As a rapidly growing company with a loyal sporting customer base, we know from anecdotal evidence the effects that supplemental oxygen has on physical and mental performance.
We have boxers, powerlifters, triathletes, swimmers, footballers, rugby players and a whole roster of other athletes who buy ClearO2 in bulk, on the regular. The repeat custom speaks for itself.
But what about the proof-based evidence?
As an athlete about to turn pro, with a punishing training schedule, boxer Orla Deacon is serious about her sport and staying on top of her game. Keeping her body and mind in peak condition is key to her career and wellbeing.
“If I’m tired, it’s harder to box my best.” She says. “There’s nothing worse than feeling sluggish in the ring, so I do everything I can to ensure that never happens and I’m in a position to perform.”
Supplemental oxygen plays a large part in that, so Orla uses ClearO2’s 15l Oxygen Can With Inhaler Cap while training and keeps the larger 110l Oxygen Can in her recovery room for use after training.
“There are some things I’m religious about when it comes to maintaining and improving my performance.”
Needless to say, oxygen plays a vital role in athletic performance, whatever the discipline. A lack of it can cause reduced muscle control, lack of stamina and lead to concentration issues.
And you don’t need to be an elite sportsperson to have felt its impact. If you’ve ever skied or exercised at altitude, you’ll undoubtedly have had moments of quickening breath, an increased heart rate, light-headedness and loss of momentum, as reduced oxygen takes its toll on your body and brain. It’s debilitating.
But the same can happen when playing sport and in training too.
Physical exertion of any kind can quickly lead to breathlessness. It’s your body’s way of telling you your cells aren’t receiving and processing enough oxygen. Before long, your heart and lungs become stressed as they double down in an attempt to pump O2 and nutrient-rich blood around your body. And if your bloodstream fails to deliver oxygen on demand, muscle function suffers and in turn, performance.
So how can supplemental oxygen help?
As far back as 1908, swimmer Jabez Wolffe used it as a part of his attempt to cross the English Channel. When he became exhausted, Wolffe would take on supplemental oxygen through a tube every 15 minutes.
Original four-minute mile runner, Sir Roger Bannister, published a paper on the effects of oxygen-enriched air a few weeks after his record-breaking performance in 1954. Making himself and three colleagues the subject of a study into oxygen therapy during hard exercise while running on a treadmill, Bannister himself concluded he could run for longer with less effort.
More recently, a Mexico University study found that similar, ‘hyperoxic’ training enabled subjects to work at faster-than-usual speeds for longer with clear benefits on overall performance in normal conditions too.
Taking on supplemental oxygen during sporting activities increased power, endurance and training capacity, as well as improving recovery time.
Why?
In a surplus oxygen environment, extra O2 passes quickly from the lungs, through the bloodstream and into the muscles. Then the magic happens, as the muscles use the additional oxygen to create more energy aerobically. The muscles then adapt to the greater capacity and the benefits to the neuromuscular system extend for up to 6 weeks afterwards even without using oxygen! Great news for any sportsperson.
Try our handy 15l oxygen can with its easy to use inhaler cap when you next work out and take your sporting performance to the next level.
