Altitude masks

2 watchers

sallykate Mar 2012 2:01pm, 21 Mar 2012 2,461 posts	0 sallykate From Contro's link: "the fractions of the major atmospheric components N2, O2, and Ar are remarkably uniform below about 100 km" and from somewhere else ncbi.nlm.nih.gov "Atmospheric pressure and inspired oxygen pressure fall roughly linearly with altitude to be 50% of the sea level value at 5500 m and only 30% of the sea level value at 8900 m (the height of the summit of Everest)." So maybe the reference to "14.5%" means that it's like breathing air with 14.5% O2 at sea level. It's weird anyway and totally misleading marketing.
Son of a Pronator Man Mar 2012 2:06pm, 21 Mar 2012 6,142 posts	0 Son of a Pronator Man I know of a Fetchie who is currently training using one of these very devices. It will be interesting to see if she feels she is benefiting
Mountain Cat Mar 2012 2:11pm, 21 Mar 2012 2,589 posts	0 Mountain Cat The lack of oxygen is definitely a factor in why training at altitude is so effective (not just the pressure) - as you acclimatise your red blood cells increase in size and number to absorb more oxygen and make better use of what is available. (This is also why being anaemic is seriously unpleasant when you're at altitude.) I spend a few weeks climbing at altitude every year, and am always faster in the month after my return.
Mountain Cat Mar 2012 2:13pm, 21 Mar 2012 2,590 posts	0 Mountain Cat The % of oxgyen in the air doesn't change, but the air gets thinner. So say at sea level there are 100 air molecules per cubic centimetre (that's a guess for the purpose of explaining - not trying to scientifically accurate), at high altitude, there will only be, say, 50. And they'll be more spread out.
Badger Mar 2012 2:15pm, 21 Mar 2012 3,239 posts	0 Badger Sallykate is exactly right. These things make it a bit harder to breathe in and out, but the air pressure inside your lungs will still be almost exactly the same as it is outside, so the oxygen content of the inhaled air will be the same as outside. To get the equivalent of being at 2400m, you'd have to reduce the pressure in your lungs to about 3/4 of the pressure of the air around you, and you can't possibly do that. Atmospheric pressure is equivalent to ten metres of water pressing down on you; the difference would be like using your diaphragm to lift a Range Rover balanced on your chest. Snake oil.
Mountain Cat Mar 2012 2:18pm, 21 Mar 2012 2,591 posts	0 Mountain Cat Indeedy. Go climbing in the Alps. Much more fun.
Ultracat Mar 2012 4:44pm, 21 Mar 2012 9,672 posts	0 Ultracat Soap I wonder if we know the same person using these training masks?
Son of a Pronator Man Mar 2012 4:47pm, 21 Mar 2012 6,144 posts	0 Son of a Pronator Man UC I think that we may do, she posted a rather scary picture of herself wearing the said item on Facebook ?
Ultracat Mar 2012 4:51pm, 21 Mar 2012 9,674 posts	0 Ultracat Her ears must be burning x