Marshawn Lynch definitely wasn’t the first athlete to start working out and wearing the high-altitude training mask.
Lynch is the star of the Super Bowl and recently opened up about the bane-style training mask he was introduced to by a hometown friend.
Lynch was initially seen wearing the Bane-like mask during his pregame warmups as the Seahawks prepared to face the Chargers in a Week 2 matchup.
The intrigue went from there.
The media followed the usual course, and questioned why Lynch was such a scary looking mask during pregame. Lynch says “one of his homeboys” introduced him to the mask, and the rest is history.
“One my homeboys back home, Troy, he came in with one of the masks and was like, ‘Man, you need to work out with this. It’s like working out 10 times harder than normally working out,’” says Lynch. “And I was like, ‘Why would I want to do that?’” Lynch laughs. “He was like, ‘Man, you just have to try it.’”
Casey Danford, CEO of Elevation Training Mask, says Lynch called his sales team personally, to request his own custom device.
“I put the mask on, and I probably did a lap around the building where we train, and, like, halfway through the lap, I had to take it off and stop,” says Lynch. “I was breathing hard, and thinking, ‘Man, this is a little different than what I was expecting.’ So I get back, and Troy is like, ‘Man, you just got to try and finish through.’ And I started to notice, three days of working out with it, like my wind got that much better. And I was like, ‘Whoa. It works.’”
The model that Lynch uses, Training Mask 2.0, uses three different resistance valves to regulate breathing in an effort to simulate a high-elevation environment, similar to the effect athletes get from training in high-altitude destinations, such as Colorado. The training aid can be adjusted to mimic elevations from 3,000 to 18,000 feet, which incrementally builds lung capacity and works to heighten Lynch’s overall mental focus.
Lynch doesn’t have a deal with Elevation Training Mask, although Danford says they’re happy to overnight him any gear he needs.
I think that relationship will change after the Super Bowl.