Live High Train Low and Train High - the Science behind the Improved Results of our National Athletes

 

Internal View of Athletic Chamber supplied by QRA INTERNATIONAL  

Our national sprinter Ms. Shanti Pereira has made the front pages of the news these past few years by coming in 2nd in the women's 100 m sprint and attaining the gold medal in the recently concluded Asian Games (2023 edition) in Hangzhou China.

Kudos to her and her team of coaches, sports scientists, nutritionists and officials for reaching the pinnacle of her sport and has made her the current darling of Singapore sportsmen and women. The team behind her success is instrumental in ensuring that her performance is approaching world standard. There is also a whole depth of scientific work and sports preparation  for many months and even years to get her performance to world class level and as a result slash her 100 m and 200 m times by so much. All legal and employing the highest levels of science and technology, coaching techniques etc - it is worth it.  My humble opinion.    

Two particular pieces of equipment which I wish to highlight ; the Singapore Sports Institute offers hypoxic sleep rooms with O2 levels of 3000 m or 18.6% O2 per cubic metre of air. Normal sea levels have 20.9 or 20.8% of O2 per cubic metre of air. They also have an athletic chamber of approximately 70m3 size (which my company supplied in 2016) whereby the athletes can train from the various temperature and humidity ranges :

The Technology 

Temp : 0 to 50 C

Hum  : 20 - 95 % rH

O2    : Sea level or 0 m (20.9% O2) to 5000 m (16.5%) 

Additionally there are special components called : CO2 scrubbers which filter out (scrub) the CO2 from the air inside the chamber.

 

Fun Fact

People who are trapped in sealed enclosed spaces for long durations (freezer cold rooms for example)  die or faint from CO2 poisoning rather than from a lack of oxygen. The build up of CO2 caused by our breathing will rise to 8000 ppm and that is where faint headedness, dizziness, nausea sets in. If the environment is not rectified in time, by either 

1.  Releasing or scrubbing the CO2 away (by filters) 

2. Opening up the room and allowing the mixing of fresh air with O2 in and CO2 out

then the worse will happen ; disorientation, fainting and possibly death.

The Theory - General

Scientific studies have shown that elite athletes with well conditioned bodies (I highlight the words) can benefit from high altitude training. In the old days, many athletes went up to the mountains where the air was 'thin' and O2 levels were far lower than at sea level.

Live High (LH) 

This is where people who live high up the mountains, and endure low O2 levels for long stretches of time, for example, the Sherpas in the Himalayas. They have exceptionally well conditioned bodies. The reason ? Their haemoglobin levels in their blood are up to 50% more than ordinary people living at sea level height.

Train Low (TL) and Train High (TH)  

Training Low means to train at sea level.

Training High is to train at altitude of 3000 m and above

The Theory - Specific 

Our bodies have both aorta and veins, and smaller tubes called capillaries.In each cm3 of blood vessel tube, for example have (say) 10 haemoglobin molecules or small buckets whose sole function is to carry Oxygen molecules from the main O2 supplier (lungs) to the various parts of the body.

With the proper use of oxygen, the body breaks it down and burns in for produce energy for all manner of daily bodily movement from breathing, walking, running, everything.

So at sea level, say for 1 cm3 of blood there are 10 buckets of haemoglobin to carry 10 air molecules worth 10 oxygen content in size, so the effect is 100 HO of energy potential -  for example. (not scientific). So if a runner runs at sea level, at a certain speed which he is used to, he can use up to 100 HO of energy potential, and this is limited by the number of haemoglobin buckets in his per cm3 of blood.

In high level (3000 m - which is base camp Everest), the number of O2 molecules is far less say 10 molecules air but with 7 oxygen content per fixed volume of air. Then the person's energy capacity would be reduced to 10 x 7 or 70 HO. Thus, he would feel lethargic and not be able to run at the same speed.

Hence, your body's performance is limited by the O2 concentration in the air leading to anything from disorientation, altitude sickness, light headedness and slower work rate.  

To enhance his performance, the person would have to CONDITION his body by living in low O2 conditions for up to 2 weeks, so that :

1. The amount of haemoglobin grows in the blood vessels (it is amazing but true and backed by scientific research). It typically grows by 30 to 50% . So for 1 cm3 of blood, there can be up to 15 haemoglobin buckets in 1 cm3 of blood vessel - after conditioning in hypoxic rooms (rooms with low levels of Oxygen) for up to 2 weeks.

2. After 2 weeks, the athletes have (say) 15 buckets of haemoglobin and 15 molecules of air with 0.7 oxygen content, then the energy capacity is 15 x 0.7 or 105 HO. Over time and LH and TH, he can run at approximately the same speed but with less oxygen in the air.!

Magic ? No, the body is a tremendous adaptable machine !   

LHTLH or LHTL ? 

Science has shown that athletes with the program of Living High LH (3000) and Training Low TL (sea lavel) have the best results.

This means, that after 2 weeks of altitude training - either by living in the mountain at 3000 m height, and then going to train on the track in the sea level (0 metre), what happens ?

What happens ?

The height conditioned body  now has 15 haemoglobin buckets and at sea level (0 meters), there are 15 molecules with 10 oxygen content.

The persons energy capacity increases to 150 HO  or 15 x 10 HO ! 

He (in theory) can run by up to 50% faster than his original speed ! 

The effect is temporary as the haemoglobin level reverts back to 10 if the athlete stays at sea level - but the effect can last up till 2 weeks after return to sea level.

TL or TH ? 

Science has also shown that there are tangible benefits to train at both low and high levels of Oxygen. 

So here it is, the technology explained in layman terms 

Hence with the right team, technology, discipline and dedication, success for all our national athletes is a reality ! 

                                    The Completed Chamber Front View

Interested ? Gym Owners, Recreational, serious and elite athletes please contact :

QRA INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD.

Subject : 1.  Athletic Chamber 

                2. Walk - In Chamber for Humans

               3.  Gym Pod 

Email :    1. qrasales@qra.com.sg

                2. mark@qra.com.sg

Price Range : from S$  99, 000  (US$ 75, 000)  upwards

Laboratory for Biomed Testing Services.

 

                                                    QRA INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD.

QRA International is most pleased  to announce that we are at full capacity in Lab 1 at Toh Guan Road. We will be running full capacity till end of 2025, with a number of other tests proceeding till June 2026.

Many thanks to all our customers whose loyalty and support we are so appreciative of.

We have Lab 2 ready to provide top quality service and test reports according to 

ASTM F 1980 - 21 

Please feel free to contact us at 

https://www.qra.com.sg/our-services.

Or Email : mark@qra.com.sg

ASTM F 1980 - a summary

Here above is the summary of the ASTM F 1980 for Biomedical Products for Sterile Barrier Testing. The following assumptions have to be made below. 

1. Q10 is presumed to be 2. This is the aging factor.

2. It is not advisable to test the accelerated aging above 55 C, as the materials, mainly polyimide plastics and PET materials will melt.

In summary 

a) Typical (most common) temperature settings : 50 C   55 C or   60 C 

b) Typical Humidity Settings : 50 % 55 % or 60 %. 

For more clarity please contact :  mark@qra.com.sg or qrasales@qra.com.sg 

Website : www qra.com.sg 

Tel :  (65) 7895 1486  

 

ASTM F 1980 - 16 a summary

 

What exactly is the America Standard for Test and Measurement and why manufacturers need to test according to this and some other standard ? 

The America Standard for Test and Measurement is a standard for the manufacturers who wish to access US marketplace for their products. Products need to be tested according to stringent test conditions ranging from temperature, humidity, transport conditions, aircraft conditions and a whole host of other conditions to either 

- simulate

- stimulate 

the conditions in which the products are being subjected to, during their shelf life or the expected life of product.

The ASTM F 1980 - 16 focusses on Sterile Barrier mainly meant for the Biomedical or Biotech manufacturers. It states that the products must be subjected to ACCELERATED AGING and then sent back to the factory for assessment on product degradation and efficacy compromisation.

> In a nutshell

1. Products must be subjected to temperatures higher that what the operating shelf life of        the product is expected to be. So it is typical to assume that the products should be stored in temperatures normally (in most tropical and temperate) between 20 to 30 C.

2. There is a formula associated with the accelerated aging but I wont go into the fine details.  However, it follows the Arrhenius assumption that for every 10 C rise in temperature setting, the shelf life can shorten by half. There is an Accelerated Aging factor normally set at 2. The formula is a logarithmic function and to the power of the difference between the set temperature in the oven less the actual shelf life temperature divided by 10.

= Shelf life is 3 years 25 C for 36 months, setting in hot oven at 35 C is equal to 18 months,         45 C is 9 months and 55 C is 4.5 months 

= Shelf life is 5 years 25 C for 60 months, setting in hot oven at 35 C is equal to 30 months,         45 C is 15 months and 55 C is 7.5 months

Humidity setting is typically set in the region of 50 to 60%.

If you require more information, please drop me an email at 

mark@qra.com.sg

or go to 

www.qra.com.sg 

for more details.

We would love to hear from you. 

Digital Marketing with AI just changed the rules of the game.

This post is very important in this day and age. Let me share my own personal experience with my blog readers.Some years ago I attended the course called Business and Digital Transformation at the Singapore Management University. Over the course of roughly 1 year, I took in new concepts, bold and transformative ONLY if I firstly accepted 2 things :

a) The way I was managing my business was so last century and would only go downhill if I did not change my mindset about the shifting sands and paradigm shifts moving so fast in the global industry - let alone my small niche.  I had to firstly understand the industries in which my business was operating, which were its strengths and weaknesses, try to shore up the weakness and boost the strengths - all with the very limited budget - and go from there. Fortunately I managed to see through all the noise, and formulate the Vision 2030 which is what I have posted up on the top of this post.

b) After accepting that the problem was ME, I could then use all the tools at my disposal to craft a very cogent and clear message to the marketplace - in 2020. That was 5 years ago.

How so ? 

Well firstly the very fine instructors advised me to take advantage of all the social media platforms. Set up business accounts in as many of them as possible. Write stories of engagement, small successes, videos, services, products, new developments, new techniques and standards, customer reviews EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

The change was not easy, but slowly I set up accounts in all of the following social media platforms

a) Blogspot (this is my personal one which now also posts business related content)

b) Facebook 

c) Linked In

d) Youtube

e) Instagram

f) Google Ads

g) Website.

I engaged SEO specialists to push up key phrases and words. This was done over a year ago.

Then I employed an AI agent to craft me a marketing strategy to further boost up the company's presence and footprint. 

The results came slowly. Enquiries were few and far between.

Now it is moving and growing

Its a work in progress. There will be no end sight, just continual tweaking, boosting, and reviewing the data through the many data points in the platforms which have empowered the business owner to take full control of his marketing presence. It is no longer about how big you are in terms of revenue, profits, company size and resources. 

It is and will always be about CONTENT and what your company or organization will bring to the table to ADD VALUE to your customer's products and services. 

With this leg up, there is NO NEED to hire vast numbers of sales and marketing staff or account managers. It can all be handled by ME. The cost savings is tremendous.

Have a great day folks. 

Dining by the Chao Phraya River - Tom Yam Koong, Fried Marble Goby and Fish Maw .

 

                              2 types of Tom Yam soup ; the milky Tom Yam and the Red Spicy Tom Yam ; 

                                                       both equally dangerously hot !

This is a repost from a post I wrote all the way back in November 2009, I hope you find this interesting... 

During a 3 day trip to Thailand last week, I was invited by some customers to have a lunch by the Chao Phya river near Ayutthaya. This is one of the highlights of my business trip whereby deals have to be negotiated and discussions take place every day. The lunch location was on a boat moored along the banks of the Chao Phaya river in Ayutthaya which runs for hundreds of km down all the way to Bangkok.

Without much hesitation I accepted.  I was treated to a lovely 'feast' for the senses ; taste, smell, sound, and of course sight. We ordered several dishes and I list them below :

- fish maw

- fried marble goby fish

- fresh water prawn with vegetables 

- Tom Yam Milky (Goong)

- Tom Yam Red   (Goong)

Both Tom Yam  were equally dangerously spicy hot and able to cause 'fire breath' if one is not careful. They were served steamboat style with charcoal fire underneath to keep the soup warm.

Fried Mish Maw with Nuts and Fried Goby Fish

My 2 favourites were the fish maw and the fried goby which were crispy and tasty. Our customers from Western Digital were usual patrons of the place and we could have the 'WD' discount much to my delight.

To find the place requires some local knowledge as there are no visible signs or they were written in Thai. It was obviously a favourite with the people living and working in the area as well as with the expatriates. 

Half submerged walkway to the Boat Restaurant

To reach the restaurant, we had to negotiate 2 'landmarks', walk past. a dishevelled looking Shar Pei dog who looks abit like Winston Churchill (!) and cross a half-submerged walkway (see picture above) to reach the Boat Restaurant. It is actually an old barge converted to a dining place and the food is cooked over in the kitchen on dry land while the diners eat over the water's edge.

I wonder if during the rainy and flooding period whether it would be possible to walk from land to boat ? 

Entrance to the Boat Restaurant - you can see the middle section with some planks

Its quite fun watching the barges and the speedboats (ala James Bond) ply the Chao Phya river to Bangkok and taking in the sights of the ferry which passes by every 10 minutes. On top of that, the river is teeming with fishes which give me the sneaky feeling that some of these fishes are fed for the purposes of being on the dining table later !

10 Baht (S$ 0.40) to get across the Chao Phya river

Friends and Citizens - time to upgrade ourselves for the AI era

 

This post is a wakeup call for me and my cohort from the Baby Boomers (1965 to 1980), if we are still gainfully employed and still want to remain relevant in today's AI economy, I suggest attending courses from the 8 below. It is so critical to remain relevant and at least conversant of what is coming our way in the next 5 to 10 years.

1. Generative AI *

2. Data Analytics  *

3. Cybersecurity

4.Data Science and AI

5.UI / UX Design

6. Digital marketing and SEO  *

7. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency  *

8. Advanced Data Analytics.

I truly want to attend at least 2 to perhaps 3 of these courses which are supported by our SkillsFuture grant from the Government of Singapore.

There is absolutely no time to waste.