Can anyone personally quantify the gains of using an Altitude Tent?
I have read this question in the past, and never seemed to get an answer. Dont know what this means since the mfg state pros use them.
Also a lot of folks did not have very positive comments about the use of them, like staying cool, etc.
Dave
I am guessing this is something you are asking because you are interested in obtaining one? What are your achievements, limitations, and goals in respect to racing?
While I do not own one, I do have a friend who did, and I have sold a few of them to some pro triathletes. Basically, in my opinion, they are simply an equalizer (at least in the pro ranks and possibly some very elite age group ranks). As most pros own them (at least IM pros), and eventually can only utilize them in the same manner.
I’m sure someone will want to list many of the studies both pro & con for using an altitude tent, but I’d venture to say your $5-10k would be better spent elsewhere in order to get faster (and if you don’t necessarily need to be faster - then a new bike would certainly look cooler 
<—this is a joke for those anti-new stuff folks…
I am always interested in hearing about the folks who did. I know one posted that his new girlfriend would not sleep in it. Others have said its too hot. But, never heard anyone say they use it because they feel they got an X% improvement.
Dave
This is the information I am curious about… for the $5-10K what do I get?? I am curious to know if top agers are using tents…
I keep trying to tell my wife the mile high club. :o)
Dave
I would venture to say that not very many top age groupers are utilizing altitude tents on a regular basis. With that said, I do know probably 5-6 who have owned them at one time, maybe utilized them for a year, but for some reasons mentioned (sleeping facilities, significant others, etc.) eventually got rid of them. They are difficult to sell even on the used market (because it is SO limited and the same ones keep showing up over and over again).
If your training is optimized, you’ve reached a plateau (both training and racing), and you already have the best racing equipment available, then as a last resort an altitude tent MAY provide you with some nominal benefits - yet if you missed the Kona cutoff at your last couple of races by 5-10 minutes, it may be even more interesting to you 
Where are you located? Again, what is it that you hope to gain?
Agreed- also you must consider it as “training”. Altitude is another stress on your body. To properly benefit from a tent you need to realize that you may need more recovery or need to change your training in other ways. It is not as simple as “sleep in the tent and get faster”.
Thats the main reason I have not gone further. I cant stand to buy something, then eat 60% of more on resale.
I know one time I called back to a mfg of these about upgrading a used unit, they did nothing but basically tell me it was not good to buy an older, used unit.
I also have yet to find one that either covers a king size bed, or a room.
So, if you have of a newer used unit, I am always looking for a minute or 2 sayings in my Oly distance race.
Dave
We just started selling altitude simulation products recently and there is a King Size tent available. It’s the model 430 and it can be seen here http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCT?PAGE=CATEGORY_VIEW&CATEGORY.ID=1712&MODE= along with other models. We did quite alot of research before moving into this category of product and an overview of their use and benefits can be found here http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCT?PAGE=WHATS_NEW
To paraphrase what Jack Daniels says in his book… A person’s peak fitness is no higher if they train at altitude than if they train correctly at sea level. Living at altitude (or tent) may help a person get to that peak more quickly, or break through a plateau in their training, but their peak fitness potential does not change.
AND, I would add, may help you get to the peak more quiclky ONLY IF you are withing a fraction of a % of the peak. It won’t work worth a damned for the 99.9% of us on this board who are nowhere near this peak.
of course, I can’t even do this “setup” correctly as I’ve asked on multiple posts about location. If anyone was located in San Diego, Riverside, or Orange Counties (So.Cal), I’d recommend for them to go see the guys at CVAC Systems (www.cvacsystems.com) in Temecula. At $20/session, you could go 3 days/week for 2 years and receive greater benefits (other physiological benefits other than those of an altitude tent) and still not cost as much.
For that type of money, I believe there are many other things one can do to get into that top 5% in your age group (or amongst the pros). If I was already there (pro, elite, etc.), I’d probably look for something that provides an “edge” compared to something that basically just allows me to be on the same playing field (which, if not used properly, can have actual detrimental effects - despite what Andrew C. tells me
Thanks for the insight…
I am on the East Coast (mid-atlantic region) so I cant take advantage of the CVAC offerings.
I have a pro friend who, I believe, wants to sell hers. She’s had it a few years but never used it to my knowledge. I could look into it if you’re interested.
Clint
Here’s another thread on altitude tents that someone posted a while back.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=896228;search_string=Altitude%20tent;#896228
Can anyone personally quantify the gains of using an Altitude Tent?
Yes.
I know someone who just turned pro in the Xterra ranks and got one this summer. he used it for about a month and while racing a century with his team had to pull out at around 80 miles. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with altitude sickness. I would guess it is the first case of altitude sickness they had seen in Tennessee in a while. I havent spoken with him since then but I would guess it is for sale now.
Hello,
My name is Rip Young. I am Director of Marketing at Colorado Altitude Training - http://www.altitudetraining.com. We are the largest manufacturer of altitude simulation equipment in the world, 7-10 times the size of the nearest competition. Your postings have been brought to my attention, and I would like offer a few responses to your comments here:
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Per the overall conversation about quantifying the gains: Ben Levine, Jim Stray-Gundersen, Heikki Rusko, Steve Muza, and other independent, third-party (non-paid by altitude simulation companies) scientific experts have quantified the results of altitude training. You can find some of their studies at http://altitudetraining.com/main/science/research. You can also go to www.pubmed.com and search for additional studies. The studies quantify the endurance gains as improved times by 1-8% for well-trained (Olympic caliber) athletes. As many of you know, even a 1% gain over an 8 hour event is huge (The time between 1st and 2nd at Kona this year was .2%. Normann is one of our customers.) What happens if you respond more in the 8% range? One post said, “It won’t work worth a damned for the 99.9% of us on this board who are nowhere near this peak.” This is absolutely untrue. In fact, world-class athletes tend to respond in the 1-3% range (which as shown earlier can be the difference in winning and losing) while the 99.9% of the rest of us can respond at rates even higher than 8%. Note that each athlete’s response rate is different based on their physiology and level of training.
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“Some of the Pros use them” You can visit our sponsored athlete page at http://altitudetraining.com/main/testimonials to see who we have marketing rights to name. Outside of these athletes, we have hundreds of customers that you would know. Our customers include 6 of the last 7 World Ironman Champions as well as age group qualifiers for Kona; 5 of the top 6 2006 Tour de France finishers as well as Tour de France yellow, KOM, Green, and White jersey winners; and running teams including the Nike Oregon Project coached by Alberto Salazar as well as other elite Marathoners. We have also had RAAM champions in our tents and other ultra competitors. In the past year, we have moved agressively into other markets besides the endurance markets. Our products have been accepted by athletes in football, basketball, hockey, and soccer on a world-wide scale. See this link for an ESPN feature of a football player using our tent: http://broadband.espn.go.com/ivp/splash?id=2608376
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All training is a sacrifice. If it wasn’t, competition wouldn’t prove anything. Altitude training is a commitment. But it DOES work, based on the scores of scientific studies and numerous testimonies. Even WADA says that it improves performance. So, is it a bigger commitment to sleep in a tent, or move to a mountain town? Have you done everything within your time constraints to train your body? If you want an extra benefit while you sleep, this is the only (legal, safe, and ethical) way to get it.
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When used properly, altitude simulation is safe and does not cause altitude sickness. We have over 10 million athlete hours in altitude tents without an unsafe occurence. In fact, the U.S. Military is using our altitude simulation products to prevent altitude sickness in soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. Our expertise in not only the products, but the training is the biggest reason to purchase new equipment instead of buying old technology from a person on ebay. If Chris Lieto had purchased our equipment second-hand, what would he have done when his 4 year old system had a problem 3 weeks before Kona? Even though his product was out of its 3 year warranty period, we shipped him a replacement unit so that he could continue training right up to the World Ironman Championships. Congrats to Chris on being the top U.S. finisher at Kona.
If any of you have any specific questions about the technology, you can feel free to email me at ryoung@altitudetraining.com. I hope my comments have been useful.
Hello,
My name is Rip Young. I am Director of Marketing at Colorado Altitude Training - www.altitudetraining.com. We are the largest manufacturer of altitude simulation equipment in the world, 7-10 times the size of the nearest competition. Your postings have been brought to my attention, and I would like offer a few responses to your comments here:
- Per the overall conversation about quantifying the gains: Ben Levine, Jim Stray-Gundersen, Heikki Rusko, Steve Muza, and other independent, third-party (non-paid by altitude simulation companies) scientific experts have quantified the results of altitude training.
You’re referencing studies that have examined round-the-clock (aside from training time) residence at (actual) altitude - does sleeping in a hypoxic tent for only 8-10 h/d necessarily have the same effect(s)? The AIS would argue that it doesn’t.