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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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* For elite athletes only natural LHTL was likely to improve performance (living at altitude rather than an altitude tent)
It should be noted that one of the most important conclusions of the meta-analysis is the lack of good quality studies. For instance, there were only two IHE studies for elite athletes, and one of these was flawed by providing far too low a level of hypoxia for most of the study.
==Elevation Training Mask==
The [http://www.trainingmask.com Elevation Training Mask] (ETM) is a device that covers the nose and mouth to restrict breathing. The ETM claims that it "mimics the effects of High Altitude Training", and it even talks about equivalent altitudes of 12,000-18000ft. The ETM web site states "The Mask reduces the partial pressure of oxygen"<ref name="TrainingMaskCase"/>, but there is no supporting evidence, or any indication of any possible mechanism that would reduce the partial pressure of oxygen. The only mention of [[SpO2|SpO<sub>2</sub>]] indicated a low value of 96%, well within the range of normal sea level respiration and well above the level needed for [[Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure| IHE]]. The manufacturer has a "clinical trial" that show ETM combined with [[High Intensity Interval Training]] (HIIT) improves [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]]<ref name="TrainingMaskTrial"/>, but this trial did not have controls to see if the improvements where just due to the HIIT. The improvements in [[VO2max|V̇O<sub>2</sub>max]] shown in the studies are in line with other studies of HIIT alone, so the benefit of the ETM is unclear at best. Note that this trial was published as a blog entry, not published in peer reviewed journals. The ETM may improve the strength of the breathing muscles, but there is no evidence that this alone improves performance. I would not recommend the ETM, nor do I believe it constitutes 'altitude training' and it is only included in this section because it is a common question.
==See Also==
* [[The Science of Altitude Training]]
* [[Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure]] and [[The Science of Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure]]
* [[AltoLab]]
==References==
<references>
<ref name="muscle">http://www.hypoxico.com/images/pdfs/Response_of_skeletal_muscle_mitochondria_tohypoxia_Hoppel.pdf Response of skeletal muscle mitochondria to hypoxia</ref>
<ref name="HypoxicMeta">Sea-level exercise performance following adaptatio... [Sports Med. 2009] - PubMed result http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19203133</ref>
<ref name="TrainingMaskTrial">Elevation Training Mask Technical Report Clinical Trial http://blog.trainingmask.com/elevation-training-mask-technical-report-clinical-trial/ </ref>
<ref name="TrainingMaskCase">Elevation Training Mask and The Effects: A Case Report http://blog.trainingmask.com/elevation-training-mask-and-the-effects-a-case-report/</ref>
</references>
