How to train well with a sports breathing mask? Altitude simulators are very popular with athletes who do not live particularly close to places at altitude. This type of training allows you toincrease your breathing capacity, while improving your physical performance.
This allows you to push your body out of its comfort zone and tap into its entrenchments to optimize the oxygen use of your muscles. Particularly popular with endurance and aerobic athletes, a training mask can also be used without problems during weight training sessions.
We are therefore going to discover together the advantages of a sports respiratory mask, the tips for preparation and use as well as the type of model to be preferred!
Why use a sports breathing mask?
The benefits of altitude training
The use of a sports breathing mask to supplement sea level training is highly regarded amongsports coachesand athletes. About 80% of the world's population lives at low altitudes, which corresponds to an atmospheric pressure and an oxygen concentration that are optimal for the functioning of the human body.
However, as we go up in altitude, the air becomes thinner, which leads to a reduction in the availability of oxygen to the muscles. This reduction in oxygen consumption can then impact the athlete's sports performance, because the muscles have less oxygen to function and therefore less energy.
Traditional altitude training capitalizes on these changes in oxygen concentration that occur with changes in altitude to induce beneficial adaptations in the performance of athletes. With this type of session, and a healthy lifestyle, you naturally improve your results and tone your skin.
The benefits of an altitude simulator mask
With long-term use of a sports respirator, the effects of an altitude simulator can significantly improve aerobic performance endurance athletes by improving the supply of oxygen to working muscles, as well as the muscles' ability to use this oxygen to produce energy.
The same goes for strength training: in any case, your muscles become more efficient, and you can also perform muscle strengthening sessions with a mask high altitude simulator. You will tire yourself more, but also work on your breath and improve your breathing during exercise.
Furthermore, actual training at altitude can be expensive and time consuming and in some cases can actually decrease rather than increase performance due to a number of issues occasionally encountered at altitude: weight loss, headache, insomnia, immune suppression, appetite suppression, drowsiness, dehydration and nausea.
The simulating masks therefore make it possible to reduce this type of side effect while enjoying the many advantages.
How to prepare for the use of a sports breathing mask?
Be prepared for altitude training, even if done with a simulator To get the most from your sports breathing mask, it is essential that your body is prepared as much as possible for the metabolic demands and physiological changes that will occur. For this:
- Iron supplement : Red blood cell mass and oxygen demand increase at higher altitudes. As such, you should supplement your diet with iron before your workout.
Iron supplementation will maximize metabolic benefits such as increased red blood cell count and EPO production.
- The Antioxidant : While most runners understand that training at altitude will be made more difficult by the scarcity of air, many don't realize that recovery after a run difficile at altitude is slowed down due to increased production of free radicals in the muscles.
These free radicals contribute to fatigue and hinder recovery. To combat the effects of these free radicals, take an antioxidant such as a multivitamin or vitamin E. To learn more, discover the 7 benefits of peanut butter: a superfood in bodybuilding.
- The Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplement : Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) increases at altitude, especially during the first two days of training, which means you burn more calories for the same amount of exercise.
During this time, appetite is suppressed by hypoxia, causing you to eat less because you are not hungry. While this may sound great for athletes trying to lose weight, it hurts performance, especially when your body is already stressed.
To minimize body mass reduction and muscle loss , make sure you eat enough and try to supplement with branched-chain amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine and valine. These amino acids help build muscle mass and prevent further breakdown of lean muscle mass at high altitudes. Find out how to prepare your body with daily bodyweight exercises.
What kind of sports breathing mask should I use?
The ideal is to use a sports breathing mask adjustable that offers several levels of training. The Super-Human Fitness™ Intense Altitude Simulator™ offers 6 different levels of intensity, from simulating 500 meters in altitude to 6,000 meters above sea level, which you can easily set.
In this way, you can adapt the difficulty to your needs and best boost your breathing capacities. This high-tech maskallows you to take advantage of a new, even more effective method of compressing air. It's made of sweat-wicking nylon for more comfort: you can use it regularly and at high intensity, you won't be bothered!
In addition, it is flexible and easy to wash.This training mask is also equipped with a seamless Velcro system for easy attachment and transport. It also comes with a case and a storage bag.
With this fitness accessory, you can finally enhance your breathing capacity and take your sports performance to another level.
Tips to optimize the results of your session with a sports breathing mask
In order to get the best possible results with our sports breathing mask, here are some training and diet tips:
- Don't be afraid to run slowly: when you exceed the simulation of 6000 meters in altitude, you should slow down your running pace. Don't try to force your normal running pace.
You may not feel the difference when you start your run or when running on a flat road, but the lack of oxygen will catch up with you and the rest of the run could be unpleasant if you struggle against your natural running rhythm.
It's normal to feel short of breath from time to time, so don't be afraid to walk for a few minutes if this happens so that your breathing and heart rate can return to normal. Find out how to increase your cardio while respecting your natural breath in this article.
- Take more rest between your sport intervals: When training at altitude, try to increase the exercise-recovery phases as much as possible.
Recent research indicates that a recovery rate of 1:2 is optimal. For example, if you run at high intensity for 3 minutes, take 6 minutes of recovery. And when you're on a rest day, don't hesitate to massage yourself with tiger balm to soothe your muscles.
- Sleep more: Recovery and sleep at altitude are made more difficult by free radical damage and thin air. Sleep specialists have found that athletes who train at altitude wake imperceptibly nearly five times more often than at sea level in the first three weeks.
It prevents the body from falling into a deep sleep, which hinders recovery. To complete your training, discover in this article how to sleep like a baby at altitude.
- Drink extra fluids: Fluid intake is vital when training at altitude. Thin air makes your breathing shallower and more frequent, which creates more fluid loss in the respiratory system.
Not only does this prevent fluid absorption through breathing, but it also makes you feel like you don't sweat a lot because the sweat evaporates so quickly. Always have water with you and try to drink about twice as much as usual.
In summary: The sports breathing mask
The sports breathing mask can therefore be used to simulate training at altitude, where oxygen is scarce and breathing capacity is put to the test. By pushing the limits like this, your muscles become more efficient in their use of oxygen. Your breathing and breathing improve.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced athlete, we recommend that you choose a modular simulator mask, such as the Intense Altitude Simulator™ from Fitness Super -Humain™ We also advise you to prepare well, by taking food and sports supplements adapted to the type of effort you are going to have to make: antioxidant, iron and amino acids.
Furthermore, do not consider altitude simulation training like your other sports sessions: the objective is not to achieve short-term performance, but rather to improve your long-term performance.
On the contrary, do not hesitate to slow down and listen to your body. You'll then be able to get the most out of yoursports breathing mask!
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