cardio is effective for weight loss, and its benefits can be increased tenfold by using a fitness accessory: the altitude simulator.
This is a less common way of training, which consists of partially depriving yourself of oxygen to force your body to exceed its limits and draw on its resources.
You will often see athletes and movie stars wearing these kinds of masks during their intense workouts.
But how do they work? How do they improve your endurance and cardio in the long run? Are they really effective? All the answers are in this special article weight loss cardio !
The key accessory for your weight loss cardio
The Super-Human Fitness Model
For intense and effective cardio workouts for your weight loss, we recommend you try elevating masks. Our Intense Altitude Simulator™ has 6 different difficulty levels to climb up to 6,000 meters!
You can thus gradually boost your breathing capacity and modulate the difficulty according to your level. Easy to put on and practical, you benefit from a 100% nylon anti-perspiration system for unequaled comfort of use. Seamless, it is available in several sizes to adapt to all athletes.
And so you can take it everywhere, it comes with a case and a storage bag! Thanks to your workouts combined with this accessory, you will be able to get strongerand lose weight quickly.
Its use
An elevation mask is a piece of equipment that aims to help you improve your cardio and respiratory functions. As the name suggests, its purpose is to simulate altitude training.
This is because when you train at a higher altitude, the amount of oxygen available starts to decrease and, essentially, there is not as much air to breathe. We advise you to read: Training Mask: Effective accessory to progress quickly?
When you are in a high altitude state, your body must begin to compensate for the lack of oxygen produced. It must then create more red blood cells.
However, more red blood cells in the body means that your body has an easier time supplying oxygen throughout your body.
The purpose of the mask is to reap the benefits of high altitude training for your weight loss cardio workouts, but all without having to travel to the Himalayas.
The mask simply reduces the amount of air you can breathe while exercising. Most of the masks include resistance valves that allow you to select the intensity and/or level of elevation.
Its effects
When using an elevation mask, you hope to achieve better endurance and get a higher V02 max. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use during a workout.
So the more you develop this ability, the better you use oxygen and the more energy you will have when you train. The mask may not simulate high altitude exactly, but it greatly helps improve your VO2 max and cardiovascular strength.
You become more efficient in your weight loss cardio workouts.According to a study published in 2016, people who used a mask during their sessions showed improvements in VO2, ventilatory threshold and respiratory compensation threshold. In parallel, you can consult: Jumping rope in CrossFit : Your best ally?
It is important to note that with an altitude mask you will see improvements in these areas, but it is not a direct replication of altitude training. This is simply a retort that needs to be done correctly.
The effectiveness of the altitude simulator for your weight loss cardio
This accessory is ideal for your cardio weight loss sessions. This is because the reduced partial pressure of air at altitude is very different from restricting air intake with a mask.
altitude simulator masks do not change the partial pressure of incoming air: they reduce the total amount of airflow to the lungs. Imagine trying to run while breathing through a straw or with a pillow strapped to your face. This is basically restricted air training, also known as inspiratory muscle training.
It is an incredibly effective and well-used tool in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It can provide improvements in muscle strengthand endurance inspiratory muscle, as well as increased physical performance. If you want to develop these skills, we advise you to read: Weighted vest: How to train to gain power?
For athletes, the effectiveness is the same: by training in a hypoxic environment, you train your respiratory system to improve its strength and endurance.
Several studies support the idea that altitude mask training improves respiratory function in athletes. Hypoxic training will feel harder than usual, with your heart rate higher and lactate response higher.
By limiting oxygen, you make your body work much harder at any workload.
Our tips for using a mask during weight loss cardio sessions
The Complete Workout
One of the main benefits of actual high altitude training is that you live in that environment for a long time. Conversely, when using an elevation mask, you get a limited exposure time.
To see the real benefits of an elevation mask, you will need to train with it frequently, as your workout will only last one to two hours at most. An article about it? We invite you to read: Doing cardio training at home: how to be effective?
We therefore recommend that you exercise with this accessory for at least 3 to 4 hours per week to obtain all the benefits of cardio and maximize your weight loss!
The main thing is to stay regular. You can go for a run outdoors or indoors with it, or choose to jump rope or cycle.
Once your cardiovascular rate increases above normal, the workout can be considered cardio.
Intermittent training
There is another version of altitude training that may hold promise for some athletes, called intermittent hypoxic training (IHT)
With this method, athletes perform 3-5 minute efforts while breathing limited oxygen through the mask. The recovery periods between sprints are in normoxic conditions. To find out more: HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training in bodybuilding
The idea is to stimulate high altitude acclimatization, such as ventilatory response, rather than improving physical fitness.
So if an athlete at sea level wanted to try this, they would need equipment like the Super-Human Fitness Altitude Simulator™, which lowers the oxygen content of the body. inspired tune for an optimal weight loss cardio workout.
Food
Most weight loss articles advise making nutritional changes, and this one is going to be no exception. You can train as much as you want, if you eat too much or badly, your results and your hard efforts will be ruined. A companion article: 24-Hour Intermittent Fasting: 7 Tips for Success
What you put on your plate has as much impact on your weight as your level of physical activity, regardless of the amount of cardio you are doing. Here are some tips to help you:
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Eat smaller meals: If you're prone to cravings, try eating less, but more often. You will have the satisfaction of eating regularly during the day, you will be able to vary the food and the dishes, and above all you will have an excuse to have a small snack at 10 a.m.!
- Favor small plates : you will tend to want to fill the container you are eating from. It's human, we all do it. If you eat from smaller plates, you will therefore eat smaller portions and feel fuller with less food.
- Don't forget the protein: protein helps ward off hunger pangs because it's nutrient-rich essential amino acids that will feed your body.
- Stay hydrated : many athletes confuse hunger with thirst. Indeed, when your stomach tugs at you, it can be hard to tell one from the other. However, when you want to eat, your body may actually need water.
- Don't deprive yourself : there's no point in temporarily depriving yourself and then cracking up. The main thing is to follow a balanced diet of healthy foods and pleasure foods (usually 80/20). This way, you are not frustrated and you keep control of your impulses.
In summary: cardio weight loss
You guessed it: you can make your weight loss cardio sessions even more effective with an altitude simulator mask.
The latter is easy to use and its operation is simple: it decreases the amount of oxygen breathed to simulate a high altitude situation. It forces your body to function differently and strengthens your respiratory abilities as well as your endurance.
Its effectiveness is proven for aerobic workouts, especially if you use it regularly.Couple this with a balanced diet and you won't be long in seeing the first results of your weight loss cardio workout !
