O2 doping?

I may be wrong about this but athletes that dope on, say EPO, boost their red blood cells so that they are ABLE to take up more O2.  So I think it would be overkill to "dope" on O2 simply because your RBC's have already taken up most of what they can of O2 as you breathe normally anyway.  Like I said, I may be completely wrong about this...it's only what I understand from anatomy class!

What's with all the doping stuff lately anyway?  I thought this was a hobby...a way to be fit and healthy.  Kinda crazy to me if someone is just trying to get an age group award.

I agree with Tbcoffee.  If you consider that most pro triathletes travel to higher altitude, where there is a lack of oxygen, to increase the amount of RBC's in the body, then come down to race, where the increase in RBC's now take in more oxygen, the opposite should be true.  If you take in more higher quality oxygen, would the RBC go down?

Stick with a good training plan, face to face coach and upgrades to your hardware, this will do more for your race performance than O2!

I can see the need for oxygen bars in places like Asia where the air quality is low, to give your body good high quality air.

Keep asking the questions, this is how you can accelerate your knowledge of the sport!

I agree with Tbcoffee.  If you consider that most pro triathletes travel to higher altitude, where there is a lack of oxygen, to increase the amount of RBC's in the body, then come down to race, where the increase in RBC's now take in more oxygen, the opposite should be true.  If you take in more higher quality oxygen, would the RBC go down?

Stick with a good training plan, face to face coach and upgrades to your hardware, this will do more for your race performance than O2!

I can see the need for oxygen bars in places like Asia where the air quality is low, to give your body good high quality air.

Keep asking the questions, this is how you can accelerate your knowledge of the sport!

didn't mean to imply I was interested learning how to dope--far from it--in fact I am and have always been a proponent of natural training--unless you count a daily multi vitamin, glucosamine supplement and advil as not natural.  I was really just curious where the line is drawn since it's a term that's thrown around a lot casually and this new contraption arrived on my door step today and gave me cause to wonder. 

keep an eye out for more seemingly obvious questions.

Training with supplemental oxygen is a valid and effective method. It is also perhaps against the rules in certain sports. I think you would be able to do this in triathlon.

The reason it works is this: Consider a 5 minute VO2 max interval on the bike. Target is 250 watts. Breathe 100% O2 for a few minutes and suddenly you are able to average 280 watts for those 5 minutes. Remember (or learn) that the power (or run pace) is the stimulus, so O2 supplementation provides more stimulus to adapt. 

This is also why many argue for a lifetime ban for those convicted of doping offenses. Training with an enhanced hematocrit (more oxygen) is simply better training. This enhanced training may leave an athlete with a better developed aerobic system permanently, beyond the immediate effects of whatever they were taking.

Elite athletes train at altitude for different reasons than they train with supplemental O2. The goal for both is of course increased performance.