We all know that we need to train our muscles in order
to be able to do sport, so we work on our leg muscles, throw in core work for
stability, and add upper body work if we’re into multi-sports. But how often do
we specifically target some of the most important muscles in all sporting
activity, the breathing muscles? In most cases, never, because we just rely on
hard running or cycling to automatically also train these muscles.
However, published research findings show that
specific breathing muscle training
can improve your sport performance in as little as four weeks, and one of the best ways to increase the strength, power and endurance of
these breathing muscles is to give them some resistance training, which is
exactly what the POWERBreathe range of products offer: Resistance. You could
describe them as dumbbells for the lungs, and the good news is that your
breathing muscles will respond to this training easily and quickly – just 30
deep breaths at moderate resistance twice a day can help you improve your
performance markedly.
The basic underlying mechanism here is that
impaired oxygen uptake activates a reflex in your body that restricts blood
flow to the limbs and muscles, reserving the blood for the lungs that now need
more support to function properly. Therefore, by training the breathing muscles
to become stronger, you can slow this reflex down to the extent that your legs
and arms will receive more blood, which contains energising oxygen and clears
out muscle metabolite build-up. In other words, you can run harder thanks to
your breathing muscles being fitter and better able to cope with the stress
being placed on them.
POWERbreathe has two inspiratory muscle
training products available in South Africa, the POWERbreathe K-series with
digital display (from R4100 to R7200), and the simpler but no less effective
POWERbreathe Plus (approximately R800). Both ranges offer models with different
features and levels of adjustable resistance, so check them out online and
order them there as well.
The bottom line is that just a few minutes of ‘work’
on your breathing muscles each day can improve your strength and endurance,
delay limb fatigue, improve recovery time, and help you maintain a higher
exercise intensity for longer. It’s as simple as breathing, really.
More
info at www.powerbreathe-sa.co.za, or contact info@powerbreathe-sa.co.za or 011 440
2119.