Jason Snyder
WKR
This is essentially what this mask is doing, it's forcing you to breath right instead of belly breathing. Breathing right involves an active exhalation followed by a passive inhalation. An improper exhalation doesn't get all of the CO2 out of the lungs and prevents full capacity inhalation.
http://trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips/1437-the-forgotten-muscle
Here is a good article that address training for high altitude:
http://trailrunnermag.com/training/training-plans/309-train-low-race-high
One also has to understand some physiology here. You don't really benefit from training at altitude, or mimicking it to any great degree. Your body undergoes physiological changes in response to LIVING at altitude by changes in enzymes, red blood cell counts, formation of capillaries, etc. Plenty of reading if you're interested.
However, unless you are going to live at 9k feet and fly to work every day, you need to focus on the things you CAN change and that will benefit you training wise. These would be:
Increasing your VO2 max. Pretty much hereditary, but you can change this over time to a certain extent.
Increase your lactate threshold. Done by working right under where you go from aerobic respiration to anaerobic. Also called tempo runs. Over time you increase the HR at which you can operate at and still do so aerobically, and also the duration at which you can sustain this.
Decrease your recovery time from anaerobic to aerobic. High intensity interval training. Not only do you become able to sustain the anaerobic capacity for a longer period, you can reduce the recovery time. Also increases aerobic fitness.
Efficiency and economy. Over time you increase the capillary density in your body and you can do more with less. Recovery times are quicker and overall performance is improved.
Strength training. Huge. Done right, it makes muscles more efficient, and also allows them to function at a high level for both anaerobic and aerobic exercise. As force contraction increases, your muscles essentially do more work with the same amount of effort, or the same work with less effort depending on how you want to look at it. I'm not talking huge bodybuilder mass, I'm talking functional strength training. Most folks don't eat right to put on 30 pounds of muscle.
Kind of a quick and dirty synopsis. There is a mountain of research out there that details how to incorporate all of this stuff into your training and be efficient. Training paradigms have changed in a big way over the years, to where folks are training for marathons and ultras and only run 3 days a week. Cross training and strength training allow them to train smarter, perform better, and stay healthier.
http://trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips/1437-the-forgotten-muscle
Here is a good article that address training for high altitude:
http://trailrunnermag.com/training/training-plans/309-train-low-race-high
One also has to understand some physiology here. You don't really benefit from training at altitude, or mimicking it to any great degree. Your body undergoes physiological changes in response to LIVING at altitude by changes in enzymes, red blood cell counts, formation of capillaries, etc. Plenty of reading if you're interested.
However, unless you are going to live at 9k feet and fly to work every day, you need to focus on the things you CAN change and that will benefit you training wise. These would be:
Increasing your VO2 max. Pretty much hereditary, but you can change this over time to a certain extent.
Increase your lactate threshold. Done by working right under where you go from aerobic respiration to anaerobic. Also called tempo runs. Over time you increase the HR at which you can operate at and still do so aerobically, and also the duration at which you can sustain this.
Decrease your recovery time from anaerobic to aerobic. High intensity interval training. Not only do you become able to sustain the anaerobic capacity for a longer period, you can reduce the recovery time. Also increases aerobic fitness.
Efficiency and economy. Over time you increase the capillary density in your body and you can do more with less. Recovery times are quicker and overall performance is improved.
Strength training. Huge. Done right, it makes muscles more efficient, and also allows them to function at a high level for both anaerobic and aerobic exercise. As force contraction increases, your muscles essentially do more work with the same amount of effort, or the same work with less effort depending on how you want to look at it. I'm not talking huge bodybuilder mass, I'm talking functional strength training. Most folks don't eat right to put on 30 pounds of muscle.
Kind of a quick and dirty synopsis. There is a mountain of research out there that details how to incorporate all of this stuff into your training and be efficient. Training paradigms have changed in a big way over the years, to where folks are training for marathons and ultras and only run 3 days a week. Cross training and strength training allow them to train smarter, perform better, and stay healthier.
