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, the sealable chamber configured to allow entry therein and occupancy thereof by an entirety of the single, full-size human subject and to allow the single, full-size human subject to exercise in a standing position using an item of physical conditioning equipment entirely contained within the sealable chamber;
• 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 has a size and shape for use in an interior space 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.