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Seiryo High School Team Contracts to Do Low-Oxygen Training at Local Fitness Club


Kanazawa's Seiryo High School ekiden team has signed a contract with local fitness club Aim to train in the "Hi-Arch" high-altitude simulation room at Aim's Skyship facility. Training for 30 minutes in a low-oxygen altitude training simulation room is said to produce the results of two hours' worth of regular training. With few opportunities to travel for training in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, the facility provides an efficient way for athletes to improve their fitness.

Three Aim branches in Kanazawa feature the Hi-Arch room, and Seiryo is the first high school to contract for its use. At sea level the normal concentration of oxygen in the air is 21%, but in the room it is adjusted to 15%, about the same level as at 3000 m elevation. Doing aerobic training in that kind of environment increases the body's efficiency of oxygen uptake, improving endurance and making it easier for the athlete to become leaner.

The Seiryo team couldn't train for a long time due to the school's closure during the coronavirus crisis, with almost no team activity between late February and mid-June. Under their contract with Aim, fourteen Seiryo ekiden team members will train on treadmills in the Hi-Arch room twice a week for 30 minutes per session. Some team members are already feeling the benefits, reporting that they feel less fatigued than before.

Head coach Takashi Fukaura commented, "People lost fitness while the school was closed. We couldn't do an intensive summer training camp, but I think their endurance and whatnot should come back up by November."

Among Aim's normal clients, the number of women using the high altitude room is increasing, with many saying that they had put on weight during the coronavirus shutdown and wanted to slim down again. Aim Skyship employee Shota Abe commented, "This kind of training isn't just for improving athletic performance. It can make you feel less tired and contribute to a better quality of life."

source article:
https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/109500/
translated Brett Larner

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Andrew Armiger said…
I would be interested in seeing the science (studies) that supports this strategy. There have been various reports that even sleeping in an altitude room/tent (sleeping high while training low) has diminished effect vs. being at altitude full-time even for short periods. I can certainly see, however, that having two weekly runs in an air-conditioned room would result in lowered fatigue than if they were run outdoors this time of year.
August 25, 2020 at 11:56 PM
Brett Larner said…
Agreed, Andrew. The article read like a relatively uncritical repeating of what the sports gym's staff said. Not sure about touting low-oxygen as a way for high schoolers to lose weight. It's interesting all the same, though, that a high-level high school is doing this.
August 31, 2020 at 4:09 PM
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