Elevation Training Mask: Indispensable Tool Or Waste Of Money?

For runners who don't have the time or money to take a pilgrimage to the Rockies for elevation training, a controversial product has been designed to bring the feeling of high elevation right to your face.

The Elevation Training Mask looks like a gas mask; it fits over the face, has big round eyeholes and a filter that goes over the mouth. But instead of keeping poisonous gasses out of the lungs the filter restricts breathing, simulating what it is like to breathe at a high altitude. There are also versions of the mask that only cover the bottom half of the face, making the wearer look significantly less like he or she just stepped out of a dystopian novel.

The mask's makers claim that the product helps condition the lungs by creating pulmonary resistance. It is supposed to strengthen the diaphragm, increase the surface area and elasticity of the lung's alveoli and increase lung stamina. Sounds good, right? But reviews for the product are mixed. Some commenters on Amazon.com and other product sites claim huge improvements in their performances. The following are excerpts from such comments:

"This is one product that has brought my training to a new level! I will keep this short and simple. THIS PRODUCT WORKS!"

"One of the best training aid I have come across, I felt results in one week only.

The mask comes with three color coded filters, each constricting the airflow differently; Yellow: easy, Orange: medium, Red: hard, with the less airflow.
Basically, what the mask does is make the muscle in your rib-cage work harder for air, making it much easier to breath in normal conditions."

"Does exactly what it says it will. I noticed a distinct difference in my breathing after just one session with the mask. Thanks for coming up with such a great product."

Others had very different reviews:

"I did not see any significant increase in lung capacity or for that matter any increase in my body's ability to use oxygen more effeciently. There was an increase but not significant enough to be happy about it. I have done similar training with and without the mask for the same periods of time and have not seen enough of a change for the better to justify it's use."

"It doesn't take a medical degree to know that if you're at sea level, breathing sea level air (20.9% oxygen) through a restrictive device, the air coming through it and available to you is still going to be of 20.9% oxygen content. So how do products like this simulate altitude training as they claim?
Quite simply, they don't."

Many reviewers said that the product works, but is too expensive for what it is. Several mentioned that they get the same results from wearing actual gas masks, which are cheaper, while working out. One blogger, a mixed martial arts trainer, wrote an article using several studies to debunk the claims made by the mask's manufacturer.

"Training with the Elevation Training Mask may improve lung strength and lung capacity, however, these improvements don’t result in any increases in aerobic or anaerobic fitness," he concluded.

What's your take? Have you used a training mask or any other kind of altitude-simulation training? Has it worked? We'd love to get out readers' opinions about these products.