# home-made hypoxic trainer?



## ctracer01 (Jan 5, 2006)

is it possible to make a home-made hypoxic respirator?

methods?


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Possible*



ctracer01 said:


> is it possible to make a home-made hypoxic respirator? methods?


Eddy Mercx used such a device in training for the hour record in Mexico City. Of course, he (and his trainers) had it backwards, because the current wisdom is that you should "sleep high, train low" and he was doing the opposite. 

To build something, you would need to open up a respirator cartridge and put in something that reacts with/absorbs oxygen. Unfortunately, most things that react with oxygen give off quite a bit of heat in the process  Not being an inorganic chemist, I can't bring to mind any readily available compounds to do this, but Google is your friend, so knock yourself out. The effort, cost, and testing required to get something like this to actually work in any kind of controlled fashion seems like a complete and utter waste of time. Enjoy.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

ctracer01 said:


> is it possible to make a home-made hypoxic respirator?
> 
> methods?


Hmm, buy a small brown paper bag and breath into that and out all day.

Might want to take a regular breath before you pass out


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## ctracer01 (Jan 5, 2006)

haha.

i was thinking of punching a hole in the bottom of a coke bottle.

didn't think it was too feasible, but what the heck, what harm is there in asking


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

ctracer01 said:


> is it possible to make a home-made hypoxic respirator?
> 
> methods?


As Kerry points out the latest wisdom seems is to train at low altitudes so power/training intensity isn't compromised and sleep at high altitudes so that you spend the necessary hours to get the EPO response and increase in red blood cells that come with altitude adaptation. 

For about $5k you can buy one of the various systems that exist. You could probably build one for less but you better make sure you know what you're doing and build in the proper safety features less you end up suffocating yourself and becoming a Darwin Award nominee.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

ctracer01 said:


> haha.
> 
> i was thinking of punching a hole in the bottom of a coke bottle.
> 
> didn't think it was too feasible, but what the heck, what harm is there in asking


? http://breathing.com/tests.htm ? 

I remember taking CPR class in middle school.. something about there is 21% of O2 in the air, you only consume a few of these of the oxygen in the air when you breath, so when you breath into the other person, the 15-18% that is left is better than nothing to get the other person going.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*easy*



Dwayne Barry said:


> As Kerry points out the latest wisdom seems is to train at low altitudes so power/training intensity isn't compromised and sleep at high altitudes so that you spend the necessary hours to get the EPO response and increase in red blood cells that come with altitude adaptation.
> 
> For about $5k you can buy one of the various systems that exist. You could probably build one for less but you better make sure you know what you're doing and build in the proper safety features less you end up suffocating yourself and becoming a Darwin Award nominee.


Just replace the oxygen in the air with carbon monoxide. Everyone has a machine in their garage that does a very good job of this. 

*Just kidding!*


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## dlbcx (Aug 28, 2002)

ctracer01 said:


> is it possible to make a home-made hypoxic respirator?
> 
> methods?


You could possibly do it with a product from a company like this:
http://www.go2altitude.com/
The downfall of trying a homemade device is that you won't be able to control the O2 content closely enough to make it safe.


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## bas (Jul 30, 2004)

dlbcx said:


> You could possibly do it with a product from a company like this:
> http://www.go2altitude.com/
> The downfall of trying a homemade device is that you won't be able to control the O2 content closely enough to make it safe.



There was some story of out India - where some women had sealed off their room - and ended up suffocating.

I wonder if anyone can do some calculations...to see how long it would take to run out of O2 in a sealed off room the size of say 10x14 with 1 person breathing, at say a pretty normal rate (like sleeping).

Would you survive 8 hours, and would it be enough to induce some sort of body change??

Or would you just end up passing out and never knowing?..


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

You can buy a personal CO2 alarm so that if you miscalculated you would be woken up before the level got too high.


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

bas said:


> Hmm, buy a small brown paper bag and breath into that and out all day.
> 
> Might want to take a regular breath before you pass out


I've actually tried something like that, I used a balloon - got a lung workout in terms of "lifting weights" sort of, too. I stopped after a few weeks but it definitely helped my 800 (runner at the time). I noticed that I was able to do more breaths, meaning I was extracting oxygen more efficiently, and I was able to fully inflate/deflate the balloon on every breath, so I was either getting larger lung capacity or better learning to use my full capacity. Cheap, works well, what's not to like?
-estone2


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## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

estone2 said:


> I've actually tried something like that, I used a balloon - got a lung workout in terms of "lifting weights" sort of, too. I stopped after a few weeks but it definitely helped my 800 (runner at the time). I noticed that I was able to do more breaths, meaning I was extracting oxygen more efficiently, and I was able to fully inflate/deflate the balloon on every breath, so I was either getting larger lung capacity or better learning to use my full capacity. Cheap, works well, what's not to like?
> -estone2


I don't think this is hyperoxic training. This is training your inspiratory muscles to work against resistance. Hyperoxic training involves inhaling air that has an effective lower concentration of oxygen. 

The former, to the best of my knowledge, has not been shown to improve endurance performance. Probably because we are not limited by oxygen exchange under normal circumstances (so there is no need to become more efficient at a process that is already 100% effective).

Hyperoxia works because it stimulates EPO release and an increase in red blood cells.


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## estone2 (Sep 25, 2005)

Dwayne Barry said:


> I don't think this is hyperoxic training. This is training your inspiratory muscles to work against resistance. Hyperoxic training involves inhaling air that has an effective lower concentration of oxygen.
> 
> The former, to the best of my knowledge, has not been shown to improve endurance performance. Probably because we are not limited by oxygen exchange under normal circumstances (so there is no need to become more efficient at a process that is already 100% effective).
> 
> Hyperoxia works because it stimulates EPO release and an increase in red blood cells.


I wasn't using it for hyperoxic training per se, moreso just a generic exercise. The balloon's resistance trains your lungs to push harder (for lack of better terminology), but also encourages using the diaphragm. Then, when inhaling, you have to inhale deeper - it teaches you to use more or your lungs. Using more of your lungs and diaphragm is beneficial.

I would think it would work *somewhat* similarly to hyperoxic training however, as you slowly deplete the oxygen in the container - when there's half the normal percentage of oxygen, it's somewhat like being at altitude.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

awwwww heck... let's just all go to colorado and ride and stay there for a while now shall we all? :idea:


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## wasfast (Feb 3, 2004)

Colorado is out because of the commute everyday back down to sea level for training, then back up for sleeping.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

wasfast said:


> Colorado is out because of the commute everyday back down to sea level for training, then back up for sleeping.



Awww... then let's just train at high altitude too :idea:


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## ctracer01 (Jan 5, 2006)

haha...my current "altitude" training involves climbing back up the hill that my college sits on after every ride.


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## woodys737 (Dec 31, 2005)

Hypoxic, hyperoxic. What the difference. Do them both. Suck on the O2 mask while riding transcon flights all night. Please send money to...


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## parity (Feb 28, 2006)

One that costs 1K was reviewed on pez a while ago:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4514


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