Abstract
PURPOSE To test the effects of a 5-wk, bi-directional respiratory muscle training (RMT) program on the lung function and underwater air consumption of recreational SCUBA divers. METHODS 12 adults (7 men, 5 women) from the local diving community volunteered and gave written consent. Inclusion criteria were age (min. 18 yr), diving certification level (min. Open Water) and freedom from medical conditions precluding participation in submaximal testing and underwater drills. Participants in this double-blind study were randomly assigned to either the treatment (T; n = 7) or control (C; n = 5) group. T received bi-directional RMT devices while C received shams; all were instructed to follow manufacturer's instructions (3 sets of 10 breaths twice daily) for 5 wk. Regular activity was to be maintained throughout the study. Pre- and post-tests included: total lung capacity (TLC), vital capacity (VC), residual volume (RV), YMCA cycle ergometry, and 30-min underwater drill for SCUBA air consumption (UAC) in a controlled environment. STATISTICS An independent t-test was used to assess the demographic and dive history similarity of the two groups. A 2 (pre vs. post) × 2 (group) repeated-measures ANOVA was run for each variable of interest to investigate training efficacy between and within the groups. SPSS-PC v10 was used for all analyses; significance was set at p ≤ .05. RESULTS The groups were similar in age (T: 25.6 ± 11.1; C: 25.0 ± 12.3 yr), ht (T: 172.4 ± 5.9; C: 179.2 ± 7.5 cm), wt (T: 80.6 ± 28.4; C: 91.2 ± 23.2 kg), diving experience (T: 3.3 ± 3.4; C: 7.1 ± 6.1 yr), and current year's diving frequency (T: 37.3 ± 34.7; C: 41.3 ± 27.8 dives); p >.05. T improved more in TLC (0.79L), VC (0.24L), RV (0.53L), estimated VO2max (1.28 ml/kg/min) and UAC (373.81 psi) than did C (0.46L, −0.17L, −0.58L, −1.43 ml/kg/min, 120.00 psi, respectfully). Main effects for TLC (F = 6.838, p = .031) and RV (F = 7.135, p = .028) were significant. No interaction effects were significant (p >.05). DISCUSSION 5 wks of RMT significantly altered TLC and RV but not VC, submaximal aerobic capacity or air consumption during a 30-min SCUBA fin kick drill in this small, diverse sample of recreational divers. Although not statistically significant the improvement in UAC following RMT may be practically significant as it may increase a diver's “bottom time”.
Published Version
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