Category: FAQ

Every athlete benefits from training under low oxygen conditions. High altitude training has a positive effect on every body. During high altitude training, more red bloodcells are produced which increases oxygen transport throughout the body. This in turn will increase the performance and rehabilitation of the muscles.

In addition, high altitude training is also very effective for people with obesity, diabetes, asthma and COPD.    

The higher you go, the more response you get out of your body. However, heigth has a great effect of your night’s rest and will decline if you go (too) high. You will find your ideal height by balancing the right amount of ‘hypoxic stress’ and the right amount of sleep. 

The most important guide for using High Altitude is your SpO2, the oxygen saturation levels. Monitoring your saturation levels will show you how your body is responding to the altitude. 

Experience tells us that a height of 2500 meters is the most ideal height for 90% of all athletes. This ‘ideal height’ can shift if the athlete gains more experience in high altitude training. 

Generally speaking we suggest to stay below 3000 meter while sleeping at altitude. Exceptions to this rule are mountaineers who wish to acclimatize.

With Intermittent Hypoxic Training (or Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure IHE) one lives and trains at sea-level in combination with training at altitude.

Interval training at altitude is a proved training and acclimatization technique for many athletes and mountaineers. IHT is gaining more popularity in the wellness branche as well.    

With this method, the body will both stay and train at high altitude. Because the oxygen level is lower than at sea-level, the training intensity has to be adjusted. 

With LHTH you reach the maximum high altitude exposure and thus will improve performance at altitude. An ideal training for athletes who need to perform at altitude or people with breathing difficulties.   

With this method, the body gets used to high altitudes (low oxygen percentage) but training will continue at sea-level where the oxygen level is ‘normal’ (21%).

This ‘Live High Train Low’ combination is ideal for those who want to maintain their normal training intensity (this cannot be reached in low oxygen conditions) but still want to experience the advantages of high altitude training.    

Yes there is! There are various training techniques each with their own methods. Three of the most well-known are ‘Live High, Train Low’, ‘Live High, Train High’ and ‘Intermittent Hypoxic Training’. Research shows that ‘LHTL’ method gives the best results for athletes.   

There are many ways to enjoy the advantages of high altitude training. For a start, there are many types of high altitude equipment you can use for your training. b-Cat offers masks and tents but also build complete altitude rooms for gyms, hotels and other training facilities.

It is not neccesary to choose between one or the other; you can make a combination of whatever suits you and your training schedule. For example, you can train in a altitude room during the day and sleep in a altitude tent at night.     

• Improved fitness, performance and endurance
• Switch faster between various energy systems of the body
• Stimulates lipolysis process (fat-burning)
• Better metabolism
• Improvement of immune system 
• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol level
• Less appetite, stress and fatigue
• Faster recovery after training
• After injury return to desired level faster