How can Altitude training improve your life
This is a great way to boost fitness, train for sporting challenges, lose that excess weight and even improve your stamina while you sleep. And it's as simple as breathing.
Altitude training was commercially available from 2013, and it's being used by everyone from elite athletes to ordinary fitness enthusiasts. Some fans have reported that it improved their skin tone and helps them feel younger – we've heard it all before and we have already discussed the benefits of altitude training on our blogs in the Website.
Altitude training is a proven method of enhancing fitness. How? You ask, By improving your body's ability to take in and deliver oxygen. Oxygen is the fuel that powers your muscles.
It's perfect if you're a cycle racer or preparing to compete in an endurance event such as the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc – the ultimate runners' challenge.
But if, like me, you'd just like to boost your fitness level and get ready for the beach, adding an altitude-training session to your routine will certainly improve your general health and sporting ability.
So how do you train at altitude without climbing a bloody great mountain?
I first tried it out at a specially designed heated altitude chamber in Dublin - Altipeak Studios. Here you can do a spinning session on stationary bikes with other high-altitude trainers in the 15pc oxygen level – equal to being at 8,500ft (2,590m). Normal air has 21pc oxygen – that's at ground level.
This rating puts you as high as some peaks of the Rocky Mountains but lower than Africa's Kilimanjaro – a climb that's a goal for many Irish hopefuls, and reaches a peak of 5,895m.
Altitude training is gaining a growing following because it improves your fitness fast, says Noel O Brien, CEO and Head of the Altipeak International.
So how does it feel? Fine at first, but soon you'll start to pant, and you have to work harder to reach the running or cycling pace you normally achieve.
The lower level of oxygen is making your heart and lungs pump faster, says Paul Gilson, a part-time fitness instructor at Altipeak Studios who keeps a watchful eye on your progress through a polar strap attached to your body.
A two-time Olympic athlete, Griffin used to travel abroad twice a year so he could train at altitude. And he's not alone – many international athletes head to the high ground when they're preparing for competition.
Why is it good for you? Because training at lower oxygen levels means you have to work harder to achieve the same results – so it makes you stronger.
And if your work commitments and wallet don't permit a trip to the Pyrenees or the Rift Valley, there's always the option of an hypoxic chamber. This is a specially sealed room in which the oxygen content of the air is reduced to simulate being at altitude.
If you'd like to try it out for longer, you can rent your own portable altitude mask, or set up an altitude tent at home. An altitude tent is a big see-through plastic dome that fits over your bed.
"It's for every level of fitness, not just elite athletes," he says. "It makes you look younger, improves your skin tone and helps with weight loss."
And call me an airhead, but if cutting down on my oxygen intake helps improve my fitness for scaling a mountain of scones, I'm in and so should you!
If you are an entrepreneur looking for opportunities in the fitness industry, I highly recommend starting an Altitude training fitness studio in your country! You may be the first and Altipeak International will help you set up the studio. The revenue generated from Altitude training is staggering and it is always a houseful session, always!
