Former Hollywood stuntman and new Program Officer Bobby Williams has already been making waves in the world of athletic training. He has done this through the establishment of Stratosphere ATC. This groundbreaking chamber, developed in collaboration with Dr. Bruce Johnson of the Mayo Clinic, enhances athlete’s experiences to another level. All without leaving the ground, though, they can still experience the benefits of high-altitude training! The device increases erythropoietin (EPO) levels, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. It increases arterial VO2 max, which is a measure of lung capacity.
To counterbalance the performance enhancing aspect of Stratosphere ATC, we’ve created a dedicated recovery solution, engineered specifically for athletes to recover faster and go harder. This sneaker/sandals dual functionality has become a go-to choice among many professional athletes. No wonder NFL stars Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey are two of its many fans. With the help of WBEC, they connected and spent nearly a month together in Los Angeles over June and July. There, they trained intensely and recovered in the Stratosphere ATC chamber.
Robinson wants his Atlanta Falcons to receive their own Stratosphere ATC. He is adamant that you need to be in top physical shape before putting foot on the field. It’s critical to make sure your body is in top shape before you set foot on the field,” he stated. I mean, you’re trying to put the best event on possible! His commitment to fitness mirrors McCaffrey’s approach, who emphasized that every training session, regardless of intensity, requires readiness.
“No matter what it is — if it’s a light day or a hard day — you always want to make sure you’re ready to go.” – Bijan Robinson
Williams began selling Stratosphere ATC chambers last year. The UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas turned out to be their first customer. The chamber can simulate an elevation of 18,000 feet that requires the body to build aerobic conditioning in order to function. “It felt like we were as high as 18,000 feet in the sky, but we were inside a machine,” Robinson described of his time on the machine. He noted that the training was not just rigorous but beneficial: “It was just very good for my body.”
Their relationship goes beyond training. The two have created a competitive but supportive connection to each other. For Williams, their sessions were marked by a healthy competitive drive to challenge one another to greater levels. They were just trying to outdo one another on the power and the velocity of the training,” he said. He noted the camaraderie: “All in all, they were there to support each other.”
McCaffrey acknowledged Robinson as “a special guy, special person, and a special player,” highlighting the mutual respect that fuels their competitive spirit. He elaborated on their training philosophy, stating, “There’s so many different things that we just try to take every little ounce, and if you can find an advantage or an edge, we do it.” This attitude pushes both players to experimentation with different recovery methods, such as hyperbarics and hypoxic training.
As they trained under the guidance of Randy Huntington, a highly regarded track and field coach, Robinson and McCaffrey exchanged insights and strategies. Williams likened the pair to “pulling Michael Jordans.” There are no boundaries between them, and they openly share secrets that help one another to succeed. “It’s not like they were hiding anything, and they were trying to help each other and lift each other up,” he added.
Stratosphere ATC is a major step forward in technology for athletic training. Changing how our athletes prepare Training our competitors in these new simulated high-altitude environments could drastically change the way we prepare athletes. It’ll improve recovery protocols in pro sports. Ultimately, Williams sees a day when each NFL facility has Stratosphere ATC chambers as an integrated part of the team’s structure.
“I feel like sometimes there’s new gadgets and gizmos and there’s chambers, the hyperbarics, the hypoxic training, the breath work,” – Christian McCaffrey
Robinson’s experience with Stratosphere ATC serves to illustrate its incredible power to help athletes perform at a higher level and accelerate recovery times. Passionate players know that intense training and cutting-edge recovery techniques can provide a critical competitive advantage. Yet this preparation is absolutely vital as they get ready to face the rigors of an NFL season.
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