[Polynikes]

Originally Posted by my big toe

Yeah, there's no doubt that it works. I bet it's safer than EPO, too. I could have used this thing back when I was competing. I always trained at sea level, and then did some races at altitude like the Mammoth stage race. I found out the hard way that you should either go the day before the race or two+ weeks early. The first time I went 3 days early...by the 3rd stage I was toast.

Now, how do you explain to your wife/girlfriend that you sleep in an oxygen tent...

it is much safer than epo...

people on epo develop blood viscosity problems and develop clots...

[Polynikes]

Originally Posted by my big toe

It looks like the IOC banned them at the 2000 games, I was wondering if this was going to fly with the IOC. I think they said it was considered "unsafe". Here's another article on it:

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/articles/scni5a8.htm
...Among them was Michelle Jones, winner of the silver medal in the first ever Olympic triathlon. The hypoxic tent system, which is manufactured by an American firm run by the former British Olympic cyclist Shaun Wallace, costs £4,000. Despite this hefty price tag, it is becoming increasingly popular with endurance athletes looking for a legal way to increase their red blood cell count in the hope that this will make them run faster. Demand for the tents is reported to have surged since the introduction, at last year's Olympics, of a test, which could detect the banned hormone erythropoctin (EPO).

Among others who use hypoxic tents regularly are Britain's world cross-country champion Paula Radcliffe, England's former world triathlon champion Simon Lessing, Australia's ironman triathlon champion Greg Welch, New Zealand's Commonwealth cycling gold medallist Lee Vertongen and America's Olympic swimming silver medallist and world record holder Ed Moses. "Runners have a saying, sleep high, train hard - and that's what I do," says Suzy Favor Hamilton, America's top ranked 1,500m runner, who also uses the tent.

Here's another manufacturer that make a portable one:

http://www.go2altitude.com/

I would think that the tent would get pretty hot and stuffy inside.

i think it's bullshit that it's banned...

if kenyans can run in the mountains, why can't we sleep there?

and it doesn't get hot inside if you keep the room cool with a fan...

[Poseidon]

Yeah... Lance & Co, with all that Scientific training and scientific substances that no-one is ever on.

I do believe in altitude training. When I was in the Seychelles, the humidity at times was high and that alone was enough to push me onto another level. There just wasn't alot of air to breath.

[Brad Morris]

I read the articles http://altitudetraining.com/main/co...acticalApproach and http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/articles/scni5a8.htm

I am still interested and I sent the company that Polynikes originally posted about an email asking for a price on the tent and mask so far I have not had a response!

[Polynikes]

Originally Posted by matsumi

I read the articles http://altitudetraining.com/main/co...acticalApproach and http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/articles/scni5a8.htm

I am still interested and I sent the company that Polynikes originally posted about an email asking for a price on the tent and mask so far I have not had a response!

keep on 'em...

[peanut butter]

sorry but i dont understand, why is train low,sleep high, better than train high ,sleep low. surely the second would allow for harder training but also better recovery???

[Brad Morris]

Training at altitude is harder, but the point of the simulated altitude system is to improve aerobic performance at lower altitudes. To do this the body must acclimatize to the lower percentage of oxygen in the air, and one of the ways the body does that is through the increase of red blood cells. An Increase in total red blood cell mass - This means more red blood cells are available to transport oxygen to the muscle cells. More oxygen to the working muscle cells will result in improved aerobic performance.

Whilst sleeping at sea level or even better sleeping in a high oxygen room will aid recovery, the point of the simulated altitude training systems is to make your body respond to an altitude of say 9000 feet so that it will produce more red blood cells and thus inprove aerobic performance.

Training at altitude for 1 to 2 hrs a day Would have far less effect on the body's ability to acclimatize, therefore a much lower increase in red blood cell production. Compared with 8 hrs a night of sleep at altitude (or simulated altitude).

Training at altitude is recommended by Hypoxico Inc to be done a few times per week as well as sleeping at a simulated altitude.

[Brand Nizzle]

I don't know dude..I spend 1000+ dollars on filters for the house to make sure the Air quality is the best it can be, who knows what kind of air quality that shit is pumping into your lungs 24/7 like that.

[Brad Morris]

I have no idea what the air quality is like that the generator pumps in, I've never used a simulated altitude system. But I have read a few studies on the topic of altitude training, which suggested the way to get the best out of altitude training was to sleep high train low.

I live in a sparsely populated mountains area at about 3000 feet above sea level, the air quality here is great, I don't know what it would be like to use an altitude simulator in a densely populated city at sea level with a high pollution reading!

But I would definitely like to try one of these simulators for a couple of months.

[ThaiChampion]

Damn this sounds like a really great invention, I only wish I could afford such a thing.