Exercise apparatus simulating mild to high altitude environments

A personal physical conditioning system for a single, full-size human subject, the personal physical conditioning system comprising:

• a sealable chamber having a size and shape for use in an interior space;
• an item of physical conditioning equipment entirely contained within the sealable chamber and selected from a group consisting of a treadmill, a cycle and arm ergometer, a rowing machine, a stair stepper, strength equipment, and a zero-gravity chair;
• a ventilation system, including a pump, operable to change air in the sealable chamber and to establish, within the sealable chamber, a desired non-zero air pressure level of less than 1 atmosphere and down to pressure conditions substantially equivalent to an elevation of 25,000 feet above sea level;
• a monitoring system operable to monitor vital signs of the single, full-size human subject, the vital signs including at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of heart rate, breathing rate, skin temperature, oxygen saturation, and combinations thereof;
• and
• a controller coupled to the ventilation system and operable to regulate air pressure in the sealable chamber at the desired non-zero air pressure level under specifiable conditions,
• wherein the sealable chamber is configured to allow entry therein and occupancy thereof by an entirety of the single, full-size human subject in a standing position and to exercise using the item of physical conditioning equipment within the sealable chamber, and wherein the monitoring system is configured to monitor the vital signs of the single, full-size human subject while the entirety of the single, full-size human subject is in the sealable chamber.