Elevation Training Mask Efficacy
Picture this: You’re at the gym about to crush some bulgarian split squats. You are walking towards the dumbbells past the treadmills when what to your eye should appear? A jacked man running sprints with elite form and what appears to be a face mask. This is not your typical mask though. This mask has slits that appear to be filters. Odds are the scenario above is something you’ve experienced at some point in the last 10 years if you’ve worked out in a public gym. These masks are called elevation training masks (ETM’s). They were designed in theory to mimic the training someone would go through if they were in a high elevation area.
So… does this work?
First we must explore what happens to the body when training at higher altitudes (7,000-8,000 feet above sea level). Basically, when you exercise at higher altitudes the air you breathe is not as saturated with oxygen. With less oxygen being delivered into the body (hypoxia) with each breath the muscles in our body have to work harder to perform their tasks. Over time people located in areas of high altitude will adapt to this hypoxia. Doing this for short periods of time and then returning to that person's normal altitude will in theoryallow them to better perform their activity. This type of methodology is popular with high level endurance athletes.
Will an ETM have the same effect for someone who cannot train at high altitudes? The answer is actually a simple no. A study by Pocari et al. (1.) found that instead of the oxygen levels being decreased, there may be evidence that they simply improve overall respiratory musculature ability. But mostly, you're just making it harder for yourself to breathe - not actually impacting oxygen uptake.
In case you were wondering, ETM’s do not improve strength training outcomes either. Jagim’s et al (2.) did find that ETM’s may actually negatively affect peak velocity of back squat and bench press. Over time this could negatively impact long term training outcomes. ETM’s also may affect one's focus and alertness during strenuous bouts of exercise, again negatively impacting long term training outcomes.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
The take home message here is that the vast majority of people who train do not need to look for an edge by using fancy training devices. Train consistently, train progressively, and increase volume and intensity slowly over time. These broad sweeping methods have stood the test of time and apply to all forms of training.
We are looking at you too waste trainers!
RESOURCES
Porcari JP, Probst L, Forrester K, Doberstein S, Foster C, Cress ML, Schmidt K. Effect of wearing the elevation training mask on aerobic capacity, lung function, and hematological variables. J Sports Sci Med 15: 379–386, 2016.
Jagim, Andrew R.1; Dominy, Trevor A.2; Camic, Clayton L.3; Wright, Glenn2; Doberstein, Scott2; Jones, Margaret T.4; Oliver, Jonathan M. Acute Effects of the Elevation Training Mask on Strength Performance in Recreational Weight lifters Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: February 2018 - Volume 32 - Issue 2 - p 482-489 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002308
WITH GOOD VIBES - COACH TOM