For those that are interested in a brief overview. Here is a link to an article in pezcycling.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/...d=89335#.UjIpfRaAqH8

http://www.setantacollege.com/...%20Training%20on.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16015135

Mixed results. It appears to work, but they aren't sure why.

Not sure that it's enough benefit to justify the expense, unless you're at the pointy end of the stick.

John

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You know you are a space nerd when you see this topic but read hypergolic, and then wonder why they aren't using LOX and RP-1 or LH.

I have read both of those articles. I am not certain what would be expensive about setting it up but it seems like you need an O2 tank, a mask, a reservoir, and that's about it.

It could be more useful if you live at altitude where your maximum exercise capacity is reduced.

I would just like a "grocery list" of the parts necessary to put it together.

Not sure if you can get a mask with a reservoir as a non medical. I suppose if you work in a hospital/medical environment you could get them with no problem. O2 tanks also, I don't know if you need a prescription for O2 to be able to get it or not. Also not sure what purpose the box in the middle between the tank and the runner is for, unless that's the reservoir rather than one hanging off of the mask.

You may be right, it may not be expensive, but I've never looked at the costs to refill a straight O2 tank. (Not even sure, but is that something you could get through a scuba shop?)

John

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How long before o2 ends up on WADA's list?

The O2 tank can be acquired at a welding supply shop. You can either lease or buy the tank. I use one in a oxy-acetylene torch set. The last refill cost me about $30.

one can buy some of this stuff on ebay. i live at altitude and briefly considered this last winter. my local medical supplier would set anyone up with o2 (yours may not; a quick call will help), but they recommended just buying the regulator on ebay.

PS they weren't even surprised by the request. they said they've gotten it before (for athletics).

now that we're rolling into winter, i'm considering it again.

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The use of O2 at the end of stages in Ultraman Canada was banned after someone was found to be using it a few years ago..Same for the use of IV's

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We do supplemental oxygen work for specific high-intensity workouts with a specific preparation in mind. (Typically priority events at sea-level).
I know of some who "Live Low and Train Lower".

The winter, off season, is certainly a time when this is not warranted.

One consideration for chronic supplemental / hyper-oxic training is increased free-radical production and systemic inflammation.

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I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
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Box in the middle is for a humidifier usually.

Biggest challenge is having a knowledgable person running the gear during your workouts. I wouldn't want to manage that while I'm trying to hammer vo2 intervals.

I think I could get a hold of the parts. It is just that I am not sure what the parts are.

I live in Denver so a high enough altitude that VO2 style intervals are definitely done at lower power than sea-level. Did you come with a list of what is needed? I don't think that this is as simple as a mask, tubing and oxygen. Part of the problem with that set-up and the speed of respiration at maximum exercise is rebreathing CO2. Even a non-rebreather mask wouldn't have the capacity with the minute ventilation required.

I have been to the BCSM and worked with Andy Pruitt. The facility is awesome but I can't justify driving an hour to an hour and a half for an hour training session. There isn't a place in Denver that offers this. I am in medicine so getting the parts is not an issue. After all nothing is dangerous or a controlled substance. The question is what parts to get. Even a close up photo of the set-up would help.

I am not sure what you would need anyone else to do. Seems like you turn on the oxygen, put on the mask and hammer for an hour. I wouldn't adjust the oxygen delivery during my on and off periods.

I would do a lot more research before you just 'put a mask on and hammer for an hour'.

I simplified a bit. Of course I will research and this is the start.

I only meant to illustrate that I am not sure that I would need someone else with me during my sessions to help adjust anything and I am not sure that after I have started the flow of oxygen that I would need to change anything.

If you have experience with this at all I'd be interested in what your experiences have been.

I've never directly run the sessions, but have observed them several times. We always had a physiologist running the equipment. Sessions were always intervals at near max effort, sometimes alternating with/without o2. In theory if all the gear is setup properly you shouldn't have much to adjust during a workout, but it is harder to monitor the gear while you are on a bike/treadmill.

Use of supplemental oxygen is legal under WADA code.

www.trainxtreme.com
www.vacumed.com
The world's first automated and adjustable hyperoxic/hypoxic training system

The box in the middle is a reservoir and automates the system. Humidifying hyperoxic gas can only be done right before the gas is inhaled by the athlete. Mold can be a dangerous thing. The trainXtreme system is rated up to 300 liters per minute and is fully pneumatic.

So what is the cost and how does the athlete obtain the gas sources?

In the past I've used a Hypoxico generator to do hyperoxic training one of two ways:

1. Collect the 'waste' gas (~12 L/min of ~60% O2) into a 200 L meteorological balloon, then use that as a reservior mixed w/ additional room air 'on the fly' via a Y valve to obtain the needed volume; or

2. Use a nasal cannula to send the ~60% O2 directly into my nostrils.

Approach #1 provides more certainty regarding the exact final O2 concentration that is inhaled, but it can be a bit tricky to manage/balance everything just right so you can focus on training instead of running a science experiment.

Approach #2 makes the final O2 level a bit uncertain (since you don't know how much of the ~12 L/min is inhaled, vs. spills out of the nostrils during exhalation, and you also don't know the total ventilation) and can lead to nosebleeds (due to dryness of the gas), but is far simpler in execution.

Both approaches keep my SaO2 at 98+% during high intensity exercise, vs. the drop to 93-95% that I experience even during exercise at sea level (see below):

The cost is $6995.00
You can obtain the gas at your local welding shop. Medical, aviation and industrial grade oxygen all comes from the same place.
Please email me if you want more information rick@vacumed.com

Interesting...I did not know that! If I had (back in 1985), my dissertation research might have gone in a different direction (cost of medical-grade O2 was the deal-breaker).

In the US, there are no different grades of oxygen being produced or contained in cylinders maintained under DOT regulations. By the very nature of the state-of-the-art process in which oxygen is produced, it will be better than 99.99% pure. In addition, oxygen for medical use does not have any more moisture than oxygen for any other purposes, nor is it added. Furthermore, because of the chemical nature of oxygen it must be as pure and dry as possible if stored under pressure. Therefore, a hygiene protocol is necessary in order to prevent oxygen from being contaminated or to help keep contaminated oxygen from being used. This, perhaps, is why many believe there are different grades. A medical prescription is not needed for oxygen if it is for 'AVO', (but is for medical purposes) The FDA or FAA does not regulate oxygen for �AVO /ABO� purposes.

There are four kinds of oxygen that are merchandised or sold to users; Aviation, Medical, Welding and Research. There is an ongoing controversy if there is any difference between the different types. Oxygen gas is produced from the boiling off of liquid oxygen. It would appear that the oxygen is therefore the same. Where we obtain oxygen, all the different types of oxygen are supplied from the same manifold system. Then someone says that medical oxygen has more moisture in it. That is partly true. The oxygen going to a hospital bed is plain oxygen that comes from liquid oxygen. At the bed location, there is a unit on the wall that adds moisture. At this moment we now have medical oxygen. If the oxygen is in a pressure vessel or in a manifold system (like inside a hospital) then it is regular oxygen. The cost of medical or welding oxygen is normally much less than the oxygen you get at an airport.

Also of interest, we have been told by the suppliers of welding oxygen, the purity level required for welding and cutting purposes is more critical than for breathing.

The bottom line about the different types of oxygen is in the insurance liability of the oxygen supplier. The gas is the same but the insurance liability is different.

Again, very interesting - thanks for the detailed explanation.

Thank you as well for the information re: different sources of oxygen.

Makes me a feel a bit better about some of the O2 kit that I have in my work kit that came from...uh...local sources.

Forget training..


Has anyone ever used portable oxygen in transition?

There are days when I swear it would come in usefull.

Are there any training facilities that use your setup where I could try a session or two?

One thing that you need to be careful of with oxygen systems is that pure oxygen, under pressure, is a powerful oxidizer and things will react very quickly under pure oxygen (i.e. burn) while it's totally safe at room pressures and concentrations. For instance - the gauges for oxygen regulators are specifically made for the purpose, and the reason they say 'use no oil' in any part of the high pressure oxygen system is that the oil will spontaneously combust in the presence of pure oxygen.

http://nuclearpowertraining.tpub.com/.../css/h1015v2_120.htm


A second thing is that a pressurized oxygen tank needs to be treated with a great deal of respect. If the tank were to fall over and then break the regulator off, it would take off like a rocket and go through whatever is in its way (including cinderblock walls) until its energy was expended.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-xmaPSZ6GM


This is why you generally see gas bottles chained to a wall, and it's proper safety practice to screw on the heavy steel protective cap anytime the bottle is going to be moved.

Edit: The picture in the original post doesn't have the cylinder chained up... bad practice.

Mythbusters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejEJGNLTo84

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Less is more.

Dr Coggan, Any thoughts on what type of intervals might be most effective using the Vacumed system: 2 x 15s (lactate threshold) or 4 x 5s (VO2Max)? Your answer would be based on what you've reviewed in papers on hyperoxic training and what experience you have first hand. I live at altitude and I am wondering if Vacumed's Trainextreme would have real benefits for me. My Sp02 declines to 88 while doing lactate threshold training at altitude(6200).

I know what you were driving at, but this sentence made me giggle regardless.

My gut instinct is that using it for VO2max-type training is likely to provide more bang-for-the-buck...but it's just a gut instinct.

Please email me for a possible demonstration.

Desaturation will occur at altitude and hyperoxia will reverse that. However desaturation at sea level strangely only occurs in the elite athletes and its cause is unknown but relates to the rate of blood flow they produce thus not allowing time for diffusion across the lung. The increase in power output and performance with hyperoxia is a very complex issue and not completely understood. But it does happen with subjects who do not show desaturation during work. Actually most of the hyperoxic performance data is with subjects who do not desaturate. Factors that result in the increased performance (power output) on hyperoxia included among others : a greater gradient driving force for O2 across both lung and muscle membranes, increased buffer capability, reduced ventilation therefore cost of breathing, increased CO2 in blood, metabolic shifts to fat metabolism on hyperoxia , plus unknown factors. The hyperoxic increase in power is not driven by reversing desaturation since in most cases the subjects do not desaturate during the work.

I used to live in Colorado Springs and had trouble with the altitude and thought about this solution. I saw some pics of one of the locals, perhaps Sarah Haskins, training this way and there was a giant parachute looking bladder that she was breathing from along with the mask, hoses, giant tank, etc. I decided it was too hard to even try to do after I saw that.

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I've used a prototype system of the Vacumed Trainxtreme hyperoxic system. It seemed to significantly improve my wattage power and leg strength at VOMax and above. I was able to do my trainer intervals easily at 15% higher wattage with the system than without. However I was never able to quantify my improvements as I used it only 8 times during racing season and ended up getting sick. Thanks Dr. Coggan for your input. I hope to use hyperoxic training again and I think it may be an answer for those that live at altitude.

Digging up an old-ish thread, but is there any reason why you couldn't use a cpap type oxygen concentrator with a mask? I know they come in 5l/min and up to 10l/min... Would 5l/in provide enough air if using a mask with a 2-way NRBV?

Main thing I would worry about is rebreathing CO2 is the reservoir wasn't big enough.

Yeah... hence the non re-breathing valve on the mask.

True but when I look at almost all of the professional setups they also include very large reservoirs: either boxes or very large bags. It doesn't seem like the set-up should be that complicated though. I really just want a list of parts.

I've designed and built several of these devices over the past 20 yrs to support my research in hypo and hyperoxia and, you are right, spending $7 k on this device is a bit like buying a solid gold paperclip to hold your papers together when all you really need is a staple. You can build your own setup for just a few hundred dollars. This is what you will need:

one hans-rudolph model 2700 breathing valve (this will be your mixer for the gas)
one breathing mask or a second breathing valve and nose clip
- this doesn't need to be an hr 2700 model (which is pretty expensive)
Two 1 1/4 inch breathing hoses with cuffs. One hose can be as short as 12 inches or so, the other should be at least 3 feet
One meteorological balloon (60-90 liter capacity should do)
3 feet of pvc pipe (your breathing hoses will attach to the pipe, so the outer diameter of the pipe should be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cuffs on the breathing hoses)
A T-joint and an L-joint to connect the sections of PVC pipe to the breathing hose and meteorological balloon
about 2-3 feet of 1/4" inner diameter tigon hose
One pressure regulator ( I believe this is a cga 540 but I don't have one in front of me, so check with your gas supplier)
A role of duct tape

You can dress-up the setup with a demand-flow regulator if you want (the kind of regulator that you find on scuba tanks). The dfr eliminates the need for the meteorological balloon and makes it easier to operate during your workouts, but it is expensive, and the basic setup is pretty simple to operate anyway.

With this you can build a setup that is similar to the picture on page 143 of my book "Performance Cycling". It is a bit tough to see in that picture, so contact me and I can walk you through how to build it. My contact info is on my website at racersready.com.

Once you have all of the material, you can build the setup in about 30 minutes and it is as easy to put together as a set of tinker-toys. The real hassle with any of these units is the gas cylinder. They are very heavy and awkward to move. You can't just toss them in the trunk of your car and your gas supplier will likely have to deliver it to you. As one of the earlier posters noted, you shouldn't leave the cylinders unsecured as is shown in the picture. Their dimensions make them inherently unstable and if they fall and damage the valve or regulator you have a missile on your hands. You can chain them to the wall or, I recommend buying a special dolly that will secure the cylinder and let you wheel it up to your bike or treadmill. You can buy the dolly at your gas supplier. Having these cylinders may also violate fire codes in some areas, so you may want to check with the local fire marshal before you invest in a setup.

Finally, be aware that the increased training intensity can require increased recovery time between workouts. Runners seem to have more trouble recovering from hyperoxic workouts than do cyclists. As Andy suggested in an earlier post, we have had our best results using hyperoxia during "VO2 max" types of efforts, i.e. 1-5 minute, very high intensity intervals. Also, the gas is going to be drier than you normally find in the atmosphere which can cause dryness of the mouth and throat, but gargling with glycerol before the workout seems to help a bit.

Hope this helps

Decades ago, Ed Howley described bubbling hyperoxic gas through warmed water to humidify it before inspiration. Based on that, for some pilot studies I built a system consisting of a gallon glass bottle sitting on a warming plate (yogurt maker), with one small tube leading into 1 L of distilled water and a second venting the bottle. Not sure it's the safest/most sanitary approach, though! (Think Legionnaire's Disease.)

Like I have always said, its amazing what you can do with a yogurt maker and a little ingenuity. We considered a similar approach early on when we were using premixed air straight from the cylinders, but when we started mixing gas from the cylinders with atmospheric air it seemed to reduce considerably the humidity problem.