Buckeye Gets Better Every Breath He Takes
You might say Ohio State receiver Anthony Gonzalez had a breakthrough performance Saturday night in the Buckeyes’ 24-7 victory over Texas, but Gonzalez breaks through just about every day.
Through the door of the tent in which he sleeps, that is.
Gonzalez, who set career high Saturday with eight catches and 142 yards, has what’s called a hypoxic altitude simulation training system -- a plastic chamber -- covering his bed.
The chamber simulates living at an altitude of 8,000 feet by using a device that reduces the percentage of oxygen from 20.9 to 13. The idea is to increase the number of red blood cells, which helps increase endurance and shorten recovery time.
The tents, which cost about $5,000, have been used by endurance athletes for years.
After Saturday night, there might be a line of football players at the hypoxic altitude simulator store, but not so fast.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering adding the tents to its prohibited list in 2007, which means the NCAA would probably follow suit.
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