Hypobaric ChamberHypobaric Chamberconditioning simulates the effects of high altitudes on the body without having to go to training camps in such pristine locations as Colorado and Europe. A hypobaric sleep chamber allows a person to conveniently “sleep high and live low” using the effects of a lowered barometric pressure to enhance physical endurance as well as gain significant health benefits.
is found in the increased production of red blood cells (RBC,s). This increase in RBC’s allows more oxygen to be carried in the blood to the muscles allowing the muscles to work at a higher level while remaining in an aerobic state. For road cyclists and other athletes, the opportunity to train and remain at altitude is often difficult and time consuming. Hypobaric chamber training is a convenient method of training that allows the user to gain the benefits of high altitude training wherever they are and whenever they want.
Please read the Safety section in this manual before you begin.
Plug the vacuum pump into a standard 110-volt outlet. The vacuum pump will begin to work.
Enter the chamber. Most people find that getting on all fours and backing or sitting on the edge of the mattress for the 38" model.
Close the brass dump valve and the chrome altitude adjustment valve.
Slide the chamber door towards you by pulling on the bottom handle aligning the door to the left or right until it is centered to the chamber opening.
Grab the left and right handles on the door and pull the door tightly against the chamber opening squeezing the gasket. The door will seal within sec-onds as a vacuum is created inside the chamber.
Relax and watch the altimeter climb. Yawn or "chew gum" as you ascend in altitude to equalize the pressure on your ears.
Open the CHROME altitude adjustment valve to slow your ascent as desired. Control your altitude by adjusting the airflow from the CHROME altitude valve to set your chamber environment to the desired altitude. You can start your clock timer to monitor your time "at altitude."
Relax, lay back and let your body acclimate. You can set the alarm if needed.
When you want to get out of the chamber, slightly open the BRASS dump valve just enough to start your descent. Keep an eye on your altimeter as you gradually descend in altitude. Don't forget to yawn or "chew gum" to equalize the pressure on your ears. On the decent you can also hold your nose and blow air pressure to your ears to equalize the pressure on your ears.
If your ears do not clear and begin to cause discomfort, close the BRASS dump valve slightly to increase your altitude. This will relieve the pressure in your ears. You can then start your descent again.
As you descend in altitude you will have to open the BRASS dump valve more and more to allow the greater volume of lower-pressure air to enter the chamber.
As the chamber altitude approaches the altitude on the outside of the chamber the door will open at the top by itself.
After you stop using the chamber hemoglobin levels stay the same for about 2 weeks. You will continue to see the benefits of elevated red blood cell count for approximately 6 weeks after returning to sea level.
You’ll be one step ahead before you know it. When you go to altitude, your body reacts almost immediately. Your kidneys begin the production of EPO within 60 to 90 minutes, making the bone marrow produce more red blood cells. In two weeks of consistent use, we have seen a 15% increase in red blood cell mass. Your body responds rapidly every day that you are at altitude for the first 3 weeks. After three weeks, you will be approximately 85% acclimatized. Between 3 weeks and 6 weeks, some additional acclimatization occurs, bringing you the full effect.
Medical board of advisors recommends 12,000 -15,000 feet above sea level. Studies showed the importance of sleeping as high as possible up to 15,000 feet (but no higher). There is very little gain at altitudes from the 15,000 feet to 18,000 feet window. While the body gets stronger from altitude in the range of 12,000- 15,000 feet, scientific data suggests that above 18,000 feet that fitness decreases.
Lower altitudes offer more oxygen in the air to work the muscles harder. Higher quality and harder training require this oxygen-rich lower altitude. Training at the lowest practical altitude is best. Sleeping or resting at “high altitude” conditions your blood to carry more oxygen from the thin air to your body.
It’s hard to find a place at 15,000 feet to live. (Maybe in a tent on a peak in the Andes.) How much time do you want to spend in a tent out in the elements? Living at altitude creates the benefits of altitude acclimatization, but optimum muscular conditioning competitors should work out at low altitudes. The key is to separate sleeping and training altitudes. With our chambers you sleep at 15,000 feet and get up in the morning and train at a your ambient altitude.
No. Studies have shown a much faster heart rate recovery for those who conditioned at altitude. In fact, athletes who slept at high altitudes high and trained at low altitudes outperformed all other groups.
Don’t worry. The Altitude Fitness chamber is engineered to have a controlled loss of vacuum and return to the ambient outside air pressure. If the power goes off the vanes in the pump will stop turning, air will slowly bleeds back into the chamber. The door will automatically release from the chamber within minutes.
Once you are fully acclimatized, less exposure to altitude is required to maintain acclimatization. The 2 to 3 nights per week for about 7 hours per night will be enough to keep you acclimatized.
You probably don’t train at 15,000 feet, nor would you want to. It is best to work out at the oxygen-rich sea level altitude. Here, with the oxygen-rich air, you can work your body and muscles harder than you can at altitude. The altitude fitness sleep chamber produces altitudes up to 15,000 feet, which allows you to condition your blood while you are resting your muscles.
Research shows that using the altitude fitness sleep chamber for 6-7 days per week at 15,000 feet for 6-8 hours is enough to produce the desired results. However, significant performance increases have been achieved in using the altitude chamber for 2 hours per day for as little as 10 to 12 days.
The lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere is Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level. The additional 282 feet below sea level is probably not enough to create a significant difference in training effect. Data does indicate training at below sea level altitudes would enhance the conditioning of your muscles
The Altitude Chamber will likely produce a greater effect. Here is why. Most studies on “sleep high and train low” had athletes sleeping below optimal altitude. For example, in the Levine Stray-Gundersen study, athletes slept at 8,500 feet (Deer Valley, UT). While there is nothing optimal about 8,500 feet, it is convenient for the researchers and athletes since there are condos available in ski areas at that elevation. There is limited housing available in the US above 10,000 feet and almost none available above 11,000 feet making research at those altitudes difficult. (With our sleep chamber you can sleep at 15,000 feet while in your own home.) There is a much bigger effect from altitudes above 8,500 feet. Studies show a big difference between athletes acclimatized to 8,500 feet and athletes acclimatized to 15,000 feet. Most studies on “sleep high and train low” did not train athletes low enough. The Levine Stray-Gundersen study for example trained athletes at 4,500 feet above sea level for “training low.” It is clear to everyone (including the researchers) that this was not optimal, it was just done for convenience. Getting athletes from 8,500 feet to sea level would have been cumbersome (to say the least). There is approximately 17% less oxygen at 4,500 feet than at sea level. This creates a problem for optimal training. Athletes should train as low as possible for most of their training. The US cycling team has been training athletes in oxygen-enriched environments simulating altitudes below sea level and it works. How long is your event? The researchers tested subjects running a 5k-time trial – about a 14-16 minute event. Many athletes are preparing for longer events such as marathons, cycling races, and triathlons. By sleeping higher than the athletes in the studies and training lower you will get even greater results. That is easy to do with our Altitude Fitness Chambers.
Synthetic EPO is dangerous, expensive and illegal. It requires a doctor’s prescription and careful medical supervision. EPO has been banned in all athletic competitions. In addition, synthetic EPO does not produce all the other beneficial effects of altitude. In short, altitude acclimatization is safer, less expensive, and more effective. An altitude-trained athlete will outperform an EPO doper every time. And the Altitude Fitness sleep chamber is safe, legal, and ethical.
Altitude is a reduction of barometric pressure. As you go up in the mountains, there is less barometric pressure hence a reduction of all air components and less air pressure. You probably noticed it on your last ski vacation. In the Altitude Fitness sleep chamber altitude is reached and maintained using two simple manually operated valves and a vacuum pump to create a vacuum on the inside to lower the barometric pressure. Another name for the Altitude Chamber is a Hypobaric chamber.