in the gym running around with a gas mask and everyone thinks they are so high tech they are better than the average joe?
Eric Reply:
April 26th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Don’t worry ’bout others, worry ’bout yourself!
Jin
hey, wow this is really great! haha I was really thinking of buying one but i was searching for side effects of the mask to make sure. Unfortunately I don’t do MMA ;( I do have interest! (sad for Overeem…despite his cocky mental, he was still a good fighter in my opinion) I play soccer! And I was looking for a way to improve myself even more efficiently than just old “practice makes perfect” style because I don’t have much time in a day to practice. You mentioned that it won’t make you stronger (or actually become weaker, u said the study wasn’t accurate) but it does help strengthen lungs? does that mean it’ll enable me to intake or store more oxygen? then i’d able to be not so tired easily after the same amount of running?
Matt
when you sleep at high altitude, you have to breathe harder/faster in order to get the same amount of oxygen. when you sleep in this mask, you also have to breathe harder/faster in order to get the same amount of oxygen. so, why wouldn’t this mask help you, if you use the live high, train low plan?
why would, if you sleep with the mask, your body just breathe harder and not produce more red blood cells… but if you sleep in high altitude your body doesn’t breathe harder but does produce more red blood cells instead? i don’t really get it
Eric Reply:
April 26th, 2012 at 9:22 am
I just spent 2 articles explaining this I’m not going to do it again here. Read it again!
Jeff Gentile
This was great and very informative. I train at a kickboxing gym and saw one of the guys with it…training mask that is. I assist in training youth-high school football teams and my first thought was, “wow, what a great tool to simulate the 4th quarter when your body is at its most tired.” I’m very hesitant now and pretty much convinced this wouldn’t work at all. 1, do you think this could help in that scenario and 2, if not…what could?
Thanks and again, nice work.
Dot
The biggest problem is the training mask is in no possible way altitude training. It isn’t doing anything that exercise doesn’t do anyway. Normal healthy people do not breath off of a hypoxic drive, they breathe off of a hypercarbic drive. If you hold your breath and you really want to breathe it is to reduce (blow off) CO2 not to increase O2. If a device restricts the volume of air available, you will simply increase you respiratory rate, and increase your I:E (inspiratory, expiratory ratio) Which may give an effect of increased expiratory pressure, which may actually increase O2 in the blood. The mask can train your breathing and shift focus of training more to respiratory muscles, however you cannot strengthen lungs they are not a muscle. It is my guess that blood O2 and CO2 levels will be no different with or without the mask. What is REALLY disturbing is that The Training mask website actually says that the mask will increase alveolar elasticity…. THAT IS HOGWASH.
joe
i study kinesiology at the undergrad level. After reading your conclusions, I would have to agree with most of them. You are forgetting one important adaption that would be beneficial to any athlete that breaths air. Increasing the difficulty of breathing requires the inspiratory/expiratory muscles(internal/external intercoastals, diaphragm, etc.) would making the muscles work harder which would cause some kind of adaption resulting in more forceful breathing. I would venture to guess that more forceful breathing would result in a larger tidal volume or greater lung capacity. Greater lung capacity equals more air through gas exchange and more air equals more work.
So that would be one adaption.
If you guys want to increase anaerobic threshold look into bicarbonate loading, that should be right up your alley.
Derek Reply:
March 21st, 2012 at 12:13 pm
That is my exact feeling about this product. I have it and use it. I have noticed increased performance at an accelerated rate. I am also noticeably working the inspiratory/expiratory muscles(internal/external intercostals, diaphragm, etc.) and can “feel the burn” even the next day.
And I love the bicarbonate loading. Alkaline is the way to be!
MIke M
I have watched these forums for a long time and cannot sit here and ignore them anymore and feel the record needs to be set straight on some claims and statements made by these manufactures. There is a need to separate the marketing hype surrounding these products and what is actually reality. I will keep it really simple. I am not going to say they are good or bad (every product has a place) but if one has an understanding of biology, physiology and importantly cardio vascular function then you would have a good understanding of hypoxic physiology and if one also has an understanding of medical engineering and machinery, you would know that these products, DO NOT MIMIC THE PHYSIOLOGOCIAL EFFECTS AND SUBSEQUESTLY EVOKE THE SAME RESPONCES AS INTERMITTENT HYPOXIC TRAINING FOR EXAMPLE DOES. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE. (also not all forms of altitude training are the same. Really important to note this fact) I’m sorry to disappoint you all but they don’t. As a LUNG training device yes, as you are restricting AIR FLOW, you are NOT reducing the oxygen percentage in inspired air i.e. at sea level the content we breathe is roughly 20% oxygen (The air we inhale is roughly 78% by volume nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.96% argon and 0.04% carbon dioxide, helium, water, and other gases) when doing NIHT for example the oxygen content that one can breathe can be as little as 6-8% for example with de-saturation levels reached in the 60’s AND 50’s which has a huge effect on acid base changes in the body for example, i.e. lactic acid buffering (threshold) meaning greater improvements in speed, power and endurance and recovery done using short cyclic bursts done at total rest, (passive) therefore causing the necessary cardiovascular and respiratory responses. These devices don’t do this. I have used them both, o2 and the mask. If one cannot afford Powerbreathe or Spiro Tiger then these are good alternatives, (if one cannot afford these either, the same can be achieved with breathing through straws of different thicknesses and quantities for example, many different ways you can restrict air flow, use a dive snorkel and you can tape the end and poke different hole sizes in it) but remember, they DO NOT MIMIC ACUAL HYPOXIC TRAINING NO MATTER WHAT ANY ONE SAYS. As the saying goes, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE and common sense prevails
Jesse
Well I use a homade version of the mask. The biggest positive aspect for me is the mental. I am a boxer. I trainned with the mask for three weeks and had been recently trainning for months. After my first session of 300 burpees that a sqaut and a pushup. I did sets of 25 without the mask and it was a blast regular. Then I did 25 with the mask. I don’t know what the claims are if they are not scientific, but as a fighter it made me fatigue to the point of fight or flight , thats what i needed. I like the idea of the mask it pushes me to fight harder increasing my fighting spirit and mental toughness to complete my assignment. Do 3 sets of pushups without the mask for a week than do one week with the mask, if you pay attention you will notice the difference. One Love- youtube/ adrenalinefichtclub1.
Jesse Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 11:42 am
spell check …homemade, fightclub lol.
steeler
ok i understand that elevation masks dont work but what about altitude in general like fighters moving to higher altitudes
Paul Grey
Great Article.
I thought it was going to be some selling line for the mask. Well done for honest and informative research.
Its an interesting paradox that this equipment may actually reduce long term work capacity as you simply cant train as hard wearing it.
Again great article.
Paul
Michael
You touched on the Live High, Train Low method in the Q/A, but not explicitly in the main article. That’s worth more attention.
Andre Reply:
December 2nd, 2011 at 4:09 am
Agreed. To me this seems most likely to be beneficial, as that the general lack of oxygen in the air as you go about your life would yield a higher red blood cell count, but training in an oxygen rich environment would still allow you to push yourself to the max in training
Simon
To be sucessful at altitude training you need to live at altitude and train at altitude. To train at altitude to get full benifit you need to suppliment o2 to be able to train hard enough without getting tired. thats how you get your body to adapt. The mask strengtens your breathing so less effort is needed to breath. In hard efforts your body will adapt so training hard in the mask is a benifit same stress on body in less time…Different sports require different tools it will work for some but maybe not others.
JDavila
dude i gotta get me one of those towels!
Poriel
awesome review, so we at least have something that can encourage stronger lungs, just not for what theyre selling it for… and at the price that theyre asking. good to know.
SleepyDragonz
Hey, I have asthma so i was wondering if i should get the mask anyway to help improve lung capacity or something like that.
Awesome review by the way, thanks!
Ivan
Thanks for Research Eric. I agree that restrctive breathing mediums have limited applications.
As a runner BREATHING FREELY is vital for tempo & technique. Which ultimately leads to faster times.
REAL ALTITUDE training is accomplished in gradual phases in order for the body to adjust. This Mask is surely NOT the same. A gimick, perhaps. But to be fair, I may just purchase one to render terminal judgement.
5K Racer
freediver
traditional paddleboard racer
Anthony Marquez
Eric,
Do you think this will help with firefighter training? Getting use to working with a mask?
James Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 3:34 am
im in the military , and we constantly do gas mask runs and workouts with our issued masks . there has to be some benefit to training with it . your review makes sense , but ive seen guys that are failing PT standards and begin doing regular gas mask runs , and improve significantly
Ken
Great info. I have my fighters train at times with a face mask headgear on because it is difficult to breath in. The reasoning behind this is that they will focus on breathing and not panic when in spots that are hard to breath in, or for overall breathing correctly during a match or bout.
kid atlas
i was about to buy the mask, but your review was overwhelmingly convincing. thank you for doing the research and sharing your conclusions.
jake Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
it does work iv used it for a while
Rocci
http://www.port.ac.uk/research/news/title,130995,en.html
what do you think to this?
Justin Reply:
August 4th, 2011 at 3:18 am
That makes perfect sense when the event is running, where aerobic conditioning is king. But it would be much less relevant to MMA or grappling where performance revolves around all three energy sytems and particularly the anaerobic-lactic system. So the fifteen percent figure doesn’t really apply at all to the sports in this discussion.
However, this kind of training might help you recover faster on your feet by developing your aerobic system, this is obviously an advantage, but that would be an extra edge to look for if you’re already totally solid on your conditioning. I think the statement Eric is making about lung training is basically that most fighters have so far to go with their conditioning programs in the first place that putting focus on little things like this is barking up the wrong tree.
In this thread, though, we haven’t addressed the concept of adding in breath restriction in addition to peak performance “cardio” (sorry, Eric, I don’t know what else to call it…), which I am very curious about. The main question was if doing your primary training with breath restriction would increase results, and the answer is that it actually hurts your results because it hurts performance in training.
But here’s my thinking – when your muscles are still recovering between hard endurance circuits, and you are just doing light jogging and whatnot to stay loose and recover faster, wouldn’t adding in breath restriction (such as breathing very slowly counting your footsteps while jogging) allow for more development of the lactic system without adding additional stress on your muscles and joints? If restricting oxygen flow to muscles with an isometric hold engages the lactic system then this would make sense. It’s pretty easy to get that feeling while jogging by restricting your breathing.
Personally, I do both the breath restriction between workouts and the breathing-muscle conditioning, but I see it as “something extra”. What really makes the big difference in how I feel fighting is those hard endurance circuits.
Ivan Reply:
October 16th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
if you’re a competive runner BREATHING is vital. Technique and tempo cannot be hindered with breathing restrictions.
Jesus
In this study lack of oxygen increases hypertrophy supposedly http://www.ergo-log.com/hypoxiagym.html
Off-topic, but dinosaurs were huge! It’s weird cause scientists believe it was a oxygen-rich atmosphere that made for their supergrowth, but then again there’s others that say it was a carbon-dioxide rich atmosphere that made plants abundant for animals to eat good and get huge… what kind of conditions are Samoans living in that causes them to grow huge? hmm…
Eric Reply:
July 22nd, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Jesus,
That study is an interesting one but I’d have to see the full thing – it was done in 2010 but hasn’t been published so it may have been rejected by the journals for some reason…
In terms of dinosaurs, yes they were huge. Maybe it was an O2 rich environment.
But elephants are huge. So are whales. And Africans are pretty tall, as are Northern Chinese. Icelanders are big and strong.
What causes this? Genetics first, then an environment that supports the built-in genetic predispositions.
Gary Hare
I hear what you’re saying Eric, and your site gives the best advice with none of the Im-a-celebrity-look-at-me stuff. But I bought the mask because I know how hard it is training in an NBC respirator. And I know how easy it feels (for a while at least) when you take it off. Maybe it is a mental thing – but I think using it say every third day – does have benefits. Love the site though.
Gary
austin
hey eric i didnt know where to put this question so ill put it here. ok is there any way i could buy your advanced mma power program? because i went to advancedmmapower.com and your program wasnt there.
Kris
P.S. The infomercial killed me!!! LMAO
Kris
Ok Eric now lets take it to the other end. The muscle cant work as hard because there is not enough O2 to supply them. If we were to train with O2 would we see better results since the muscle will now have to work as hard as it can?
Maybe hit an O2 tank between every excercise and feed those muscles! Whats your take on that?
Eric Reply:
July 17th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
That’s a great question and is probably worth another blog post. :)
Asp Reply:
December 11th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Kris,
This answer is anecdotal and my opinion only, so put whatever value on it you want.
I was actually interested in O2 therapy for both training and just generally feeling better, so I asked my doctor about it. He did an oxygen test on me and it came back at 99% capacity because I am a healthy person rather than someone with an oxygen deficiency (which is what O2 therapy is generally used for). The doctor then stated that the red blood cells will not carry anything over 100% capacity. Because of this, he stated breathing a higher oxygen environment would not improve general health but could actually be toxic. (See here for more information about oxygen toxicity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8087571).
If you have ever sat at an oxygen bar and felt better afterwards this seems counter-intuitive (which is why I asked about it to begin with), but I think it is a question of a little is good but a lot actually has a negative effect… sort of like drinking a glass of wine a day is good for your health but getting drunk every night will destroy it. I don’t know if small amounts of additional oxygen during training will allow for a small benefit in added workload capacity (sort of like an energy drink does), but that seems like the only possible benefit rather than oxygenation of the muscle tissue for repair (unless you actually have a medical condition) and could actually cause damage.
Satyajeet
Eric thts epic..
Daniel
Great Article Eric, you did your homework as well as mine.
The information was spot on plus your infomercial was very funny, thank you for the information.
By the way why does that mask need to cover the eyes, they don’t breath? ;0)
Eric Reply:
July 16th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Hey thanks Daniel… I think it’s because it makes you look and feel more HARDCORE when you’re training lol
Kris
Great Job Eric.
Numbers
Eric Wong,
thank you for sharing this research on the training mask.
Larry
I ll get three sets of those beach towels please
Larry
I ll buy three sets of beach towels
Justin
Hey Eric – another common thing for fighters to do is to put a belt around their chest or ribs to restrict breathing and run up and down stairs or whatnot. Is this basically another example of the same thing?
Also – kind of off topic, but what’s your personal opinion about CrossFit as conditioning for fighters and grapplers?
Eric Reply:
July 16th, 2011 at 11:52 am
Hey Justin,
Restricting the chest is the same idea as the PowerLung… So yes, it’ll strengthen your breathing muscles and improve your lung capacity, but unless these things are a limiting factor for you, it won’t do much for performance. Unless you have some lung disease or condition like COPD or asthma, then I’d seriously try it out.
As for CrossFit, one thing I find with CrossFitters is the high rate of overuse injuries, tendonitis, etc, because you just bash yourself into the ground every workout.
If you’ve got to train MMA, boxing, jiu-jitsu etc during the same week, these sessions are going to be negatively impacted because both your muscular and nervous systems are going to be hammered, so you’re not going to pick up as much there…
Plus, I’m not one for ‘random’ workouts – fail to plan, plan to fail and a mediocre plan followed will outperform randomness.
Justin Reply:
July 17th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Thanks Eric!
Rob King
Hey Eric
Great blog post man.
I was debating buying one of these masks, thanks for the info.
Even though there is crap all research I may order one and test it. I have wasted money on worse lol
Thanks
Rob
http://www.RobKingFitness.com
dragonmamma/naomi
Damn. I was all set to buy a large economy pack of balloons and make a killing by selling 7 to a pack as a BUILD LUNG STRENGTH AND CAPACITY: ONE WEEK PACKAGE DEAL for ONLY $9.99!!
But now you’re teaching people to think and not fall for these scams. Thanks a bunch, Eric, there goes my easy money.
Fady Ibrahim
That video was hilarious man, good stuff Eric
Jay
Could you do a review on the O2 Trainer by Bas Rutten? I’m fairly sure none of these types of aids help, but it would be interesting to see real statistical data to prove it.
Michael
Thanks for the science, applause for the acting-skills!
Raymond
Great review. Great article. This is why we’re here… NO BS and NO BIAS!
Thanks Eric
Poopy Pants
2 days too late… i just bought the damn thing. now i gotta sell it on e-bay!
Eric Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Don’t worry, it’ll go fast… It’s a hot item right now.
anthony
hey brother,
good job on the information, though i am a little dissappointed because i’ve already got the mask,
maybe it was just me, or because i smoke, i did feel an improvement in breathing.. i felt like i had alot more energy through a bigger lung capacity,
wether that’s really what happened, or it was just mental.
but if it was mental than so be it.
kinda like those silly power bands… they dont make you stronger or anything, but it’s in your head?
Eric Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Hey man ain’t nothing wrong with a little Placebo effect… :)
But if you smoke, maybe it is a good thing? Either way, if you’re feeling the effects, I can’t argue with that at all so keep on it!
Strong
Eric – You are a very funny guy. The infomercial was great. I’m buying 3!
Thanks for the knowledge and the laughs Bro’.
Strength & Honor……
Scott
Thanks Eric nicely done.
ray
awesome work man, i loved the towel video, thats gonna be stuck in my head al day.
Kenny Blanton
Thanks. This is the first true review I’ve found on the mask. Thanks for being real with us and setting the record straight.
John
Good one Eric – many thanks!
Ross White
Eric, another quality post. As said on your earlier post about the training mask, was thinking about investing, but after seeing this post & reading. I wont be investing in the training mask. From what I can gather nothing beats hard graft. Thanks again eric.
Ross
Vicente
Hi there!
great article Eric! many thanks for taking the time to share this stuff. There is just a little mistake i thought you may want to correct: the air composition is the same anywhere in the atmosphere (Mainly Nitrogen -78% and Oxygen – 21%). The point is pressure. When you breathe, you create a pressure differential with the outside, which fills your lungs with air. When you are in altitude, the pressure is much lower and you cannot take in as much air as when you are at sea level. That is why your body adapts becoming more efficient in handling the available oxygen and increases EPO production.
Many thanks and keep up with good work!
Best regards from Spain
Vicente
Eric Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Vicente – got it man, thanks for the correction.
Ming
Eric,
Nice report.
I presed the fb Like button; and the following message showed up.
There was an error liking the page. If you are the page owner, please try running your page through the linter on the Facebook devsite (https://developers.facebook.com/tools/lint/) and fixing any errors.
Eric Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Thanks for that Ming – got it plugged up for now.
Cork-boi
Where can I get this towel?
Eric Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Only online through my secure website.
Tommy
Cheers for another top quality article Eric! Keep it up!
Marios
Good article Eric. Thank you for the information.
Anders
Impressive, Eric. Thank you very much for your info and the work you put into it
. . . . . I guess I will have to start training after all :-)
Keep up the good work
Eddy
Great article Eric, knew that the mask looked a bit dodgy when I first saw it so was dubious about it. Appreciate the effort gone into making these kind of articles. (By the way, I loved the video).
Thanks, Ed
kharina
yes yes yes!! I am so glad u did the research, I ve always said to clients if ur breathing is restricted u cant work as hard, i ve not invested in it. mostly because i couldn’t find enough hard evidence! thanks Eric!! thanks for the ASSIGNMENT!! lol xx
Chris Gee
HAHA
I knew it was just another scam!
Thanks for all the research you’ve done and the detailed info you have posted about the elevation traning mask.
Great job!
Rocci
Eric, that is a master piece lol I knew you wouldnt let me down and I am so chuffed that you put this up – cheers, I can honestly say that when I have followed you template for the NRG system when peaking nothing gets me breathing hard like those do. The video was awesome and funny as heck once again thanks. Rocci