Sporting Edge UK

UTMB is fast approaching – one of the biggest events on the ultra running calendar. Whether you're hoping to compete or complete a long distance event at altitude, here is how simulated altitude training gives trail and ultra runners a competitive edge:

More oxygen-carrying power: Training in lower-oxygen environments triggers your body to produce more EPO (erythropoietin), boosting red blood cell count so your muscles get more oxygen with every heartbeat.

Higher aerobic efficiency: Altitude work increases capillary density and mitochondrial efficiency, helping you maintain a faster pace at a lower heart rate.

Delayed fatigue on long climbs: By improving your body’s lactate threshold, simulated altitude keeps your legs feeling fresher during endless mountain ascents.

Faster recovery times: Enhanced oxygen delivery means quicker repair of micro-tears in muscle tissue, helping you bounce back faster between grueling long runs.

Mental toughness: Adapting to the discomfort of breathing hard with less oxygen trains the mental grit you need to push through ultra-distance dark zones.

The Cloud9 system allows altitude training up to 4000m, conveniently at home with a stationary bike, treadmill, stepping machine, rowing machine and even free weights. Our science-backed training protocols will help you reach your goals, whatever your fitness level.

Did you catch the Tour de France Femmes battle up the Giant of Provence? Seeing Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney launch an unbelievable solo attack 10 km from the summit to take the win and the yellow jersey on Mont Ventoux was pure magic.

Scaling a 1,910-metre monster at a gruelling 7.7% average gradient is a masterpiece of physical endurance and strategic prep. When oxygen levels plummet at elevation, how do pro cyclists maintain that incredible power output?

Altitude training is the key.

You don't always need to live in the mountains to get altitude adaptation. Athletes use hypoxic training – tents, masks, or altitude chambers – to condition their bodies for maximum performance by:

Improving VO2 Max and oxygen delivery

Increasing muscle power

Boosting cardiac output

Recovering faster: Lower intensity training means fewer DOMS

Whether you're prepping for your own grand tour or looking to improve your performance in triathlon, integrating simulated altitude into your plan is a game-changer for endurance, stamina, and recovery.

The Cloud9 system is the perfect, affordable home set-up – or we can convert almost any space into your own altitude chamber for training and/or sleeping in simulated altitude.

Whether you're prepping for a high-altitude race or taking on a flat, fast sea-level course, simulated altitude training with the Cloud9 system is one of the most potent endurance hacks in multisport.

Here is why hypoxic training gives you a massive edge on race day:

Maximised aerobic engine: Cloud9 mimics high-altitude environments by safely lowering oxygen concentration. This triggers your body to produce more red blood cells and EPO naturally, driving up your VO2max and boosting your overall endurance.

Higher power output: Increased oxygen-carrying capacity means your muscles receive more fuel per pedal stroke and stride. You’ll maintain higher watts on the bike and a faster pace on the run with less aerobic strain.

Enhanced lactate buffering: Training in a low-oxygen state teaches your muscles to clear waste much more efficiently. When you return to oxygen-rich sea level, your lactate threshold is significantly higher.

Lower mechanical load: Gain elite-level cardiovascular conditioning at lower training speeds or shorter durations, keeping extra stress off your joints while keeping your fitness soaring.

Sea-level superpowers!: You don't need to race at altitude to reap the rewards. At sea level, your newly adapted cardiovascular system functions like a turbocharged engine – making your hard efforts feel easier.

Find out more at www.trainingwithaltitude.co.uk

Hybrid athletes can benefit from altitude training too!

Training in a low oxygen environment – either in an altitude chamber, or with a mask-based altitude simulator, such as the Cloud9 system at home – makes your body more efficient at using oxygen resulting in:

Increased maximal aerobic power
The ability to sustain higher power outputs for longer
Higher lactate thresholds and critical power
Faster recovery between intervals

In fact all the benefits of hypoxic training can lead to better performance in events such as Hyrox and Crossfit at sea level.

It's Alpe d'Huez triathlon week and last weekend was Norseman – two of the toughest and most iconic races on the triathlon calendar.

As people look for epic new challenges, events like these are becoming more popular. One of the biggest challenges facing athletes here – where the run tops out at over 1800m – is preparing your body for the lower oxygen levels.

The Cloud9 altitude simulator can help you train for such an event by delivering oxygen-reduced air, ranging from 2700m–4000m above sea level. Not only does it help your body adapt and perform better at altitude, it will also improve your performance at sea level, making those hard efforts feel easier.

Find out more on our website – www.trainingwithaltitude.co.uk

A rare pic of Sporting Edge founder, David Vincent at the expo last month. Dave started the company in 2005, making this year its 21st anniversary!

When existing altitude training tech fell short, Dave took on the challenge to build a better solution using properly engineered, membrane-based designs that changed the capabilities and performance of simulated altitude room environments forever.

Others have since copied this approach, but Sporting Edge Ltd has continued to push the boundaries for performance and control to remain the clear market leader. Since 2007, the simultaneous control of temperature and humidity has also been available as a fully integrated package, with control capabilities that are simply not available elsewhere.

We just thought we'd say it again 😜

The Cloud9 system enables you to train at altitude in your own home. All the elite physiological benefits available to you, at home. It's remarkably simple.

This could transform your athletic performance.

www.trainingwithaltitude.co.uk

Ever wonder how far oxygen has to travel just to keep your body moving?

It’s called the Oxygen Cascade – the step-by-step drop in oxygen pressure from the air you breathe, through your lungs, into your blood, and finally into the mitochondria of your working muscles. By the time it hits the muscle tissue, that pressure is just a fraction of what it was in the atmosphere.

Muscle oxygen sensors provide real-time data on the exact muscle you're training, unlike a heart rate monitor, which only tells you how hard your entire system is working.

When you push your pace or increase the load, your working muscles consume oxygen faster than your heart and lungs can deliver it. This causes your muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) to drop.

While low SmO2 burns in the moment, that exact state of localised hypoxia (low oxygen) is the ultimate trigger for physiological adaptation. When muscles are starved of oxygen, they send distress signals that force your body to adapt by:

Angiogenesis: Growing new capillaries to improve localised blood flow.

Mitochondrial biogenesis: Building more cellular power plants to process energy more efficiently.

Increasing myoglobin: Boosting the internal oxygen storage capacity of the muscle itself.

In hypoxia, the muscles will reach this level sooner, meaning that even a low intensity workout will trigger these adaptations, many of which can't be achieved any other way.

Can't travel to altitude? Then the Cloud9 system will help you get there from home!

Visit www.trainingwithaltitude.co.uk for more information.