I was watching the Wanderlei Silva training video and noticed he uses a snorkel to limit the amount of oxygen he gets while training. Are there any studies showing a benefit to this? It seems like slowing ones performance down in a conditioning circuit would be a negative thing.

the point of it, as i understand it, is that limiting the amount of oxygen means that the same routines and exercises will induce higher levels of lactic acid & fatigue. he then pushes thru this. So he gets used to a level of fatigue thatmost others might not.

It would take longer & much more 'work' to achieve the same level of fatigue with fully available oxygen.

I assume its the same idea (only more pronounced) as altitude training, which is friggin awesome btw.

Couldn't you get the same effect by just wearing a mouthpiece and breathing thru your nose?

i dont think breathing thru your nose limits you in any way.

i was always taught to breathe thru my nose in order to maintain controlled breathing. It seems instinctual to open the mouth and gasp for air, but you can still breathe long and deep thru the nose, perhaps just not as rapidly.

either way if breathing thru your nose does limit when compared to mouth, the effect has to be absolutely minimal compared to these methods. (i have no idea if wearing a mouthpiece affects the nasal passages, but again even if it does the effect is minimal in comparison.)

I didn't need a repeat of what they said on the show (which I just said I already watched).

This doesn't answer anything, especially the objection to it I wrote. One can just max out their heart rate without a snorkel and push through it. No difference except they benefit from faster training, wheras the hypoxia-trainer trains himself to be slow. To me, it looks like non-hypoxia training has the edge.

Your assumption about altitude training is completely wrong. The clear benefits are from "live high train low" athletes who are able to train at speed in a normal environment then live and rest in an altitude simulated environment. Altitude "living" is what produces the benefit, not altitude "training" (at least in terms of RBC production). Altitude training in itself may be detrimental.

Please, I'm looking for informed posts.

I practice hypoxic swimming sometimes. Basically, instead of breathing every stroke, you breathe every 3 strokes, or 4... or 10. You can pyramid it if you like. Makes swimming very intense, but you gradually get better at swimming hard without oxygen. If you do this, you should probably have at least a lifeguard present.

im not sure what you are asking exactly. i though mebbe u missed it or watched it wothout sound or w/e.

why would he purposefully slow himself down? i dont think he is, its just a consequence of the fatigue. if he could go faster he would im sure.
bear in mind this is extreme fatigue he is inducing, beyond what a normal workout may produce. Also, pushing thru fatigue (once created; by lack of air or not) becomes a different matter when there is a prolonged & continued lack of air.

this is just one aspect of his training, i guess they focussed on it in the show cos its different. he wont wear that snorkel all the time, im sure he does circuits without it.

As for academic studies on it, i dont know. hypoxia has been mentioned on here before but no links to studies were posted i dont think.

If no1 can offer up any, check out research on altitude training, which i said i believe is based on the same principles.


btw im just tryin to help. if this answer isnt helpful then no need to jump down my throat.

There is a benefit to hypoxia while not training, in particular when sleeping. If you sleep with less oxygen, then your body produces more red blood cells. However, it has been found that training cannot be as intense and efficient with lower levels of oxygen. For this reason, training at altitude is not as efficient as training at sea level and sleeping at altitude. Sleeping at altitude can be simulated with a hypoxic tent, e.g., available here http://www.hypoxico.com/



These have been used by aerobic athletes, e.g., cyclists. In general, they have been abandoned because taking EPO works better, is simpler, and cheaper, though against the rules.

-ilan

^^ I remember a Notre Dame player sleeping in one of those becuase he felt like he was always tired. Come gameday he was one of the best receivers on the team with unstoppable endurance.

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For wandy training like this would also simulating a bloody nose during a fight??

Well i am cheering for wandy so i hope the iceman has trained with a snorgel as well.