Subject: The dangers of amateurish breath holds

Today Pavel expands on one more topic from the Huberman Lab podcast.


You mention sherpas and mitochondria “messed up” due to excessive hypoxia. Could you elaborate on what exactly is going on with the physiology of sherpas?


Are there any implications for everyday folks or athletes who might engage in practices such as breath holds? Can we overdo such practices?


 

The mitochondria are much more than our cells’ power plants. Scientists call them “the masters of life and death.”


Sherpas exhibit both positive and negative mitochondrial adaptations.


On the positive side, their mitochondria “leak” fewer electrons than lowlanders’, which reduces free radical production, and they have better antioxidant defenses. Sherpas’ cells also use oxygen more efficiently.


On the negative side, sherpas have lower mitochondrial density—a big minus for health, longevity, and performance. Their mitochondria are also worse at fat burning.


It must be stressed that many of the favorable adaptations in sherpas and other extreme highlanders take many generations to accomplish. First gen migrants to high altitude suffer from reduced antioxidant defenses and increased DNA damage.


For lowlanders, super altitude is bad news even in small doses. After an 8-week Himalayan expedition, mountaineers’ muscles showed a 235% increase in a marker of cellular degradation by free radicals.


In contrast, expertly conducted training at moderate altitudes has been proven to be an effective adjunct to endurance athletes’ training. Soviet, Russian, and Ukrainian doctors have successfully used hypoxia to treat a variety of conditions, including serious ones.

Few of our readers have the luxury of altitude training, but many of its effects can be replicated at sea level. Living in flat Wisconsin did not stop StrongFirst Certified Instructors, Master and Senior respectively, Derek and Ryan Toshner and their students from climbing many peaks.

 

To learn how they train—strength and conditioning, not breathing—attend an
All-Terrain ConditioningTM seminar.

Hypoxia is a powerful force that can build you up or tear you down, depending on the load parameters. E.g., sleep apnea ruins health while expertly implemented breath holds build resilience against many stress factors.


Here are the precautions that you must take even for simple breath holds.


First, a clearance from a physician before undertaking any type of hypoxic training is mandatory.


There are a number of counterindications. Physicians can find the standard counterindications published by Russian and Ukrainian healthcare administrations in Serebrovskaya & Xi (2016).


Second, never do breath holding exercises in the water without a coach or a dive buddy! You may pass out without warning and die.


Third, do not hyperventilate. Hyperventilation has many dangerous short and long term effects, especially on the cardiovascular system.

Learn a wealth of breathing techniques for performance and resilience in SECOND WIND express online course by Pavel.

Get SECOND WIND express online course by Pavel now during this limited-time special offer.

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