Altitude Machine Review

It has long been known that altitude training can have significant benefits for endurance athletes. Lots of research into the subject has been carried out over the last 20 years or more and the consensus is that when applied correctly, periodised training in the thin air of the mountains can increase aerobic (VO2 Max) and anaerobic (Peak power) performance and also speed up your metabolism, which means more calories burned and a higher rate of weight loss. To adapt to the low oxygen environment your body creates more oxygen-carrying red blood cells and other hormones, which aids in recovery, improves oxygenation of the muscles and results in better performance.

To enable athletes to get the benefits of altitude training without the need to travel to the mountains, you can purchase or rent an altitude training system such as the OLV-10SH. We’ve had one for six months now and in that time have put it through its paces, utilising varied training protocols and applications across several different people to see the impacts. The results were overwhelmingly positive so we thought we should share our experience with you guys in case you’ve been thinking of getting one for yourself or squad.

Firstly, this article is a review of the machine, not an educational piece about altitude training. We will be writing one of those soon. So before getting one I strongly suggest you get some expert advice and do lots of research into safe training protocols. Once again, we intend on putting together a guide in the coming weeks. So now to the review.

The OLV-10SH looks like a commercial quality medical machine. It’s built incredibly sturdy, weighing a hefty 29kg. Thankfully the castor wheels make it easy to roll around the house, but if you need to carry it upstairs or store it away between uses, the bulk would become a bit of a hassle. Ideally you want to have it permanently in a spot where you can make use of it while watching TV or exercising, depending on your training plan. The tubes that link the machine, 100L bag (this is an optional addition) and mask are flexible and relatively durable. If anything, it would be great if they were a touch longer to make treadmill running a bit easier. The mask itself fits snugly and can be adjusted to fit pretty much anyone. It’s comfortable enough, even when you’re working up a sweat. Regarding the 100L bag, I think it’s an essential as the added volume is needed when you’re working hard and sucking in a lot of air.

Functionally it’s very simple to use. There’s a gear lever on the front along with a dial that controls the flow or deoxygenated air from the machine. Depending on the settings you can vary the oxygen concentration from 8.2% to 18.7% which creates simulated altitudes of 800m to 7,500m. There’s a table on the back to guide you as to what gear and flow rate equates to what altitude or O2 concentration. Accompanying the machine is the all-important Pulse Oximeter or SpO2 meter. This is a little device that you put on the tip of your finger to measure you blood oxygen saturation and heart rate. It’s a MUST have item as without it you can’t safely monitor how much oxygen is in your blood. While the table on the back is a good guide, what matters most is how your body is handling things.

Getting started with the OLV-10SH you simply turn it on, set the altitude you’re after and press go. Depending on your training protocols you may be taking the mask off and on for an hour, doing short intervals on a bike, or perhaps walking on a treadmill. It takes 5 minutes or so before you’ll see your SpO2 dropping, so keep monitoring with the pulse oximeter. I found it really helpful in the first couple weeks to keep the altitude around 2,500m and simply wear the mask for 60 minutes while watching TV. The settings allow you to incrementally increase the altitude as your body adapts and with daily use for a month I eventually ended up at a point where I was able to do 30 second intervals on the bike while sitting at 4,500m without too much strain.

I measured my results from six months use by having blood tests before, in the middle and after the training period. It was by no means a robust scientific experiment, but my tests indicated significant physiological adaptations across the period, plus I lost a tiny bit of weight and my resting heart rate lowered a small amount. Was it a result of the machine or just simply me getting fitter? Probably a bit of both. However, having the machine did motivate me as I enjoyed having an extra ‘toy’ to use in training. It also meant I was more diligent with monitoring my health data, which in turn meant I paid greater attention to recovery as I could see when my HRV was down or my resting HR was up.

Would I recommend buying one of these machines? To be honest, it’s something you get long after you’ve done things like trained well for a long period, regularly done weight training, improved your diet and sleep habits etc. In a nutshell, it’s an indulgence that if you have the money, then why not get one. But do the simple things first before pulling the trigger on an altitude machine.