AltoLab

1 Introduction

After a lot of research and analysis of altitude systems, I ordered an AltoLab. The AltoLab consists of a breathing tube, a cylinder of CO₂ absorbent (CO₂ scrubber) and a series of foam filled cylinders that hold your exhaled breath for you to re-breathe (mixers). Each mixer is supposed to be around 5,000 feet of altitude, though this obviously varies a lot. A good explanation of the system can be found at http://www.pharmapacific.com/howaltoworks.html

2 The parts ordered

I ordered the following components

• The starter kit ($190) and which contains 3 mixers giving 5,000-15,000 ft of elevation, 2 CO₂ scrubbers proving 4 hours of usage, and the tubes.
• Three extra mixers for $36
• Six extra CO₂ scrubbers for $108
• A Finger Pulse Oximeter SM-110 which appears identical to the AltoLab Oximeter, but for $50 rather than $200.

3 Initial Observations

• It was harder to breathe through than I expected, as the resistance is quite high. Air is also quite warm, partly due to rebreathing exhaled air, partly due to the heat from the CO₂ scrubber. (I may try embedding the pipe in ice water to see if that helps.)
• The manual suggests starting with 2 mixers, which should give a blood O₂ saturation of 90%. Mine dropped to below 80%, which may be part of the reason I do so badly at altitude. By the fifth session I found my breathing pattern changed, and my saturation did not drop as far.
• My initial few sessions I ignored the manual and let my blood O₂ saturation drop to around 80%, which is enough to make me feel light headed and my vision to change.
• Moisture builds up in the system quickly. This is partly the water vapor from the lungs, and probably some dribbling into the mouth tube, which is hard to avoid. I have to empty out the tube part way through a session, and disassemble everything to dry out between sessions.

4 Results

I have not been using the system long enough to see results. I will post my perceived results later.

5 CO₂ Scrubber

• The CO₂ scrubber lasted for two sessions of an hour, 6 minutes on, 3 minutes off. AltoLab claim 2-3 sessions.
• The scrubber did not die quickly or obviously; I just found my blood O₂ saturation not dropping as far each time. Swapping to a new scrubber returned to the original behavior.
• The absorbent material (soda lime) has a color change that indicates when it is exhausted. After the scrubber had become ineffective, the color change had not occurred. This suggests that there is more life left in the absorbent material, but there is not enough material for it to work effectively. Using two scrubbers together may get more life out of the material.

6 Running Costs

Each CO₂ scrubber costs $22, or $18 when you by 6 at a time. This works out as a running cost of nearly $10 per hour, which can get a little pricey. I have found that the scrubbers open up quite easily, and can be refilled with a bulk CO₂ scrubber. I used [SodaSorb which is $10 for 3 pounds. Each CO₂ scrubber holds about half a pound. This reduces the running cost less than $1 per hour.

7 See Also

• Altitude Training
• Altitude Training Approaches
• Book Review – Altitude Training and Athletic Performance
• Intermittent Hypoxic Training and Intermittent Hypoxic Training 101
• Hypoxia Systems