Many people have heard that pranayama is a different kind of breathing exercise in yoga. However, the term pranayama is translated as “restriction” of breathing. Which includes the practice of holding your breath. Hold your breath for two purposes:

1. To improve immersion in meditative states. There is a separate article about this on the site.

2. To improve the condition of the body, which is what the text below will discuss.

From a modern point of view, it seems doubtful that the ancient yogis knew what was happening in the cells of the body. But most likely they noticed that holding the breath brings a person into a certain tone.

What happens to a person when he holds his breath for long periods of time? First, carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulates in the human blood, and if the delay is very long, the oxygen level decreases. How to achieve both, and how it affects the body, we will discuss in this article.

The importance of techniques that increase CO2 levels

When a person holds his breath, two parallel processes occur to him - a drop in the level of oxygen in the blood and an accumulation of carbon dioxide levels. CO2 buildup occurs much more quickly, and significant changes in blood CO2 levels are much easier to achieve.

A significant increase in carbon dioxide in the body is most often the result of physical activity. Therefore, if carbon dioxide rises in the absence of physical activity, the body reacts as if physical activity had occurred. The following reactions occur:

• Vasodilation. This occurs both due to a direct reaction of the vascular wall in response to an increase in CO2 levels, and due to a generalized reaction from the central nervous system.
• Stimulation of breathing - a person begins to breathe more often. In the case of holding one's breath, the higher the level of carbon dioxide, the more a person wants to inhale. However, the threshold for irritating the respiratory center to increase CO2 levels can be trained.
• The pulse quickens.
• Red blood cells begin to better deliver oxygen to tissues.
• A number of enzymatic and other cellular processes are activated.

It turns out that by practicing long breath holds with the accumulation of carbon dioxide, the body becomes toned. Vessels dilate, oxygen is better absorbed. Overall positive, this practice alone may not be the best option for calming down. As with physical education, here the body first experiences excitement, then inhibition, which may be more reminiscent of fatigue than comfortable calm.

An increase in carbon dioxide levels is called hypercapnia in Latin, and the practice of such an increase is called hypercapnic. It is recommended to use it:

• In the first half of the day, when you are not exercising.
• If you don’t plan physical education for tomorrow, you can do it in the evening, but not quite before bed.

Techniques for increasing CO2 levels

For toning by increasing the level of carbon dioxide, 10-15 minutes are enough. Practice for 20-30 minutes is already a training regimen that causes fatigue, but can enhance the overall adaptive effect of intense physical training on other days. And to some extent, replace it if the practice of intense physical education is impossible for some reason.

The accumulation of CO2 is felt by an increase in heat in the body - for a beginner, the practice can be very intense, with training it will be less pronounced.

Yogis practicing in hot climates recommended following a diet that reduces heat production when practicing breath holdings. Namely, increase the consumption of dairy and plant products, reduce the consumption of meat and warming spices. Nowadays, you can add coffee to this list. On the other hand, in the mountains of Tibet, this practice was accompanied by the consumption of large amounts of vegetable fat. Which greatly increased metabolism and helped cope with the cold.

To increase the level of carbon dioxide in the body, the following types of pranayamas are mainly used:

1. Breathing “in a square”

In this technique, a person breathes through all four phases of the breathing cycle (inhalation/pause/exhalation/pause) with the same duration for each phase.

Since inhalation excites the nervous system, and soft exhalation calms, such an algorithm can help equalize autonomic tone.

But this is provided that the person does not feel tired.

And fatigue here depends on the following factors:

• Respiratory muscle training. The longer each phase of the cycle, the more tired the respiratory muscles become, which affects overall fatigue.
• The level of CO2 accumulation, which depends on the duration of the respiratory cycle.
• Adaptation to CO2 of the respiratory center, which depends on individual characteristics and training.

It turns out that the better a person is trained to increase the level of carbon dioxide and the higher the training of the respiratory muscles, the more comfortable the person will feel with an increasingly longer respiratory cycle.

In case of low training of both the respiratory muscles and the respiratory center, the person will quickly get tired. And in this case, a person will not receive a “harmonizing” effect from breathing “in a square”.

And the noticeable accumulation of carbon dioxide in this practice begins with a duration of each phase of 10 s, or rather even closer to 15 s.

Technique:

All phases of the respiratory cycle (inhalation/pause/exhalation/pause) have the same duration.

Inhale with full breath. The more you inhale, the more difficult it will be for the respiratory muscles to hold your breath after inhalation, so inhale just enough oxygen to withstand the entire length of the cycle until the next inhalation, and no more.

The delay after inhalation is performed without squeezing the glottis. You need to stop the movement of the ribs at the end of the inhalation. There should be no tension in the throat or facial muscles. To check that you are not pinching the glottis, say “one-two.”

A long delay after exhalation must be performed with uddiyana bandha - static retraction of the abdomen under the ribs and sternum.

In case of fatigue from breathing “in a square”, the technique should be performed 2-3 times a week. If you are not particularly tired, you can do it almost every day.

With a long delay after exhalation with a tense abdomen, increased intra-abdominal pressure puts pressure on the greater vena cava and impairs venous return to the heart. To prevent this from happening, when exhaling for long periods of time, uddiyana bandha is used.

Uddiyana bandha

Translates roughly as “raising lock” (from the word to close).

The mechanics of movement are as follows. When held after exhalation, the ribs expand and create low pressure in the chest, which is characteristic of inhalation. But due to the blocked glottis, we do not let air into the chest. And this reduced pressure allows the diaphragm to be pulled deep up. This reduces abdominal pressure and provides improved venous return of blood to the heart through the great vena cava during the delay after exhalation. Too deep an udddiyana can again worsen the passage of blood due to too strong pressing of the anterior abdominal wall backwards. Therefore, after mastering the retraction of the abdomen and achieving maximum depth with short delays, when performing uddiyana for a long time, it is recommended to do no more than 2/3 of the possible depth.

Therefore uddiyana bandha is used:

• As a measure to optimize blood circulation during long breath holds after exhalation;
• Especially for improving venous outflow from the pelvis - for varicose veins of the small pelvis, hemorrhoids and other problems that require improving venous outflow from the pelvis, as well as for their prevention.

Uddiyana bandha also stimulates the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, which calms you down. You can read more about calming techniques in the article.

Contraindications to abdominal retraction are critical days.

It is easier to master uddiyana bandha in a position lying on your back with bent knees. In this position, the internal organs put some pressure on the diaphragm, slightly shifting it upward. Exhale completely, squeezing out the remaining air. We close the glottis so that air does not enter. By expanding the ribs, we pull the diaphragm under the ribs. The sternum will rise towards the head. Simultaneously with the movement of the sternum, we pull the chin to the jugular fossa, and pressing inward towards the vertebrae, stretching the back surface of the neck. At the same time, the sternum rises even better. Also, squeezing the chin in this way will help keep the glottis compressed. We try to press the lower back to the ground, this should help draw the diaphragm even deeper.

To master it, you don’t need long fixation, 5s is enough, it’s better to do more repetitions. If done well, you can feel at least two lower ribs from the inside. But you need to learn to pull your stomach not only to the side under the ribs, but also exactly in the center - under the sternum.

We perform training to improve the technique until we reach the maximum depth of retraction. But it can be used in other practices and not with perfect execution.

It can also be performed when practicing asanas in all positions with a straight spine, to improve the outflow of blood from the pelvis.

2. Holding your breath after exhaling

Unlike “square” breathing, this one has a purely training task. Causes fatigue with subsequent adaptation of the body. That’s why we practice 2-3 times a week; we don’t need to do it more often.

We inhale an average volume for no more than 5 seconds. We immediately exhale, also for no longer than 5 seconds. We do uddiyana bandha - we pull the stomach under the ribs, and hold the delay as much as possible, or a few seconds less. We repeat this cycle for 15-30 minutes. If it is difficult at first, you can divide the practice into 3 cycles of 5-7 minutes with breaks of 2-5 minutes.

Practice trains the body well for maximum breath holding, for example when diving without scuba gear.

3. Extended breathing and free holding

The material describes techniques for prolonged stretching of the breath and “free” breath-holding (holding without effort). It is assumed that these techniques can also cause an increase in carbon dioxide levels, but not to the same extent as the above.

Introduction to Hypoxic Training

The material describes all phases of the body's use of oxygen. The section on cellular respiration describes that one of the main reasons for the aging of the human body is a decrease in the ability of body cells to produce energy using oxygen. This is carried out by the cell's power plants - mitochondria. With age, the number of mitochondria in cells decreases, as well as the quality of their structures. Since the bulk of free radicals are produced in mitochondria, they also contain most of the antiradical defense systems, which also suffer from age-related degradation of mitochondria.

The number of mitochondria and the quality of their structures can be trained using hypoxic training. That is, training the body by significantly reducing oxygen in the blood. The essence of the training is that for about 30 minutes a person reduces his oxygen level to SaO2 = 87% or less.

This training also improves immunity and the condition of the vascular wall. It is successfully used in recovery from strokes and heart attacks, which, of course, is the task of specialized medical institutions.

Since hypoxic training causes significant strain on the body’s resources, it is recommended to avoid intense, tiring physical activity during practice. You can leave light aerobic exercise and stretching. Of course, the consumption of alcohol and other toxic substances should be completely eliminated.

Adaptation of cellular structures lasts for 3-4 months, after this time or a little later, it is recommended to repeat the training. Thus, it turns out 2-3 training sessions for one month per year. After accumulating adaptation, two monthly training courses per year will be enough.

After several training seasons, you can try to exercise more often than every other day and/or alternate hypoxic training with intense physical training on different days.

At the beginning of the training month, fatigue and the need for sleep may increase slightly. Immediately after training or during the day, active mental activity may require somewhat more frequent rest. If these or other uncomfortable effects are severe, you need to reduce the level of hypoxia.

The level of hypoxia is monitored using a special device - a pulse oximeter. Homemade options measure oxygen levels in the blood vessels of a finger based on the color of hemoglobin. You can watch them. There are stationary hypoxicators that can measure the level of oxygen in the vessels of the brain, or, for example, the kidneys.

Unfortunately, in our latitudes, with the help of breath-holding practices, in most cases it is not possible to lower the oxygen level to the training level - SaO2 = 87%, or lower. Maybe it's possible in the mountains.

The fact is that carbon dioxide accumulates significantly in the blood much earlier than oxygen drops to the required level. This causes the person to inhale, expel carbon dioxide, and renew their oxygen levels.

Of course, as the respiratory center trains to the level of carbon dioxide, the time of the unbearable desire to inhale moves away, but still it is not possible to hold the delay so long that the oxygen level drops to the training level for a long time.

To deceive the respiratory center, you can block the nasal breathing with a clothespin for scuba diving and breathe through the mouth through a narrow long tube, the volume of which does not allow the air to be renewed, no matter how much the person breathes through it. However, most likely the person will move the tube away and inhale fresh air, knocking down stable deep hypoxia.

Of course, such a practice will no longer resemble traditional yoga techniques in form. But it is highly effective, and is quite worthy of being included in the arsenal of 21st century yoga.

Hardware hypoxic training

The first option for hardware hypoxia is the use of existing stationary hypoxicators. Their estimated cost is about 5000 Euros. In addition to the base price, they require maintenance and replacement of filters, which is also financially expensive.

It seems most rational today to use the Strelkov apparatus. Its main technical feature is the presence of a filter that allows carbon dioxide to pass through only in one direction. A person wearing a mask breathes into a closed container (bag) through a filter that allows carbon dioxide to escape from the person, but not to come back. Thus, carbon dioxide does not accumulate in a person, and he has no need to breathe. And the level of oxygen in the blood drops.

It is important to keep oxygen in the training range, for which it is necessary to use a pulse oximeter.

The practice algorithm is as follows: we breathe into a closed system through a filter until the oxygen drops to the lower limit of the training range. This is approximately 82%, as training increases - 75% SaO2. After this, the mask is removed, one or two breaths of fresh air are taken, the mask is put on, and again we breathe in a closed system. Gradually, you need to learn to inhale so much air that if the oxygen in the blood then rises above the upper limit of the training range (87% SaO2), then not for long.

The commercially available Strelkov device has two problems:

First, the filter wears out quite quickly and needs to be changed. The cost of one Strelkov device is $50, and only the filter is changed. For 15 training sessions, the volume of one filter is not enough, you need one and a half to two.

The second problem is a poorly fitting mask; it is better to buy a modern gas mask and make an adapter for the filter from Strelkov’s apparatus.

Training mask (Elevation Training Mask) is a type of sports equipment that many athletes use to simulate heights. Many athletes specifically train at elevated levels to increase their endurance and other physiological parameters that are very important for a fighter in mixed martial arts. Does a training mask really allow you to simulate the conditions of a person at an altitude of 3 km above sea level and improve physical performance? Let's find out!

Introducing the Workout Mask

Training in such a mask is far from an innovation, but rather an improved and more accessible analogue of training military personnel in gas masks. Armies around the world have long been practicing forced marches using gas masks, which significantly complicate the passage of oxygen into the lungs, thereby making running with all the fighter’s equipment even more difficult, and the person himself more resilient. Naturally, manufacturers of sports equipment did not lose sight of the potential gold mine, and the release of the training mask was not long in coming.

Workouts with hypoxic mask complicate the breathing process, but this is not a necessary device to improve the effect of cardiorespiratory fitness. At the moment, the mask is very popular among mixed martial arts fighters, crossfit athletes and other sports where endurance plays a big role in achieving results.

When you see a man wearing a training mask, you don't know for sure whether he's training to be a fireman, deep sea diving, or the new Bane training for his next battle with Batman. The only thing you understand is that the guy in the mask is working to the limit. After he paid $100 for this training mask. Surely such sports equipment, especially at such a price, should take training to a new level, right? Not really and here's why.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for using weights during your workouts. But here you need to be careful and not follow the lead of marketers who are actively pushing their products onto us. Take the same. Thanks to active advertising, lure from many professional bodybuilders and fitness models who shout at all corners about the need for sports nutrition, most people are taken in. No, I’m not saying that sports nutrition is bad, not at all. It’s just that it is only necessary when there is no time to have a snack, when a person’s busy work schedule and other similar life situations interfere with the regime. Also, it is not needed at all for beginners!

In general, it is not at all necessary to drink protein in order to increase weight; it is better to focus most of your attention on natural food and go cook yourself a breast with porridge and salad. In the case of a hypoxic mask, things are a little worse. If sports nutrition really works, then in the case of a training mask, the effect is not as significant as we would like when it comes to improving performance, like training at high altitudes.

So, are there actually any benefits or positive results from training in a hypoxic mask? Does training in it help improve performance due to working with a lack of oxygen and high loads on the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems?

Authoritative opinion of the coach

Let's hear what renowned cross-fit trainer Alex Viada has to say. According to Alex, such devices increase endurance with the same effectiveness as a toilet placed on the head increases the ability to swim. While some people claim that they can breathe easier after using a hypoxic mask, I'm willing to bet that if I put a fluffed pillow over someone's mouth and ask them to go for a run, after I remove the pillow, they will also breathe much easier. It's funny, isn't it?

If we put aside all the jokes on this topic, it turns out that the sad truth is that such masks are simply unable to simulate training conditions in the mountains. For example, some people wear them during anaerobic training, during which the body uses a completely different energy cycle that doesn't even require oxygen. This use casts even greater doubt on the appropriateness of using this mask, because anaerobic oxidation of glucose releases several times less energy in the form of ATP and a much larger amount of toxic lactic acid.

Why don't hypoxic masks simulate training at high altitudes? In the mountains, atmospheric pressure decreases. The partial pressure of oxygen, as well as all other components of air, is also reduced. In simple terms, the air is simply poorer in essential gases, which makes it difficult to saturate with oxygen during the act of breathing. By and large, the amount of oxygen in the blood is reduced, which is why an insufficient amount of it also reaches the working muscle.

What is mountain training and its physiology?

When the body encounters reduced partial pressure of oxygen at altitude (say you suddenly start training at altitude after a long period of training at sea level) it begins to respond by increasing the amount of myoglobin/hemoglobin and capillary density, which increases the delivery of oxygen to the muscles. These adaptive mechanisms ultimately result in increased productivity and endurance of the body.

Be that as it may, this process takes weeks or even months of living and training at high altitudes, but not 40 minutes of training in a hypoxic mask at your local gym. Moreover, before your body has adapted, your endurance decreases. The maximum partial pressure of oxygen during cardio exercise decreases by approximately 10% for every 100 meters above 1100 meters above sea level. That is, the intensity and strength of training decreases, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the quality of training and to regression in strength and endurance indicators.

Positive physiological effects of training in the mountains

Let's imagine lung tissue and the blood vessels that run through the tissue. Red blood cells or erythrocytes flow through these vessels. So, these bodies are responsible for the delivery of nutrients, including oxygen, to all tissues of the body. When you are at sea level, pressure pushes oxygen through the barriers in the lungs into the bloodstream, supplying oxygen to red blood cells. At altitude, the pressure that pushes oxygen out and supplies it to the blood cells decreases.

If you train for a long enough time in conditions of low partial pressure of oxygen, then thanks to adaptation processes (namely, in order to compensate for hypoxia, the red bone marrow begins to intensively produce reticulocytes and red blood cells with an increased hemoglobin content, which will allow delivering more oxygen from the respiratory system to the muscles ). Thanks to this reaction of the body to the conditions of training in the highlands, your endurance increases and neutralizes this negative effect on the body. At this point, you can feel positive results for the athlete, such as increased hemoglobin concentration, increased capillary pressure, increased mitochondrial index and an increase in the body's regenerative reserves.

Cons of altitude training

The negative side of training at high altitudes is that the physiological processes of adaptation in the human body take quite a long time to start. Namely, in a normal situation, only after 3-4 weeks.

How are things going with the mask?

Let's return to the hypoxic mask. The reduced partial pressure of air in the mountains is very different in nature from the difficulty of absorbing air with a mask. In fact, there is not a single person who understands the physiology of respiration and oxidative processes in the body and supports the idea of ​​​​using a mask to increase the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. The most important thing is that the results of studies of training in the mountains and the results obtained after using a hypoxic mask are radically different and indicate a complete lack of effect when artificially simulating training in hypoxic conditions.

These masks do not change the partial pressure of air entering the lungs; all they do is simply reduce the total volume of gas entering the lungs. Imagine trying to breathe through an armful of straw while running. Such training can rather be called training of the respiratory muscles, because they will be connected to compensate for the complicated act of inhalation. This is certainly useful for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases such as COPD or bronchial asthma, but it will not help increase the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood.

Conclusion

Endurance performance is not determined by the amount of air you consume during exercise, it is determined and limited by the amount of oxygen consumed. By training in hypoxic equipment and without reducing the partial pressure of oxygen, as is the case in the mountains, all you will be doing is training the respiratory muscles, which is also quite useful for effective cardio and improving the respiratory system. In general, if you have an extra hundred dollars, you can try buying this mask. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that training in such equipment increases the load on the heart, so it is better to consult a doctor first.

If you have a hypoxic mask and have been using it for a long time, write in the comments about your successes and leave your review. Also, if you liked the article and the information was useful to you, do not be lazy, share the link on social networks! Thank you friend!

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Many athletes attempt to benefit from the use of mid-altitude, high-altitude, hypoxic or hyperoxic equipment in their training. This especially applies to endurance sports.

There is a very good book by three authors F.P. Suslov, E.B. Gippenreiter, Zh.K. Kholodov “Sports training in mid-mountain conditions.” It talks in great detail about all aspects of training in the mountains. Lots of experimental data, graphs and tables. It should be a reference book for all coaches who work with teams and regularly travel to the mountains. If someone has studied this book, then he does not need to read my note. He knows everything. Although…

I want to outline the main points of preparation in conditions of low or high oxygen levels in an easier to understand form.

Basic definitions and ideas.

Perhaps many are familiar with this direction in the training process. For the rest of us, here are the basic definitions that will help you navigate in the future when considering various conditions of training and living with low or high oxygen levels.

Adaptation is the adaptation of the body to the conditions of existence (training). It is expressed in the following main directions:

• Changes in organs and tissues depending on the intensity and quality of stimulation.
• Changes in the body and parts that make it more suitable for life in changed environmental conditions.

Normoxia- conditions with normal oxygen content in the air (21% O2) at normal pressure corresponding to sea level pressure (760 mmHg)

Hyperoxia- conditions with high oxygen content (more than 21% O2).

Hypoxia- conditions with low oxygen content (less than 21% o2) under conditions of normal or low pressure (mid-mountain, high-altitude).

Eat three different uses of these terms to achieve lasting adaptation that leads to improved results.

1. Life in conditions of hypoxia. Persistent adaptive changes were obtained as a result of prolonged stay or life in conditions of mid-mountain or high-altitude mountains, as well as in conditions simulating altitude (such as mountain houses or tents). Long-term adaptation.
2. Training under hypoxic conditions. Acute adaptive changes that are obtained during training in a hypoxic environment. Urgent adaptation.
3. Training under hyperoxic conditions. Acute adaptive changes obtained during training in a hyperoxic environment. Urgent adaptation.

Based on this, several strategies have emerged for using altitude to improve athletic performance (hereinafter, for consistency, by altitude we will mean being at an altitude of more than 2000 m).

"Live high - Train high"(Live High - Train High ( LHTH)). A situation where an athlete lives and trains constantly in hypoxic conditions, in the mountains (for example, Kenyan runners live and train in their mountains above 2000 m above sea level).

Intermittent hypoxic training(Intermittent Hypoxic Training ( IHT)). A situation where an athlete lives at sea level (or low altitude) and periodically uses training in hypoxic conditions (climbing mountains, to high altitude for training and then returning back to low altitude, or using special equipment that lowers the partial pressure of oxygen during training in conditions of no height).

"Live high - Train low"(Live High-Train Low ( LHTL)). A situation where an athlete lives in hypoxic conditions (in the mountains, in mountain houses, in hypoxic tents), but for training he descends from a height into normobaric conditions and does all training in conditions at approximately “sea level”.

“Live high - Train low with increased oxygen O2”(Live High-Train Low with supplemental O2 ( LHTLO2)). A situation where an athlete lives in hypoxic conditions (in the mountains, in mountain houses, in hypoxic tents), but trains in hyperoxic conditions (uses air mixtures with a high oxygen content of more than 21% O2).

All these training strategies lead to the following adaptive changes:

Adaptation of the cardiovascular system. The ability to deliver oxygen to working muscles increases by increasing all indicators of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system, as well as increasing their operating efficiency.

Peripheral adaptation. In all organs and tissues of the body, under conditions of hypo- or hyperoxia, structural changes occur (the number of mitochondria increases, the activity and number of enzymes increases), which help working muscles in these new conditions.

Central adaptation. This refers to the central nervous system, which increases muscle impulses, resulting in increased performance.

How does it all work together?

As mentioned, there are three options for using conditions to obtain useful adaptations that lead to increased performance. However, it should be noted that these three options affect the body's adaptive abilities differently.

1. Life in conditions of hypoxia(effect of constant acclimatization and adaptation). Recently, there has been some disagreement among leading experts regarding the underlying mechanism that explains increased performance in LHTL conditions (or permanent adaptation to living at altitude). Some scientists believe that the only result of living in conditions of hypoxia (at altitude) is an increase in the secretion of the hormone erythropoietin EPO by the kidneys. Erythropoietin is a physiological stimulator of erythropoiesis in the bone marrow, which is expressed in an increase in the number of red blood cells (increased hematocrit). This allows the blood to carry more oxygen to the working muscles, resulting in increased performance. In other words, these are mainly adaptive changes in the cardiovascular system. Other scientists believe that constant exposure to hypoxic conditions (life at altitude) causes adaptive changes in the periphery and in the central nervous system, which increases the economy and efficiency of the athlete. Most likely, these are complex adaptive changes in the athlete’s body under LHTL conditions.
2. Training under hypoxic conditions(effect of acute acclimatization and adaptation in LHTH conditions). Many scientists are inclined to believe that the main mechanism of hypoxic training is peripheral adaptation of skeletal muscles (along with adaptation of the cardiovascular system as a result of living at altitude). In fact, the processes are more complex. Hypoxia stimulates the synthesis of the HIF-1 protein, which affects many adaptation processes in the body. Peripheral adaptation is expressed in increased muscle capillarization, dilation of blood vessels, and an increase in the number of oxidative enzymes. This ensures muscle activity to a greater extent due to aerobic energy sources. A negative consequence of training under hypoxic conditions is a sharp decrease in training intensity and a decrease in training speeds, resulting in a decrease in mechanical and neuromuscular stimulation. This is recorded on electromyograms during training under hypoxic conditions compared to normoxia.
3. Training in hyperoxia conditions (effect of acute acclimatization and adaptation under LHTL and LHTLO2 conditions). This LHTL concept has the most optimal effect on the adaptation processes in the athlete’s body, allowing for long-term adaptation from living at altitude (or in mountain houses, tents) without compromising the training process (without reducing intensity and training speeds). In other words, it is important that athletes live in hypoxic conditions for a long time in order to obtain constant adaptive changes in the form of an increase in the secretion of the hormone EPO and, as a consequence, an increase in the number of red blood cells in the blood (indirectly an increase in BMD). And at the same time, we trained at a low altitude, which allows us to perform the necessary work with the intensity necessary for the progression of results. This allows you to improve the neuromuscular component and also recover faster from high-intensity exercise (lower lactate levels in the blood). Recent research in the field of using air mixtures with a high oxygen content O2 is also capable of stimulating the above-mentioned adaptive changes in the body, which in the long term lead to increased performance in endurance sports. The use of mixtures with increased oxygen content to improve results has a long history. As early as 1954, Sir Roger Bannister (the first to break the 4-minute mile) was already experimenting with supplemental oxygen breathing. Basically, these were the ideas of using oxygen for breathing during competitions (which required running with an oxygen cylinder on your shoulders). No one at that time was studying the long-term adaptation obtained as a result of regular use of oxygen-enriched air mixtures (oxygen content 60-100%). Now it is possible to organize the training process on a treadmill, simulators and ensure the supply of oxygen-enriched air mixture through a system of tubes and a mask. An athlete can perform his work (running, skating, cycling or roller skiing) without carrying a cylinder with the mixture. Modern research shows that using these mixtures, athletes are able to produce greater power without the accumulation of lactate in the blood at the same pulse conditions as under normoxic conditions. For example, cyclists breathing a hyperoxic mixture (60% O2) use less muscle glycogen as an energy source, and, as a result, the level of lactate in the blood is much lower. Hyperoxia also reduces the release of adrenaline, which lowers heart rate, and this can be called an effect on the nervous system. However, additional research is needed to confirm the improvement in results due to the regular use of hyperoxic mixtures in the training process. This direction has not yet been sufficiently studied. Also, there is still little work in the field of introducing such training and distributing it across the season (preparatory + competitive).

To be continued.

Hypoxic Training - the path to health and longevity Yuri Borisovich Bulanov

Chapter IV. Methodology for mastering Hypoxic Breathing Training exercises

In this chapter I will try to talk about how I teach my patients special breathing exercises, which I call “Hypoxic Breathing Training.”

Training is carried out in groups, the number of which is usually 30–50 people, less often 100–200 people. Such group classes are always more effective than individual ones. A common goal brings people together; moreover, a healthy spirit of competition forces those involved to make maximum efforts and make delays as long as possible.

During the classes there is always a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, there are often funny jokes and general laughter about what is associated with “heroic self-suffocation” - as the hypoxic breathing training system is sometimes called. Those who achieve the best results are constantly in the spotlight and this gives everyone else a moral incentive to further improve themselves. After each lesson, I give homework, the completion of which is strictly required.

First of all, we study simple breath holdings at rest. After carefully practicing them in class, I give homework, which includes 5 breath-holds 3 times a day - morning, afternoon and evening. Breath-holds must be done on an empty stomach; between holds there should be breaks of at least 1 and no more than 3 minutes. In the intervals between breath holds, breathing must be held so that compensatory hyperventilation does not occur. Three daily sessions are sufficient to ensure rapid and sustainable progress.

After mastering simple holds, students learn ways to limit breathing in everyday life. To begin with, everyone should simply limit their breathing so that they constantly experience a slight lack of air. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to limiting not only inhalation, but also exhalation.

People often ask: “Will I really have to monitor my breathing in everyday life for the rest of my days?” To this question I always answer that after exactly a month of such “monitoring” the skill will become automatic, as automatic as our normal breathing, which we never monitor.

Practicing the skills of holding your breath at rest and proper breathing in everyday life takes at least 10 days.

The next stage, which takes at least a week, is practicing holding your breath while walking. At home, students independently perform 5 delays while walking 3 times a day. Despite the difficulty of doing it, many people like delays on the go, as they relieve fatigue well. After a hard day at work, it is often enough to make 5 delays on the way home to reduce the feeling of fatigue by at least half.

After mastering breath-holding, we begin to study “breathing inclinations.” The homework that I give during this period includes doing inclines 3 times a day for 5 series. Each series of bends is equivalent to one breath-hold. The word “series” means several continuously performed inclinations, leading to the development of hypoxia. At the same time as you perform “bends,” breathing skills in everyday life become more difficult. Now, in addition to limiting the depth of inhalation and exhalation, the breathing frequency is limited.

After studying the slopes, we move on to studying step breathing. Since this exercise causes very strong biochemical changes in the body, we begin to perform it already having solid preparation. At home we perform 5 series of exercises 3 times a day. A “series” is a “dose” of inhalations and exhalations that causes hypoxia.

By this time, correct breathing in everyday life can be considered practiced and should be complicated. Now short-term delays are included in everyday breathing (the technique is described in the previous chapter).

Regardless of what exercises are being studied and practiced at the moment, practitioners periodically hold their breath, timing the time to check their resistance to hypoxia and the degree of progress achieved. In this regard, the question is often asked: “Why does the delay time, which increased rapidly during the first month of classes, increase very slowly in the second month, and almost completely stop growing in the third month?” The thing is that as a result of hypoxic training, the depth of everyday breathing drops quite significantly due to the fact that the body begins to extract more O2 from the air than before, and also due to a drop in the body’s need for oxygen. The duration of the breath hold in seconds depends not only on the degree of training, but also on how deeply we exhaled before making the hold. Since the depth of breathing in everyday life decreases at a rate no less than the increase in resistance to hypoxia, the delay time, having reached 1–5 minutes, almost does not increase in the future. This of course does not mean that there is no progress in training. This only means that breathing has become less deep and now before the delay we inhale less air than before.

We do not specifically practice holding the breath while running, but since among the trainees there are always healthy young people who want to further push the boundaries of their physical capabilities, I recommend that they use this most difficult exercise to train for achieving greater athletic results and even greater strengthening. health.

GDT classes in the mountains will undoubtedly have an even stronger training effect, and not only because the O2 content in mountain air is lower. The rarefaction of the atmosphere itself makes it difficult to saturate the blood with oxygen, sometimes even 4–5 times.

Exercising HDT in mid-mountain conditions not only has a training effect, but also allows you to eliminate excessive “absorption” of CO2 from the body as a result of deeper breathing than on the plain. Therefore, strange as it may seem at first glance, HDT in the middle mountains can be done not only by healthy people, but also by sick people.

As you can see, the general scheme for teaching hypoxic respiratory training is as follows: along with everyday moderate breathing restriction, we conduct intensive training 3 times a day aimed at inducing severe hypoxia-hypercapnia. In other words, sustainable progress requires a certain periodicity of strong impacts with certain intervals between them. Continuous strong exposure is unacceptable; it is necessary to give the body time to adapt to new conditions and reach a new level. Each workout is a unique step and you need to give the body time to gain a foothold on it.

Unfortunately, there are very few healthy people among my patients who want to further improve their health, much less than I would like. Most people do not understand that the body never remains in a stationary state, and if you do not work to improve its condition, then it automatically deteriorates due to environmental conditions and many other reasons. On the other hand, it is much easier and more profitable, both morally and materially, to maintain the health of a healthy person than to restore health to a sick person, if this is possible at all.

Human laziness is simply monstrous in its size and in its essence. Most people would rather die than take care of their health.

The enormous popularity of so-called “psychics” and all kinds of “sorcerers” and healers is explained by the desire of people to get health without making any personal efforts. People prefer to pay fabulous sums to unscrupulous charlatans and do not listen to the voice of reason, which tells us that only through our own labor can we earn good health and a long life. It’s bitter and insulting for people!