Oxygen Therapy For Athletes
Oxygen Therapy for Athletes
Many elite athletes have been known to use oxygen masks and other devices in between competition and training sessions to boost their performance abilities, although there has been some controversy surrounding whether inhaling oxygen for sports competitions and events should be allowed.
Oxygen therapy is especially popular for high altitude sports or sporting events held in mountainous areas that are far above sea level, where athletes naturally draw in less oxygen per breath.
Different regulatory bodies and sports agencies have come to separate rulings regarding whether pure oxygen should be allowed during or in between competitions, illustrating just how popular the practice has become in the world of athletics.
Better Recovery Time
While researches still debate about the reasons behind the effectiveness of oxygen therapy and whether it has a place in athletic competitions, there is widespread agreement that hyperoxic training has a positive effect of performance and decreases the amount of time needed to recover after vigorous physical activity.
Oxygen therapy reduces the degree of muscle fatigue, lactic acid buildup, and helps push the degree of intensity in exercise or athletic achievement. Training with oxygen therapy between sessions helps the athletes to recover faster and more fully, with the added benefit of improved performance for their next session.
Oxygen Therapy & Athletic Training
Oxygen enhances performance in a sort of a mirror image effect that thin, high altitude air has on endurance or ability. In recent athletic events, especially in mountainous regions, athletes have taken advantage of oxygen training and hyperoxic recovery methods before partaking in sporting events and competitions.
While there isn’t much doubt anymore that breathing oxygen-rich air during exercise or in-between bouts of physical exertions enhances performance, it’s difficult to transport pure oxygen for use.
Athletes can’t always cart around oxygen tanks or rely on oxygen masks, and some sports regulations prohibit the use of pure oxygen at any point during competition. To take advantage of the benefits of breathing in pure oxygen, athletes have taken an interest in using it during workouts.
Book A Session Now
At Elite Wellness, health and wellness is our number one priority. We offer an interactive environment geared towards athletes and anyone looking to improve their quality of living. Our team has an extensive background in sports, fitness, and nutrition.
Our fitness trainers and health experts monitor your workout session and oxygen training and recovery to ensure you receive the maximum health benefits possible.
Book a session online now for oxygen therapy to complement fitness training at Elite Wellness.
Oxygen therapy has grown in popularity in the last decade, with more athletes taking advantage of its recovery and performance enhancements than ever before.
Discover the benefits of oxygen therapy for athletes and how you can recovery faster and help your body stay in optimal shape, whether preparing for competition or training during the off season.
Using oxygen during workouts is also known as hyperoxic training. Elite Wellness is the only location in Ashburn, Virginia, and the surrounding local northern Virginia area to use oxygen therapy.
How It Works
Oxygen therapy improves the quality of individual’s lives by optimizing their bodies oxygen intake. One of the main tools used is the adaptive contrast training system by Live O2. Oxygen therapy training has been proven to increase the amount of oxygen your cells consume, creating more cellular energy. The result of oxygen therapy is an improved function of every process in the human body.
Oxygen therapy works by breathing a greater percent of oxygen from tubes resting in the nose or a face mask which is connected to an oxygen source (like an oxygen tank).
This type of treatment increases the amount of oxygen that the lungs receive and deliver to the blood. More oxygen in the blood means the ability to increase VO2 max and lactic acid threshold for greater endurance during athletic performance.
Research Behind Oxygen Therapy
Studies on the effectiveness of hyperoxic training have been around for decades, with many using athletes to challenge assumptions about recovery time and performance ability with increased oxygen levels.
From double blind research studies on cyclists, to swimmers, football players, runners, and other athletes, it’s clear that increased oxygen allows for better athletic performance, but what about when an athlete can’t strap an oxygen tank to their back during competition?
Research has suggested that hyperoxic training increases overall ability to perform at high levels compared to breathing regular air, which is about 21 percent oxygen. During intense exercise, oxygen saturation levels can drop.
By breathing pure oxygen, athletes can rebound to normal oxygen saturation levels faster. While a few seconds to a minute faster recovery time might not seem like much, it can make a difference in high-altitude sports and intense play situations.
Health Benefits
Oxygen therapy has been known to provide numerous health benefits.
From improving sports related performance to enhancing the body’s natural recovery process, here are some oxygen therapy benefits:
- Increase energy
- Improve immune function
- Improve brain function
- Promote better sleep
- Decrease pain
- Decrease inflammation
- Increase red blood cell count
- Increase metabolism
- Reduce body fat
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower resting heart rate
- Improve respiratory strength
- Increase cardiovascular performance
- Improve recovery time
Oxygen therapy helps athletes recover from sports-related injuries faster and ensures that they stay healthy and at the top of their game.
This kind of therapy has also been shown to accelerate wound healing and offers anti-inflammatory benefits Oxygen naturally plays a crucial role in injury recovery and repair from physiological fatigue.
