If I understand correctly, hypoxic training (done by endurance athletes) works by forcing the body to adapt to low oxygen concentrations, i.e., improve oxygen metabolism. For this, athletes go to higher altitudes or use special machines (“hypoxicators”) that change the air they are breathing.
Could a similar effect be achieved simply by being in a (small enough) closed room for a long enough time, such that the oxygen concentration is as low as desired?
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One thing here is that actual exericse triggers adaptations via more than one mechanism. A state of hypoxia due to breathing air that doesn’t have enough oxygen would not trigger the same sort of adpatations in the human body as endurance exericses do. The main task in the latter is much more specific: a high need to deliver oxygen to certain working muscles, while also simultaneously asking your muscles to stick to a smooth running/cycling/skiing/rowing technique despite getting tired, flushing away waste products, etc.
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