The Effects of Respiratory Muscle Training in the Body

Abstract

Individuals constantly strive to find ways to maintain or boost athletic performance. It is not uncommon for trained individuals to improve performance between the competitive and off-season due to changes in exercise duration and intensity (endurance, strength, power, flexibility, and coordination). An area that is typically neglected is training the lungs and diaphragm. Following a respiratory muscle exercise intervention, it was unknown if participants would maintain or exceed their prior lung capacity. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact that respiratory endurance and strength training has on participants’ inspiratory vital capacity (IVC), vital capacity (VC), tidal volume (TV), and if as a result a measureable difference was observed in their hemoglobin levels (Hb). METHODS: Participants (N=20, n=10 males, n=10 females) reported to the lab for pre-test measurements, which included screening for respiratory health issues, and were then randomly assigned into a control (CON) or intervention (INV) group. The INV group (age 21.8 ± 2.4 years) was assigned lung strength and endurance exercises five days a week and the CON (age 21.1 ± 1.7 years) group was asked to maintain their normal lifestyle. Both groups were asked to return four weeks later. Testing in the laboratory included: finger prick (Hb), spirometry testing (TV, IVC, VC), and a brief questionnaire. An independent T-test (SPSS v. 21) was used to identify significant differences (p < 0.05) between pre- and post-testing sessions for all participants. All measures are reported as delta change (Δ) ± standard deviation (SD). RESULTS: No significant differences were found following the four week INV. The following changes were observed: (CON [INCREMENT] ± SD : INV [INCREMENT] ± SD): Hb (0.4 ± 1.9 : 0.7 ± 1.1 mg/dL), TV (0.02 ± 0.07 : 0.04 ± .14 L), VC (-0.1 ± .3 : -0.7 ± 1.1 L), and IVC (-0.1 ± 0.3 : 0.3 ± 0.9 L). CONCLUSIONS: Given that the INV group’s Hb, TV, and IVC improved more than the control group (although not significantly), perhaps a longer INV duration may yield greater differences. Further studies involving respiratory muscle strength and endurance training are needed to aid in the understanding of why these specific results occurred.