Hypoventilation training – history and development of an untraditional training method

Authors

  • František Lörinczi
  • Drahomíra Lörincziová
  • Elisa Novodomská
  • Miroslav Vavák

Keywords:

braething, sport, condition, repeated sprint ability, breat-holding

Abstract

This is the first study to provide a review of the literature on the historical development of voluntary hypoventilation training (VHL). VHL is an unconventional training method that is increasingly gaining attention for its potential to improve athletic performance through controlled hypoxia and hypercapnia. Unlike traditional hypoxic training, which requires specialised equipment or high-altitude exposure, VHL relies on breathing restrictions during exercise, offering a widely accessible alternative. The purpose of this study is to provide a historical perspective on the use of VHL. The review of the literature aims to describe the historical context, physiological basis, and development of VHL, which originated in breath holding techniques used by freedivers and evolved into a training tool adopted by elite athletes like Emil Zátopek to simulate challenging race conditions. In the late twentieth century, VHL was utilised by elite swimmers and mid-distance runners, who used the technique of extension of breath-holding after inspiration. Although this technique was not proven to be effective in inducing significant hypoxia, it was still applied in sports practice and is known as hypoxic training. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Xavier Woorons and colleagues significantly advanced awareness of VHL in the scientific community by demonstrating its effectiveness using the end-expiratory breath-hold technique. This approach was shown to be effective in altering pH, increasing cardiac output, and inducing significant hypoxia and hypercapnia during exercise. Incorporating VHL into a training cycle can enhance respiratory muscle strength, buffering capacity, and endurance abilities. Currently, VHL is applied primarily in team sports due to its proven effectiveness in improving repeated sprint ability. Future research may focus on verifying the safety of this training method and exploring its potential to improve hematopoiesis. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24040/sjss.2024.9.suppl.84-100

Published

2024-12-30