Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training

[sengsational]

Doing the recommended amount of exercise, for me, is a challenge; I really hate anything that is remotely like the gym, and can't keep up the routine on home exercise equipment, so I'm at the whim of the weather.

Anyway, in a recent (probably "too good to be true") discovery, they're saying you can get the benefit of exercise without sweating:
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-improves-health

The idea is that you do a "breath workout" with a device that resists air movement into your lungs.

There seem to be two technologies "Resistive Flow Devices" and "Pressure Threshold Devices". This paper suggest the have similar effectiveness (in COPD anyway): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12833187

If you look on Amazon, there are many confusing options, and some seem overpriced to me for what they do. The cheapskate in me says to pull out my skin diving snorkel and put a piece of duct tape over the inlet with a slit in it

Anyway, has anyone experimented with this kind of "work out"?

 

[haha]

Doing the recommended amount of exercise, for me, is a challenge; I really hate anything that is remotely like the gym, and can't keep up the routine on home exercise equipment, so I'm at the whim of the weather.

Anyway, in a recent (probably "too good to be true") discovery, they're saying you can get the benefit of exercise without sweating:
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-improves-health

The idea is that you do a "breath workout" with a device that resists air movement into your lungs.

There seem to be two technologies "Resistive Flow Devices" and "Pressure Threshold Devices". This paper suggest the have similar effectiveness (in COPD anyway): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12833187

If you look on Amazon, there are many confusing options, and some seem overpriced to me for what they do. The cheapskate in me says to pull out my skin diving snorkel and put a piece of duct tape over the inlet with a slit in it

Anyway, has anyone experimented with this kind of "work out"?

Great post. Here is their website. https://expand-a-lung.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6ofkrfvr4QIVqh6tBh1GBwZDEAAYASAAEgK9hPD_BwE

I plan to buy one and give it a try.

Ha

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I think I might be getting this effect naturally with my seasonal asthma.

 

[RunningBum]

Hmm, the "you can get the benefit of exercise without sweating" claim sounds some warning bells for me. However, those are your words, not theirs, though what they are saying doesn't seem to be too far off.

I'm going to check it out more closely later. Running friends of mine who do high altitude races might like this to simulate high altitude. I wonder if this can actually be used while exercising/running, in addition to a substitute for that.

As I watch the video in the first link, I see that it's not something you could really exercise with, but it could be a supplement.

Just off the top of my head, while it may help breathing and reduce BP, I don't know that it does anything for strength and flexibility, so I wouldn't cut out exercise totally.

I looked for it on Amazon and didn't find it, but did see some scary looking alternatives that look like they are props from Mad Max Fury Road. Less intense models might make me a little more inclined to consider them, but I don't want to run around looking like that!

Thanks to Ha for the website link with order info. Considering it. For $30 I don't think I'd bother with the snorkel hack. It sounds a little more complex than just limiting airflow, but maybe not.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Hmm, the "you can get the benefit of exercise without sweating" claim sounds some warning bells for me. However, those are your words, not theirs, though what they are saying doesn't seem to be too far off.

I'm going to check it out more closely later. Running friends of mine who do high altitude races might like this to simulate high altitude. I wonder if this can actually be used while exercising/running, in addition to a substitute for that.

As I watch the video in the first link, I see that it's not something you could really exercise with, but it could be a supplement.

Just off the top of my head, while it may help breathing and reduce BP, I don't know that it does anything for strength and flexibility, so I wouldn't cut out exercise totally.

I looked for it on Amazon and didn't find it, but did see some scary looking alternatives that look like they are props from Mad Max Fury Road. Less intense models might make me a little more inclined to consider them, but I don't want to run around looking like that!

Thanks to Ha for the website link with order info. Considering it. For $30 I don't think I'd bother with the snorkel hack. It sounds a little more complex than just limiting airflow, but maybe not.

Here is a pretty good article written by ex-professional cyclist/coach Chris Carmichael that might answer your questions.


https://trainright.com/do-altitude-training-masks-work-for-endurance-athletes/

 

[RunningBum]

Here is a pretty good article written by ex-professional cyclist/coach Chris Carmichael that might answer your questions.


https://trainright.com/do-altitude-training-masks-work-for-endurance-athletes/

Thanks. That's well written and makes a lot of sense.

 

[haha]

Here is a pretty good article written by ex-professional cyclist/coach Chris Carmichael that might answer your questions.


https://trainright.com/do-altitude-training-masks-work-for-endurance-athletes/

I think the expand-a-lung device and hypoxic training are completely different.
Hypoxic training tries to help you get along better on "thinner air". The expand-a lung device restricts your breathing, so you have to use more muscular power to move air, but the air being moved is ordinary.

I'll report on the expand-a-lung device I ordered after I have a little while with it.

Ha

 

[Moemg]

Last year when I did Pulmonary rehab we used those devices to strengthen our lungs but I can not see how they take the place of regular exercises .We did 30 minutes with the devices than 30 minutes weight lifting than 20 minutes balance than 10 minutes climbing stairs than an hour on various cardio machines .

 

[haha]

Last year when I did Pulmonary rehab we used those devices to strengthen our lungs but I can not see how they take the place of regular exercises .We did 30 minutes with the devices than 30 minutes weight lifting than 20 minutes balance than 10 minutes climbing stairs than an hour on various cardio machines .

I also cannot see how this device could do anything beyond some strenthening of the muscles that expand and constrict one's bellows, ie the muscles of breathing. But that might help, if you ever get to panting, which I do. I am looking forward to finding out.

Ha

 

[Nick12]

Last year when I did Pulmonary rehab we used those devices to strengthen our lungs but I can not see how they take the place of regular exercises .We did 30 minutes with the devices than 30 minutes weight lifting than 20 minutes balance than 10 minutes climbing stairs than an hour on various cardio machines .

I wished I would have prepared physically before vacationing in La Paz Bolivia. The airport was 12,000 ft above sea level. Our hotel was at 10,000 ft above sea level. We climbed Mt Chacaltaya when our mini bus drove up the mountain on cliff roads and took us to a point where we walked the rest of the way to the peak at 18,100ft above sea level. Lots of coca tea and altitude pills helped a bit but the lungs were burning and on fire. To be above the clouds was simply amazing.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I wished I would have prepared physically before vacationing in La Paz Bolivia. The airport was 12,000 ft above sea level. Our hotel was at 10,000 ft above sea level. We climbed Mt Chacaltaya when our mini bus drove up the mountain on cliff roads and took us to a point where we walked the rest of the way to the peak at 18,100ft above sea level. Lots of coca tea and altitude pills helped a bit but the lungs were burning and on fire. To be above the clouds was simply amazing.

When you say altitude pills, are you referring to Diamox (acetazolamide) ?
Any side effects, i.e. - diuretic etc..?

 

[audreyh1]

Yoga - you do some resistive breathing in yoga.

 

[corn18]

Am I missing the part about how using this is actual exercise? The claim on the website simply claims it makes the exercise that you do beyond the gizmo mo better. You still need to exercise. No free lunch.

From their website:

1) IMMEDIATE BENEFIT: It will open up the airways into your lungs that have been partially obstructed over the years, due to natural aging, pollution, poor physical condition, and smoking (if applicable).

2) LONG TERM BENEFIT: It will target and develop the respiratory muscles (the diaphragm and intercostals) to help you inhale more volume of air/oxygen into your lungs, and to exhale more carbon dioxide out of your lungs.

THE END RESULT IS DEEPER, EASIER AND BETTER BREATHING FOR A MORE RELAXED AND SUPERIOR ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE, WITH LONGER BREATH HOLD CAPACITY.

 

[Moemg]

I spent many hours with this device . The different colors are smaller openings .

 

[Moemg]

I also have this charmer

 

[Nick12]

When you say altitude pills, are you referring to Diamox (acetazolamide) ?
Any side effects, i.e. - diuretic etc..?

Yes , Diamox or what Bolivians call soroche pills. No side effects that we had. The coca tea and leaves sold everywhere really helped adjust to the high altitude but it took a few days.

 

[donheff]

I also have this charmer

I used those to restore respiratory capacity after surgery. I need to dig around and see if I still have one.

 

[sengsational]

I should have said get *some* of the benefits of exercise. Those were my words that were helped along by the lay-press article that led me to the more sane university article.


Still have a problem with $30 for a few bits of plastic, but I guess they've got to make hay before the knock-offs start showing up on eBay for $3.



Looking forward to the review, Mr HaHa.

 

[sengsational]

I also have this charmer

My dad's doctor called that one "your puffy blowy thing". You wonder what 6 years of medical training gets you, hehe!

 

[MRG]

We live at 7559'. I've have to watch my blood chemistry, hemeglogbin and hematocrit, due to moving the limited O2 into my bloodstream. Too much of a good thing can cause issues, some guys have to donate blood to keep their numbers down, else you stroke out.

I've recently learned how breathing with my diaphragm can slow my breathing and help my ability to run. I'm doing more and my heartrate and breathing are much easier.

 

[sengsational]

I figured that rather than improvising a snorkel, I'd buy a "real" one. Normally the "bit of plastic for $40" reflex would kick-in, but I had "birthday money" from my kids (Amazon gift cards), so since "they bought it for me", I splurged.


Below are some pages from the instructions...the pages relating to "healthy aging" (as opposed to treating some specific condition).


EDIT: After looking at this post, it looks like an advertisement. I can blank out the brand if that needs to be done. Or you can mentally replace the brand name with "a skin diving snorkel with duct tape".

 

[Vacation4us]

I also have this charmer

It’s called an Incentive Spirometer. Used in every hospital on every floor. Helps expand your lungs after surgery and helps prevent pneumonia. We use them on all patients that have a c-section. They have been used as long as I have been a nurse.. bout 30 years

 

[Vacation4us]

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=31323&d=1556233910

This^

 

[6miths]

I used to do this training all the time with McDonald's milkshakes.

 

[Sunset]

It’s called an Incentive Spirometer. Used in every hospital on every floor. Helps expand your lungs after surgery and helps prevent pneumonia. We use them on all patients that have a c-section. They have been used as long as I have been a nurse.. bout 30 years

I used one after surgery. Kept so I can train for the next Olympics