Improving your breathing efficiency is critically important to prevent severe hypoxia (low oxygen) at altitude; your goal will be to maintain a slow breathing rate while at altitude.

Study: Effects of Slow Breathing at High Altitude on Oxygen Saturation.

In the study (link above), blood oxygen saturation at high altitude increased from a severe level of hypoxia at 80.2 percent to 89.5 percent (Milo, G., et al 2012) as a result of maintaining deep, slow breathing.

Your training will include breath protocols designed to increase your carbon dioxide tolerance and improve your breathing mechanics.

Your training will be designed to simulate high altitude, i.e. a combination in your body of hypoxia (low oxygen) and hypercapnia (high carbon dioxide). 

Hypoxic training has been shown to increase production of EPO (erythropoietin) in your kidneys, which stimulates the creation of red blood cells. Studies, including the European Journal of Applied Physiology 2008 have shown that EPO concentration increases during hypoxic breathwork training.

A strong CO2 tolerance is required so that your body can maintain a slower breathing rate. And thus, by the Bohr Effect, maintain a lower blood pH and increase the efficiency of delivery of oxygen to muscle tissues by the hemoglobin in your red blood cells.

Due to the thinner air at altitude, your respiratory muscles will have to work harder to get air into your lungs — i.e. you must pull in the air due to the lower pressure outside vs inside the lungs. Therefore, we focus on strength training exercises, primarily for the diaphragm, with a secondary focus on intercostal muscles.

An important device we use in the training is the Oxygen Advantage SportsMask. Purchase by the trainee is recommended, but not required. Note: if you use the link included, Recal will get a small affiliate commission.