You've probably seen boxers or distance runners using a training mask during their workouts. It is indeed a very popular accessory. But what about weightlifting? Are there any benefits to training with an altitude mask if your main activity is lifting weights or weight training ?
The answer is yes! The training mask particularly helps to improve your breathing capacity, which plays a very important (and often overlooked) role in strengthening muscles and Strength Gain. So what is a training mask? What are its benefits and how to use it? Which model of altitude mask to choose? Discover everything in this article!
What is a training mask?
Definition
The training mask is a high-tech performance breathing device that strengthens your respiratory muscles, improves the mechanics of your breathing (i.e. the way you breathe) and produces a modest hypoxic entrainment stimulus via a patented one-way valve system.
The altitude mask is used to improve your breathing power and technique so you can perform better in a wide range of physical activities such as running, weight lifting, sports, yoga and others basic physical exercises.
Efficient and controlled breathing is usually the missing piece in most athletes' routines, and gives you access to deeper and amplified endurance. A companion article: What are the benefits of jumping rope and how to take advantage of them?
How it works
A training mask, also called an altitude mask, is intended to simulate training at high altitude, where oxygen is very rare. The goal is to make breathing more difficult, in order to improve it in the long term.
Imagine: if you are able to run 5 km with the training mask, then it will seem incredibly simple to run these same 5 km without a mask! So it's a substantial advantagein your workouts. By forcing you to work on your breathing and your breath, it allows you to improve your conditioning, strength and power at the same time. If you are looking for other solutions: Top 7 exercises to perform with a wave rope
Often the only thing that separates an athlete with incredible resultsfrom a classic athlete is the amount of work and the tolerance to intense exercise sessions. If you can work your muscles harder and sustain that workload longer, you are one step closer to athletic excellence!
The benefits of the training mask for your sports performance
More energy
Adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP, is a form of energy that allows you to be explosive over short periods of time. The amount we use is created by tiny structures inside our muscle fibers which are called mitochondria.
They are responsible for the absorption of macronutrients from the bloodstream (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), which they transform into ATP. This process is carried out using oxygen.However, often the amount of oxygen in the muscle cellsis quite limited, much more than the amount of nutrients available
So if your respiratory system can't supply the necessary amount of O2 to the bloodstream and muscles, the mitochondria will struggle to turn nutrients into energy. Training with a training mask therefore allows you to improve your respiratory functions: it is more difficult at the time, but you will gradually breathe more efficiently. We also advise you to read: Tiger Balm: What benefits and prohibitions?
The more you train with an altitude mask, the more controlled your breathing becomes. When you resume your regular sessions (without a mask), you will notice a marked improvement in your breathing rate , and you will have much more energy !
Better stamina
Bodybuilding isn't just about getting big and strong. It's about getting muscular, with low body fat. Building muscle while staying relatively lean has always been a challenge, as you need to eat large amounts of food to stimulate your muscle growth, and that's the exact opposite of what you need to do to lose fat.
Achieving single-digit body fat percentage while taking in all the calories your body needs to maintain your muscle mass is therefore extremely difficult. Also, most lifters lack stamina: this is where the training maskcomes in handy.
By doing any type of physical activity with an altitude mask(no matter how difficult), you will develop your cardiovascular system. With this accessory, you can turn any workout into a high-intensity session, which will help you burn more fat and become leaner. To also work on your endurance, we recommend: The skipping rope in CrossFit: Your best ally?
After a typical weight training session where you train in a set range of around 10 reps, you might not break a sweat and you probably won't feel like you're working hard enough.
But with a training mask, you'll feel your heart rate increase, you'll sweat more, and you can push your muscles to the next level!
Increase in respiratory compensation threshold
With a training mask, the ventilatory threshold and the respiratory compensation threshold increase. Ventilatory threshold refers to the exercise intensity at which the body produces enough lactate to switch fromaerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism. We invite you to read in parallel: The importance of metabolism during weight gain
This last metabolism is the one you use for sprinting, but it's a short-term source of energy. Exceeding the ventilatory threshold means that you are close to the red line of your capacity. The respiratory compensation threshold is similar to the ventilatory threshold, but it occurs at even higher exercise intensity.
Increasing both thresholds means an athlete can do more work before they begin to slow down. A device that raises these thresholds therefore allows great physical improvements.In a study on the effects of hypoxia on bodybuilding, researchers examined athletes with training masks during resistance training, against athletes who did the same session without masks
They observed that serum growth hormone concentrations were significantly higher in the hypoxic group. This means that weight training during hypoxia can increase muscle hypertrophy as growth hormone secretion increases.
How to use a training mask?
We recommend that you use your training mask at the very end of your weight training, once you are done with your weights and heavy loads.
You should be prepared to do about 20 minutes of cardio to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day! Here is a very effective HIIT routine to do with a training mask to improve your performance:
- 30 second draw;
- 20 repetitions of resistance band jumps;
- 20 repetitions of abs with wheel;
- 20 alternating repetitions of biceps/triceps curls or extensions.
The whole thing is one whole. Try to do 4 to 6 rounds of this circuit, with a few minutes of rest between each circuit (but without stopping between exercises). If you want to know everything: HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training in bodybuilding
Start by using the training mask for short periods, to evaluate your resistance and your breathing capacity. Increase the time of your sessions as you go. as you build yourtolerance.
This training method will definitely push you out of your depth, so always do it at the end of your weight session, as you don't want it to interfere with your main workout.
Which training mask model to choose?
The training mask is an accessory that we recommend mainly for athletes intermediate or experienced. If you're a beginner, start by perfecting your moves and getting your body used to hard physical exertion.
In any case, it is interesting to be able to modulate the intensity of the training mask, with several levels. So you can adjust the difficulty of your workout based on your goals and your form for the day. That's why the Super-Human Fitness™ Intense Altitude Simulator™ is an all-terrain model, perfect for every athlete, no matter your training method. coaching.
Its 6 intensity levels simulate heights of 500m to 6000m above sea level, to gradually decrease the oxygen supply. Easy to maintain, it can be placed very simply thanks to a high-performance attachment system. Its nylon construction is wicking so you can use it frequently and not be bothered by sweat.
Its seamless Velcro system makes it a comfortable and practical accessory. You'll become tougher, stronger, and more explosive !
In summary: the training mask
Despite the controversy surrounding this weight training accessory, the training mask is really effective for making progress in bodybuilding.It allows you to have more energy, to develop better endurance, but also to increase your respiratory compensation threshold
Generally, your breathing becomes more efficient, allowing you to sustain efforts for longer. To work your cardiovascular system, we particularly recommend that you train using HIIT circuits, to stimulate your muscles and your heart at the same time.
And if you are looking for the ideal model, we recommend the Intense Altitude Simulator™ from Super-Human Fitness™ and its 6 difficulty levels suitable for everyone! If you're looking for a new way to progress quickly, go for thetraining mask.
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