COMBINED HYPOXIC AND PHYSICAL TRAININGS — EFFECTIVE MEANS OF EMERGENCY INCREASE OF PHYSICAL ENDURANCE OF SPECIALISTS WITH DIFFICULT WORKING CONDITIONS

Abstract

Introduction. Special conditions for the activity of specialists of the naval crews are often «forced» to function at the limit of the physiological capabilities of the body, requiring constant maintenance of a high level of physical working capacity. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of combined physical and normobaric hypoxic training for an emergency increase in the physical endurance of ship specialists and other representatives of «dangerous» occupations. Materials and methods. Were examined 18 men (10 people — the main group, 8 people — the control group) aged 19–22 years. The subjects of both groups performed workouts on exercise bikes: work power 1,2 W/kg, duration 2 hours, the total number of training sessions 14. For people of the main group, physical training was carried out under conditions of normobaric hypoxia created in the normobaric hypoxic complex, with an oxygen content of about 16% (15,9 kPa). In persons of the control group, hypoxia conditions were imitated: atmospheric air was supplied to the premises of the hypoxic complex. The physical endurance of the subjects was evaluated by the maximum oxygen consumption indicator. Results and its discussion. The studies revealed that the effectiveness of training in individuals of the main group turned out to be significantly higher compared to the control, as evidenced by the results of control tests of physical endurance, carried out both immediately after the training and in the long-term observation period. Thus, the method of combined physical and normobaric hypoxic training can be considered as an effective and safe means of emergency and persistent increase in physical endurance of ship specialists and of other categories of people with difficult and dangerous working conditions.