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CVAC Systems
A CVAC Pod at O2 HealthLab, its clear canopy lowered over a seated occupant, with the CVAC mark on the shell.
Dynamic pressure · Filtered air · Adaptive workload · 20 minute session

Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning™

The atmospheredoes the work.

Patented CVAC technology uses dynamically patterned changes in air pressure to challenge the body without traditional physical exertion. You sit still. The air moves.

640,000+

Documented CVAC Sessions

12years

Of research and development

4min

Length of a single session

Patented

Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning

How CVAC works

Air pressure becomes the workload.

A CVAC Pod open in a wellness centre with a person seated inside before a session.
Low-barometric environmentPhase 01 of 03

Relative pressure, illustrative diagram

Keep scrolling, or select a phase

Science inside the session

What happens during 20 minutes?

Pressure does not simply drop and hold. It rises and falls on a pattern, so tension and resolution follow one another for the length of the session.

DecompressionCompressionRecoveryRepeat00:0005:0010:0015:0020:00

00:00Move across the session

Illustrative pattern, not measured data

The research

Studied in the laboratory. Proven in practice.

Institution
University of Hawaii
Journal
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Year
2009

The effect of dynamic intermittent hypoxic conditioning on arterial oxygen saturation

A validation study performed at the University of Hawaii showed that it is potentially the challenge created through the delivery of the patterned low-barometric pressures of the CVAC Process that allows the body to become more efficient at utilizing available oxygen; thus improving the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Hetzler RK, Stickley CD, Kimura IF, LaBotz M, Nichols AW, Nakasone KT, et al. The effect of dynamic intermittent hypoxic conditioning on arterial oxygen saturation. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2009;20(1):26-32.

View researchRequest the citations
Dynamic intermittent pressureSustained exposureIllustrative diagram

  1. 02

    Cyclic hypobaric hypoxia improves markers of glucose metabolism in middle-aged men

    A blinded, placebo-controlled study showed the CVAC Process mirrored the effects of high-intensity exercise on glycolytic energy production in non-diabetic middle-aged men. The men in the study participated in less than three hours of exercise per week.

    Marquez JL, Rubinstein S, Fattor JA, Shah O, Hoffman AR, Friedlander AL. High Altitude Medicine & Biology 2013;14(3):263-72

  2. 03

    Pilot study: rapidly cycling hypobaric pressure improves pain after 5 days in adiposis dolorosa

    Some people who are overweight have difficulty with traditional forms of exercise. In this study, people who were overweight used the CVAC System for 40 minutes a day for 5 days under the supervision of Karen Herbst PhD, MD. Dr. Herbst reported a statistically significant reduction in weight in those individuals in her study.

    Herbst KL, Rutledge T. Journal of Pain Research 2010 Aug 20;3:147-153. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S12351. PMCID: PMC3004643. PMID: 21197318

    Download study

Comparison

Not simply altitude training.

The goal of the CVAC Process is not to cause an acclimatization response. The goal is to provide adaptation based physical conditioning: changes in pressure that set up waves of tension and resolution.

Traditional altitude exposure

Thinner air

A mostly constant lower pressure environment, held for the length of the exposure.

CVAC dynamic pressure conditioning

Thinner air

Rapid, patterned changes in pressure. Fresh filtered air is pumped in and pulled out.

Illustrative diagram, not measured data

Applications for athletes

Training load without training volume.

CVAC solutions

Whole body adaptive cellular conditioning.

World champion endurance athlete Stephanie Bishop seated inside a CVAC Pod during a session.

01 Performance

Athletes

Competitive cyclists, runners, triathletes, tennis players, MMA fighters, motor sports racers and hockey players consistently report having more power to use in their activity with much less effort.

Solutions for athletes
A CVAC Pod installed in a wellness centre, lit from above beside a seating area.

02 Everyday capacity

Wellness

Fitness increases your ability to thrive. The CVAC Process provides the benefits of traditional aerobic and anaerobic exercise without the joint stress and physical exertion that can be associated with these activities.

Solutions for wellness

Real installations

Installed in clinics, labs and performance centres.

Pods are in recovery studios, clinics and training facilities across North America. Scroll the track to move through the floor.

A young athlete stepping into a CVAC Pod at O2 Health Lab in Newport Beach, California.
O2 Health LabNewport Beach, California

Young athletes get a leg upNewport Beach, California

A CVAC Pod installed in a treatment room at AIM Clinic in New Hampshire.
AIM ClinicNew Hampshire

Clinic installationNew Hampshire

A CVAC Pod beside a bright window at Altitude Performance and Health in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Altitude Performance and HealthVancouver, British Columbia

Sunny day on the floorVancouver, British Columbia

The CVAC Pod at Recover NYC, ready for a session.
Recover NYCNew York, New York

Recovery studio floorNew York, New York

MMA fighter Fernando Gonzalez, the Menifee Maniac, seated in a CVAC Pod.
Fernando GonzalezMMA, the Menifee Maniac

Between campsMMA, the Menifee Maniac

Covered in

Find a CVAC

Find the CVAC Pod nearest you.

20 independent locations across 4 countries currently offer CVAC Sessions. Pick a region to see the address, phone number and website for each one.

Find a CVACContact CVAC

The CVAC System complies with the US FDA Guidance for Low Risk Wellness Devices. As such, it is only intended to be used to improve the fitness of the people who use it. The CVAC System is not intended to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease conditions.