Ibanez isn't afraid of anything that will make him a better baseball player, which is one reason he is a coveted free agent six months shy of his 37th birthday.

The hyperbaric chamber, he says, oxygenates his red-blood cells, aiding him in recovery. But the chamber is just one aspect of his training, and not a very large aspect at that.

You name it, Ibanez is doing it — joint alignment, muscle activation, active-release techniques, even Brazilian jiujitsu. He speaks with conviction about trying to reach his "genetic threshold," or physical peak. He even keeps three hitting advisors — former major leaguers Edgar Martinez, Chili Davis and Kevin Seitzer — on speed dial.

Ibanez, an outfielder and first baseman who spent the past five seasons with the Mariners, certainly isn't the only player seeking new ways to improve his training. He is, however, more curious and intense than most.

To the average person, his techniques might sound like weird science. Ibanez responds, "If you Google all this stuff, it's real science." And with baseball now testing for performance-enhancing drugs, such avenues of training become that much more important.

"My entire life, I always thought that there's a better way," Ibanez says. "I never think I have all the answers. I always stay open-minded. I have this theory — you never know where the next bit of information is going to come from that will take you to a whole different level.

"You never know — a kid on your son's Little League team might say something to you and you'll have an epiphany. I always try to have my eyes and ears open. There's a lot more to being the best you can be than just strapping it up and going out there."

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Ibanez, who lives in Miami, says he was first introduced to the hyperbaric chamber by one of his trainers, Pete Bommarito, a partner at Perfect Competition Athletic Development in Davie, Fla.

Bommarito had his prospective NFL players using the chamber for recovery. Ibanez noticed the results, then had a company send him one for a trial run during spring training.

After three days, Ibanez informed the company that he wanted to purchase the chamber, which cost him $18,800. He used it last season after long flights back to Seattle and in the mornings after he drove his children to school. He would stay inside for 60 to 90 minutes, practicing visualization techniques to pass the time.

"For me, the proof is in the pudding," Ibanez says. "It's not cheap. I'm not like a flashy, spendy guy. For me to make an investment like this, I have to be 100 percent convinced that it works. I've never walked past this thing and said, 'Man, that was stupid.' And I've done that with other things."

Ibanez is a late bloomer, a player who twice was designated for assignment by the Royals in 2001, the season in which he turned 29. His past three seasons with the Mariners were his most consistent. Playing his home games at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, Ibanez did not bat lower than .289 or higher than .293. His on-base percentage ranged from .351 to .358, his slugging percentage from .479 to .516.

Bommarito, whose list of baseball clients also includes Manny Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, began working with Ibanez in '04. Ibanez had missed time with a hamstring injury that season, and feared that he soon might be reduced to a designated hitter. He interviewed Bommarito about his training techniques, asking pointed questions.

Kansas City Royals News News » Ibanez more intense than most about training
Ibanez more intense than most about training
Did you hear the one about Raul Ibanez and the hyperbaric chamber? "The first thing people say is, 'Oh, you mean like Michael Jackson?'" Ibanez says, chuckling. "I'm not afraid of that stigma." MLB Hot Stove