How To Run Faster And Longer Without Getting Tired Or Injured


7 Steps To Better Running Form


I will email you daily with information that helps you achieve your running goals, which may include offers to buy programs or services that I have created for you. You are always free to unsubscribe or change your personal information, which includes your email address. I'm not collecting any other personal information.


Breath Hold Exercise: Better for Hypoxic Training than Elevation Training Mask

In this post on hypoxic training for running:

  • a technique to simulate altitude training and increase EPO naturally and legally.
  • more effective than “elevation” training mask.

Hypoxic Training For Running

Living and training at altitude has long been used as a way to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the human body. If you live at high altitude, your body responds by increasing your number red blood cells.  These red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles during exercise.

Sensors in your kidneys detect a lower than normal oxygen level and then release a hormone called erythropoietin (EPO).  This hormone stimulates an increase in red blood cell formation.

Elite athletes sometimes use synthetic EPO for this purpose. This drug can increase your red blood cell production and expand your blood’s capacity to carry oxygen to your muscles.

But EPO is banned in competitive sports and potentially harmful as it can make your blood too thick and put undue stress on your heart. And moving to the mountains is not always an option.

What about “elevation” masks as a method of hypoxic training for running?

These masks provide resistance to your breathing and have been shown to increase your ability to breathe more air. It’s basically like strength training for your breathing muscles. So they are effective in that regard.

And while exercising with one of these masks has been shown to reduce the oxygen level in the blood, the reduction was not as much as would be expected with actual training at altitude. And  they don’t reduce the oxygen level to the degree shown to increase EPO. (See the study reviewed below.)

Also, there is not much scientific support for the idea that breathing increased volumes of air will improve your performance. “Elevation” masks  do increase the strength of respiratory muscles, but do not improve performance in exercise. (See reference below.) This is probably because breathing volume is not the rate limiting factor in performance for most people.

Getting more air in and out of your lungs is not the problem, getting the oxygen from that air into the blood and from the blood into the muscle cells is the issue. And to do that, you need to increase your number of red blood cells.

So “elevation” masks have not been shown to increase EPO production and therefore increase red blood cell count. But there is a way to naturally stimulate production of EPO by your own body, so you don’t have to move to the mountains, or take performance enhancing drugs.

Reducing Blood Oxygen During Exercise Increases EPO

Some researchers in Canada were curious about the decrease in oxygen concentration in the blood that happens during exercise at elevation. They wanted to know if it would cause an increase in the hormone erythropoietin (EPO).

Previous researchers had shown that it takes a minimum of two hours of breathing the low-oxygen air present at high altitudes to stimulate EPO production. So these researches set out to answer a question.

Would EPO increase be stimulated in less time than 2 hours, if exercise is added to the mix? If so, it would be a great method of hypoxic training for running.

They tested 5 athletes by having them exercise for 3 minutes at two separate levels of elevation, 1000 meters and 2100 meters. The researchers measured their EPO levels before the exercise and after. They took blood samples 4, 7, 24, and 48 hours after the exercise intervention.

At the 1000-meter level, the athletes had an average time of 24 seconds below 91% oxygen saturation measured with a pulse oximeter, and 24% higher EPO levels 24 hours after the exercise.

At the 2100-meter level the athletes had an average time of 136 seconds below 91% oxygen saturation, with this measurement dipping to an average of 82%. 24 hours later their EPO levels were 36% higher. Spending 136 seconds below 91% stimulated an increase in EPO.

A study using “elevation” masks did not find this degree of hypoxemia (low oxygen) during exercise, even when the mask was set on what the manufacturer claimed was equivalent to 4572 meters of elevation.

The researchers also measured EPO in a group of people who were exposed to 13 minutes of breathing low-oxygen air and a placebo group who had no intervention. Both of these groups had no elevation in EPO during the 48 hours they were monitored.

So exercise that reduces your oxygen saturation in your blood to under 91% for roughly 136 seconds is likely to give you a bump in EPO production.

And here is the best way I’ve found to accomplish this without moving to the mountains. (I’m not opposed to moving to the mountains. It’s just not always convenient for many people.)

Breath Holding During Exercise: A method of hypoxic training for running.

This comes from the Buteyko Method. Avoid doing this in a swimming pool or body of water. You can use this method with any land based exercise. It creates a low oxygen and high carbon dioxide environment in your body. This is the most convenient way to implement hypoxic training for running.

  1. Inhale and exhale through your nose.
  2. Hold your nose.
  3. Proceed with your chosen exercise (walking, running, hopping, squatting) until you feel a strong urge to breathe.
  4. Let go of your nose and breathe through it until your breathing has relaxed. Keep exercising as before.
  5. Repeat for 10 rounds or more.
  6. You can perform this exercise several times a day. We currently don’t have research to confirm or deny if more than once per day increases your EPO level more than doing it just once per day.

You can use a pulse oximeter to monitor this exercise. It is a small device that fits on the tip of your finger and reads your pulse rate and the amount of oxygen saturation of your blood as a percentage.

Many of the available  monitors have a time delay of 10 seconds or so. Keep that in mind if you don’t see the number decrease immediately.

There is no need to lower your oxygen saturation below 80 percent. According to the study described above, getting your oxygen saturation to less than 91 percent for approximately 24 seconds can result in an increase of EPO of up to 24 percent, while maintaining this saturation around 136 seconds can increase your EPO about 36 percent.

Sources:

Roberts D, Smith DJ, Donnelly S, Simard S. Plasma-volume contraction and exercise-induced hypoxaemia modulate erythropoietin production in healthy humans. Clin Sci. 2000 Jan;98(1):39–45.

Williams, J. S.; Wongsathikun, J.; Boon, S. M.; Acevedo, E. O., Inspiratory muscle training fails to improve endurance capacity in athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2002, 34 (7), 1194-1198.

“Functional” Respiratory Muscle Training During Endurance Exercise Causes Modest Hypoxemia but Overall is Well Tolerated.

Author:
Nick Ortego is a health coach specializing in biohacking for runners. He integrates modern methods with the ancient wisdom of yoga to help runners get the most out of every aspect of life. He is the owner of N 2 Action, a wellness studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering personal training, health coaching, yoga, and fascial stretch therapy.
Also find more on the Nick Ortego Fitness YouTube Channel

Join the VIP Club, Get How to Become a Fat Burning Runner: A Step by Step Guide and other exclusive content not available on the blog.

I will email you daily with information that helps you achieve your running goals, which may include offers to buy programs or services that I have created for you. You are always free to unsubscribe or change your personal information, which includes your email address and possibly your first name if you decide to fill in that blank. I’m not collecting any other personal information.

* indicates required



Run Better Now Coaching

Do you want to love running again?


So there I was after my first marathon.


I was hurting and I could barely walk. I could walk but I looked 50 years older than my 29 years.


I had fallen in love with running about 8 months earlier when I was on a family vacation. I ran every day near the beaches in Florida. Not Florida in July, but Florida in April.


The warm sun.


The cool breeze.


They combined with the steady rhythm of my feet hitting the ground and the wavelike motion of my breathing. It hypnotized me into a state of euphoria.


I went home from that vacation and immediately signed up for my first ever marathon.


But here I was now 8 months later and I couldn't bear the thought of running. I resigned to the idea that running just wasn't for me, or my body. It was like an abusive lover. It just beat me up too much.


I stopped running and just focused on other exercises.


Then one day a I was walking my little wiener dog at a local park wearing some five fingers. Those are the barefoot toe shoes that were trendy back then.


I looked at my little dog and he seemed to want to run. I decided to do a little sprint.


And it felt phenomenal. I loved running again. Everything was flowing, my form felt effortless. A eureka moment happened.


You see, when I was training for the marathon, I had tried to implement better running technique principles to no avail. My form would just go back to my default setting once I got even a little tired.


I knew what good running form looked like. I have a degree in the science of human movement. I did most of my biomechanics projects on running when I was in college. I read all the books about better running form. I tried to use the principles that I knew.


But I had been unable to put it into practice.


Now something had changed.


When I was not attached to running a certain distance or speed, I ran much better. I started treating running as a skill I was developing, rather than a mode of cardiovascular conditioning I was using to condition my body.


It worked. I enjoyed running again. I took another deep dive into studying the biomechanics of running. I was able to practice the principles of better running.


Since then, I've run several marathons faster than that first one that left me feeling crippled.


I've run a 50k and 100 mile ultra-marathons without feeling beat up.


That's a lie. I felt pretty demolished after the hundred miler. But that's to be expected.


I love running again.


But it hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns. I've made mistakes and learned. I got over-zealous with the little barefoot toe shoes and had to fix my plantar fasciitis again. (I'm prone to it apparently.)


Prevention beats treatment is one of the most valuable lessons I learned, by the way. I haven't had the plantar fasciitis issues in over 8 years now though.


As a trainer, I started using what I knew about corrective exercise and motor learning to help people run better.


And now, with the current state of internet technology, I can offer coaching online. I created a 3-month coaching program called Run Better Now Coaching.


With the Run Better Now coaching program you get all this.




  • You will improve all of your movement patterns so that you can run with optimized mechanical efficiency. This means a smoother, easier experience each time you run.

  • You will learn how to improve other lifestyle factors that can make or break your running performance. This includes nutrition, stress, sleep, and recovery.

  • No guesswork. You get a specifically detailed program specifically designed for your body and your schedule delivered on my online platform with instructional videos and unlimited feedback.

  • Constant guidance. Each week we meet remotely to adjust your program based on how it's going for you.

  • Unlimited consulting.  I answer all your questions by email or through my online training platform.


Click here to sign up for the 3-month program,  or read more if you're curious.


How Online Coaching Works


Here is what your get:




  • Movement Evaluation: An initial evaluation of your movement patterns and running form through video.

  • Program Design: An exercise and running program designed specifically for your needs, goals, and time constraints.

  • Unlimited Q & A: My online coaching platform allows you to send me messages and videos. I answer your questions and give you feedback for improving your technique.

  • Weekly Coaching Sessions: We meet online each week throughout the 3 month program for accountability and encouragement as well as program troubleshooting.

  • Integrated Health Coaching: I coach you on the other aspects of a healthy lifestyle that can make or break your running. This includes better sleep, nutrition, recovery, and stress management. 


Sign up for the Run Better Now (3-month) coaching program.


Movement Evaluation


I send you the instruction video and then you video yourself performing a set of movements and running. It's easy with your smart phone or other device.


I evaluate how you move and design a movement optimization program based on your movement patterns. I post your program and you log in to your account to view it. It comes with video demonstrations and instructions.



Customized Exercise Program


In addition to the movement optimization program, I design a running technique and strength training program just for you. I design it around your schedule and based on your abilities.


We periodize your program based on your races or events. We design the program and shift the variables so that your performance peaks at the specific time when you want to be your best.



Unlimited Consulting


You get unlimited questions answered by email or over the online coaching platform. The online platform allows you to attach videos to messages.


If you have any questions about your technique, just shoot a quick video of yourself with your smart phone or other device. Attach it to a message and send it to me.



Weekly Sessions


We meet up to 4 times a month throughout the 3-month program for accountability or encouragement. During this session, we can also troubleshoot your program and game plan for any upcoming events.


You get access to my personal calendar to set your coaching sessions up at your convenience. No back and forth messaging about available times necessary.



Integrated Health Coaching


So many things outside of running can affect your running. I coach you on those things as well. I can teach you how to get better quality sleep, recover better, beat stress, improve your mindset, eat better, and optimize your cognitive performance.


With the Run Better Now coaching program, you CAN run faster and longer with greater ease and without pain.


Get Started Now on the Run Better Now 3-Month Coaching Program
Nick Ortego
 

Nick Ortego has been a fitness professional since 1998. He holds a BS in kinesiology and is certified by the American Council on Exercise as an advanced health and fitness specialist, health coach and group fitness instructor. Ortego is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) with Yoga Alliance, a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, and a Certified Kettlebell Teacher with the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments