Benefits for Athletes

ATTENTION ALL ATHLETES!!!  Consider Training Your Respiration.

Boutellier U, Buchel R, Kundert A, Spengler C.

Department of Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Recently, we have shown that an untrained respiratory system does limit the endurance of submaximal exercise (64% peak oxygen consumption) in normal sedentary subjects.  These subjects were able to increase breathing endurance by almost 300% and cycle endurance by 50% after isolated respiratory training.  The aim of the present study was to find out if normal, endurance trained subjects would also benefit from respiratory training.  Breathing and cycle endurance as well as maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and anaerobic threshold were measured in eight subjects. Subsequently, the subjects trained their respiratory muscles for 4 weeks by breathing 85-160 1 min.-1 for 30 min daily. Otherwise they continued their habitual endurance training.  After respiratory training, the performance tests made at the beginning of the study were repeated.  Respiratory training increased breathing endurance from 6.1 (SD 1.8) min to about 40 min.  Cycle endurance at the anaerobic threshold [77 (SD 6) %VO2max] was improve from 22.8 (SD 8.3) min to 31.5 (SD 12.6) min while VO2max and the anaerobic threshold remained essentially the same.  Therefore, the endurance of respiratory muscles can be improved remarkably even in trained subjects.  Respiratory muscle fatigue induced hyperventilation which limited cycle performance at the anaerobic threshold.  After respiratory training, minute ventilation for a given exercise intensity was reduced and cycle performance at the anaerobic threshold was prolonged. 

In Summary, the condition of the respiratory system is more important for endurance exercise performance of healthy trained subjects than hitherto assumed.  Not only do respiratory muscles fatigue during intensive endurance exercise, but prefatigued respiratory muscles can also impair performance.  In turn, respiratory endurance training can improve endurance exercise performance. 

IMPROVE ENDURANCE AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH RESPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING

Claes E.G. Lundgren, M.D., PhD., professor of physiology and Biophysics in the State University of New York, UB School of Medicine.  This research was supported by the US Navy Experimental Diving Unit.

In this pioneering work, subjects who followed breathing resistance training improved their snorkel surface swimming time by 33% and their underwater Scuba swimming time by 66%.
“The above data is in agreement with previous studies in cyclist, rowers and runners.  They suggest that athletes in most sports could improve their performance by undergoing respiratory muscle training.  It is also clear that the greater the stress on the respiratory system , the larger the improvement in performance.”
During high intensity exercise, when the breathing muscles become fatigued, the body switches to survival mode and “steals” blood flow and oxygen away from locomotor muscles.  As a result, these locomotor muscles  become fatigued and performance can suffer significantly.  Increasing the strength of the respiratory muscles through breathing resistance exercise can prevent this fatigue during sustained exercise situations.  The end result is better performance!

RESPIRATORY TRAINING RESEARCH STUDIES FOR COPD PATIENTS

Inspiratory Muscle  Training In COPD

F. Lötters1, B. van Tol2, G. Kwakkel2 and R. Gosselink3

1 Dept of Public Health,  Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam,  Rotterdam, and 2 Dept of Physical Therapy and Research Institute for Fundamental  and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, University Hospital Vrije Universteit,  Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 3 Dept of Respiratory Rehabilitation, University  Hospitals Leuven, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium

The  purpose of this meta-analysis is to review studies investigating the efficacy of  inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease  (COPD) patients and to find out whether patient characteristics influence the  efficacy of IMT.

A systematic literature search was performed using the  Medline and Embase databases. On the basis of a methodological framework, a  critical review was performed and summary effect-sizes were calculated by  applying fixed and random effects models.

Both IMT alone and IMT as  adjunct to general exercise reconditioning significantly increased inspiratory  muscle strength and endurance. A significant effect was found for dyspnoea at  rest and during exercise. Improved functional exercise capacity tended to be an  additional effect of IMT alone and as an adjunct to general exercise  reconditioning, but this trend did not reach statistical significance. No  significant correlations were found for training effects with patient  characteristics. However, subgroup analysis in IMT plus exercise training  revealed that patients with inspiratory muscle weakness improved significantly  more compared to patients without inspiratory muscle weakness.

Conclusions: From this review it is concluded that inspiratory muscle  training is an important addition to a pulmonary rehabilitation programme  directed at chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with inspiratory  muscle weakness.

Expiratory Muscle Training in  COPD

Paltiel Weiner, MD; Rasmi Magadle, MD; Marinella  Beckerman, MD; Margalit Weiner, PhD and Noa Berar-Yanay, MD

*From the Department of Medicine A, Hillel Yaffe Medical  Center, Hadera, Israel.

Background: There are several reports  showing that expiratory muscle strength and endurance can be impaired in  patients with COPD. This muscle weakness may have clinically relevant  implications. Expiratory muscle training tended to improve cough and to reduce  the sensation of respiratory effort during exercise in patients other than those  with COPD.

Methods: Twenty-six patients with COPD (FEV1 38% predicted)  were recruited for the study. The patients were randomized into two groups:  group 1, 13 patients were assigned to receive specific expiratory muscle  training (SEMT) daily, six times a week, each session consisting of 1/2 h of  training, for 3 months; and group 2, 13 patients were assigned to be a control  group and received training with very low load. Spirometry, respiratory muscle  strength and endurance, 6-min walk test, Mahler baseline dyspnea index (before),  and the transitional dyspnea index (after) were measured before and after  training.

Results: The training-induced changes were significantly greater in the SEMT group than in the control group for the following variables: expiratory muscle strength (from 86 ± 4.1 to 104 ± 4.9 cm H2O, p < 0.005; mean difference from the control group, 24%; 95% confidence interval, 18 to 32%), expiratory muscle endurance (from 57 ± 2.9% to 76 ± 4.0%, p < 0.001; mean difference from the control group, 29%; 95% confidence interval, 21 to 39%), and in the distance walked in 6 min (from 262 ± 38 to 312 ± 47 m, p < 0.05; mean difference from the control group, 14%; 95% confidence interval, 9 to 20%). There was also a small but not significant increase (from 5.1 ± 0.9 to 5.6 ± 0.7, p = 0.14) in the dyspnea index.

Conclusions: The expiratory  muscles can be specifically trained with improvement of both strength and  endurance in patients with COPD.