Ambient air at sea level contains approximately 20.9% Oxygen,
79% Nitrogen, and .1% Argon and other trace gasses.
Although the oxygen content of the atmosphere remains
constant as elevation increases, the pressure gradient
decreases making it harder for the body to extract that
oxygen. In the decreased pressure of 3000 meters above
sea level, a human body is able to effectively access
only two-thirds of the oxygen that it could at sea level.
At 6500 meters above sea level, only half of the oxygen
in the atmosphere is available. We humans are highly
adaptive organisms, and over time our bodies will adapt
to cope with effectively lower oxygen levels by increasing
the volume of red blood cells in our blood. The increased
number of red blood cells transport oxygen to our brain
and tissues more efficiently and effectively. When a
body that’s acclimated to lower oxygen levels
returns to sea level, it performs more efficiently as
the additional red blood cells it has acquired easily
absorb and transport the higher levels of available
oxygen.
AltiMax Training Center employs a method of simulated high altitude
training known as Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT),
which exposes the trainee to "hypoxic air."
Hypoxic air contains 9 to 16% oxygen, equivalent to
the air found at an altitude of 2,000 to 6,500 meters
above sea level. The hypoxic air is delivered at 4 to
6 minute intervals, interspersed with equal intervals
of sea-level quality air, for training sessions that
last from 45 to 90 minutes. Trainees complete 15 –
20 sessions while sitting comfortably in a lounge chair.
The most obvious advantage of IHT to an athlete is increased
aerobic capacity. Unlike some other hypoxic treatment
regimens, the IHT system does not require an athlete
to sleep in less-than-ideal conditions, nor does it
reduce the duration of the training regimen by attempting
to train the athlete in a diminished oxygen environment.
Further, IHT allows for the complete comfort of the
athlete during treatment.
Data such as the date, time, oxygen concentration and physiological
parameters, are recorded with computer software that
has been designed to allow AltiMax to display and store
the training sessions in detail for analysis. Data can
be sent to a printer, a spreadsheet, or other applications.
Saved information may be used to aid in assessing an
athlete’s current state of fitness and the comparative
extent of his or her adaptation to hypoxic training.
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