Nitrogen for altitude training in the Austrian soccer league

Herrsching, 05. August 2021

Nitrogen generator creates high mountain atmosphere

SV Guntamatic Ried has recently started high-altitude training in its own training center in Ried, Austria, in order to increase the performance of its soccer players. The basis for this is a reduced oxygen content in the training atmosphere, which simulates the effect of an altitude of up to 3,500 m above sea level. This is achieved by adding nitrogen, which is generated directly on site with the help of an Inmatec nitrogen generator.

Altitude training is a common method for athletes to achieve a positive training effect. Due to the simulated altitude, a physiological adaptation takes place in the human body in order to be able to deal with the lack of oxygen that prevails at high altitudes. The insufficient supply of oxygen in the organism (hypoxia) leads to an increased production of red blood cells, which are responsible for the transport and absorption of oxygen in the body.

With its ErgiHi², the company JFJ Sports has implemented a training system for the Austrian Fußball-Bundesliga (Premier soccer League) club SV Ried, with which training can be simulated at a normobaric height of up to 3,500 m. The players train in a space provided for this purpose on various devices (leg and arm ergometers) in the artificial atmosphere. In a further bedroom, the players can regenerate in the oxygen-poor atmosphere under normal pressure conditions, as prevail in the training center at approx. 450 m. The aim of the training is to improve basic endurance and speed strength by adapting to the lack of oxygen.

An MN 1150 nitrogen generator from Inmatec is part of the ErgiHi² training system. This produces nitrogen with a purity of up to 95% in quantities of up to 40 m3 per hour, which is directed into the training rooms. By adding nitrogen, the oxygen percentage in the training rooms is reduced to below the usual 21% and the nitrogen percentage is increased above the usual 78%. This simulates the effect of the decreasing oxygen partial pressure at high altitudes, which forces the vital gas into the human lungs.