Altitude training or, alternatively, training in hypobaric hypoxia (i.e. with an artificial hypoxia generator) is one of the most used methods by elite athletes to improve their performance. This type of training causes the stimulation of erythropoietin, a hormone responsible for producing new red blood cells, which would lead to an increase in red blood cells, an improvement in oxygen transport and therefore an improvement in our performance.
However, these methods are not within the reach of any athlete, much less at an amateur level. For this reason, in recent years new tools have emerged that try to simulate the lack of oxygen caused by altitude, one of the best known being the famous "altitude mask". These masks restrict airflow through adjustable valves, and it is already quite common to see athletes using them during both strength and endurance sessions.
In this sense, a study (Porcari, 2016) evaluated the effectiveness of this type of mask in participants who trained with or without a mask for 6 weeks (two days/week) by performing HIIT sessions (high-intensity series, in this case 10 sets of 30 seconds). The results showed that the group that trained with a mask perceived the training sessions as harder than the control group. In addition, arterial oxygen saturation levels were significantly lower (although only 2% lower) in the mask-trained group, but there were no differences in lactate levels. But beyond the acute responses, the key finding was that after 6 weeks of training, no significant differences were observed between the control group and the group that trained with a mask in hematological variables such as hematocrit or hemoglobin, as well as in lung capacity variables. In addition, both groups also improved their maximum aerobic power and their maximum oxygen consumption, although it should be noted that only the group that trained with a mask improved their ventilatory threshold, respiratory compensation threshold and the power associated with these thresholds.
In contrast, in a similar study (Biggs, 2017) in which 17 participants trained HIIT (in this case 90-second sets at 80% of maximum heart rate) with or without a mask for 6 weeks, no differences were found between groups in oxygen consumption or any pulmonary variables.
Another study (Sellers, 2016) also evaluated the effect of wearing an altitude mask, but in this case during high-intensity strength and running circuits performed 4 days a week for 6 weeks. After the training program, no differences were found in anaerobic capacity (wingate test) or aerobic capacity (maximal oxygen consumption) between groups. In addition, other authors have observed that training with a mask during strength sessions can worsen performance during them (lower number of repetitions or speed) (Andre, 2018; Jagim, 2018), which could decrease some long-term adaptations
Therefore, the benefits of so-called "altitude masks" are still very uncertain, and in any case rather less clear than those produced by altitude. More studies are needed to confirm some of the effects that have been observed on performance, such as improved thresholds, but so far there is not enough evidence to support this tool.
References
- Porcari, J. P. et al (2016) Effect of Wearing the Elevation Training Mask on Aerobic Capacity, Lung Function, and Hematological Variables. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 15: 379-389.
- Sellers, J. H. et al (2016) Efficacy of a ventilatory training mask to improve anaerobic and aerobic capacity in reserve officers’ training corps cadets. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 30: 1155-1160.
- Andre, T. L. et al (2018) Restrictive Breathing Mask Reduces Repetitions to Failure During a Session of Lower-Body Resistance Exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research. In press
- Jagim, A. R. et al (2018) The Acute Effects of the Elevation Training Mask on Strength Performance in Recreational Weightlifters. Journal of strength and conditioning research. In press.
AUTHOR
Pedro Valenzuela
Researcher in the Physiology Unit of the University of Alcalá and in the Performance Control Unit at the Sports Medicine Center (AEPSAD, CAR of Madrid).
Web: www.fissac.com
