About Breathe Strong Training

"People have differing preconceptions about 'breathing training'. For

some, the association is with clinical rehabilitative techniues that
help people to re!learn efficient, diaphragm!focussed breathing" for
others, it con#ures up associations with techniues that claim to
increase ever$thing from $our ma%imal o%$gen upta&e, to $our '(.
)nfortunatel$, *breathing+ is an area that+s become associated with a
great of deal pseudo!science, populated b$ unualified people, often
ma&ing outlandish claims. For e%ample, ' came across a website
recentl$ that provided a case stud$ of a customer who had practiced
a particular breathing techniue ,being promoted b$ the website-,
which had apparentl$ led directl$ to the customer being promoted at
wor& ,' &id $ou not-. This is the &ind of thing that gets breathing
training a bad name. But '+m here to repair the damage."
Professor Alison .c/onnell, Ph0, FA/S., FBAS1S
Author "Breathe Strong, Perform Better" About the author 2
/lic& the lin&s below for uic& access to essential training information
on this page3
'ntroduction 2
Foundation Training 2
Breathing muscle assessment 2


'ntroduction
The breathing muscles. From *Breathe Strong, Perform Better+,
4uman 5inetics
'n the conte%t of Breathe Strong, breathing training means appl$ing
scientificall$ validated principles of training theor$ to the muscles of
respiration. The research underpinning the principles espoused b$
Breathe Strong can be found in the pages of the world+s most
prestigious scientific #ournals. Furthermore, the content of
breathestrong.com has been created b$ the person who has led the
wa$ in generating this underpinning research.
So, wh$ train $our breathing muscles6 (uite simpl$, because the$
are muscles. Breathing is a process that reuires the coordinated
contraction and rela%ation of man$ muscles. 7esearch has now
shown that the wor& done b$ these muscles during e%ercise is
substantial, so their training status has a profound influence upon
e%ercise performance. There is now ample research evidence that
performance can be improved b$ increasing the strength, power and
endurance of the inspirator$ muscles through specific training.
The figure to the right shows the effect of #ust 8 wee&s of inspirator$
muscle training on the perception of breathing and whole bod$ effort
in well!trained c$clists. The c$clists also improved their c$cling time
trial performance in laborator$ simulations b$ 9.:; ,<=&m- and >.8;
,>=&m-. That+s almost < minutes faster over >=&m?
These findings have been confirmed in rowers, runners, swimmers
and repeated sprint athletes @ after inspirator$ muscle training, the$
feel that the$ are wor&ing less hard, and their performance improves.
Sir .atthew Pinsent, /B1 (uadruple Al$mpic gold medallist and ten
times world rowing champion
BAdvances in sport science &nowledge are few and far between, but
numbered amongst these rarities is the discover$ that breathing has
such a profound influence upon performance that it merits specific
training. 1ven spea&ing as someone whose lungs were alwa$s
considered in the elite range even amongst Al$mpic oarsmen, ' &now
the benefits that this training can bring. .C
,1%tract from the Foreward to *Breathe Strong, Perform Better+-

The first PAD17breatheE
4ow do we train the breathing muscles6 Some <= $ears ago, '
created an inspirator$ muscle trainer that later became &nown as
PAD17breatheE. 'n FGG>, ' coined the phrase Bdumbbell for $our
diaphragmC, which sums up nicel$ what the PAD17breathe is. B$
appl$ing the tried and trusted principles of resistance training,
research using PAD17breathe has shown that these muscles adapt
in the same wa$ as other muscles, and that after as little as > wee&s,
laborator$ time trial performance is improved.
Dh$ don+t $ou alread$ &now about breathing training6 Breathing
training is the best!&ept secret in sport, and even the most
progressive and enlightened of scientists and coaches still don+t full$
appreciate how fundamentall$ the breathing muscles contribute to
performance in sport. Aver the course of the past decade, an
important cardiovascular refle% has been discovered. The refle%
originates from the breathing muscles, and when it+s activated, it
causes blood flow to the limbs to be restricted. The refle% is activated
when the breathing muscles are forced to wor& hard during e%ercise,
but the good news is that the intensit$ of wor& reuired to activate the
refle% can be increased b$ training the inspirator$ muscles ,the
muscles used to inhale-. 'n other words, athletes can wor& harder,
and longer before the refle% causes blood flow to be directed awa$
from their limbs. The result is that inspirator$ muscle training
improves performance in a wide range of sports and e%ercise
modalities.
Dhat+s more, the role of the breathing muscles in sports movements
is even less well understood than their role in e%ercise limitation. Het
me given $ou some e%amples. 0uring the rowing stro&e, the force
generated b$ the e%tensors of the lower bod$ is transmitted to the
blade handle via the trun&. Dithout the stabilising action of the
breathing muscles ,which are also trun& stabiliser muscles-, this
lin&age would be mechanicall$ inefficient and the rower would be at a
heightened ris& of in#ur$. A second e%ample is the role of the trun&
muscles in generating a stable platform, and rotational movement
during the action of swinging a racuet, or bat. The revelation here is
that the same muscles that bring about breathing also stabilise the
core and rotate the trun&. This has profound implications for how we
should be training these muscles, which is wh$ '+ve developed a
s$stem of functional breathing training.
Breathe Strong training is underta&en in two phases @
Foundation training @ 0uring Foundation training, the foundations
of strength, power and endurance are laid. These foundations provide
performance benefits in their own right, but the outcome can be
improved still further b$ placing a functional la$er onto these
foundations
Functional training @ 0uring functional breathing training,
movement specific e%ercises are used to challenge the inspirator$
muscles in their roles as both breathing muscles and as the muscles
responsible for postural control, core stabilisation and trun& rotation.

Foundation training
Foundation training is underta&en using an inspirator$ muscle trainer
such as the PAD17breathe ,see Accessories for purchase
information-. This is $our "dumbbell" ! as is the case with an$ form of
weight training, there's a right and a wrong wa$ to lift the weight if $ou
want to en#o$ ma%imal reward for minimal effort. 'n the Foundation
phase, there are no special bod$ movements or positions, instead,
we isolate the inspirator$ muscles to ma%imise their response to
training ,later, we can integrate them into functional movements-. The
following sections guide $ou through m$ scientificall$ validated
principles for successful Foundation training.
To find out more about how to assess inspirator$ muscle function,
and to see some Freuentl$ As&ed (uestions, clic& here.
The following information is ta&en from the boo& *Breathe Strong,
Perform Better.+ 'f $ou want to &now more, then $ou can bu$ this
comprehensive guide to breathing training b$ following this lin&.
Breathing techniue
Breath Iolume ! Although muscle is a ver$ adaptable tissue, training
adaptations are also highl$ specific to the nature of the training
stimulus. Adaptations elicited b$ inspirator$ muscle training ,'.T- are
specific to a number of characteristics of the training stimulus,
including the lung volume at which training ta&es place. The practical
implication of this is that '.T should be underta&en across the widest
range of lung volumes possibleJfrom the point at which the lungs
are as empt$ as the$ can be to the point at which it is impossible to
inhale an$ more. Failure to do this will lead to suboptimal adaptation
at some lung volumes, which ma$ have a performance impact if
these lung volumes are called on during e%ercise. 'n addition, loading
too heavil$ can also compromise the breath volume that can be
achieved and the amount of wor& that can be underta&en during
training, which will also impair the training response ,see below-. This
impairment occurs because breath volume has a strong influence on
the amount of wor& done per breath, and the training load is the most
important determinant of the person+s abilit$ to inhale deepl$ ,see
figure-. Functional wea&ening of the inspirator$ muscles during
inhalation means that if the load is too high, then the inspirator$
muscles are not able to overcome the load at higher lung volumes
,where the inspirator$ muscles are wea&er-, despite ma%imal effort.
The heavier the load, the more severel$ the breath is clipped.
Breathing 7ate ! To understand the advice in this section, $ou need to
&now a little about a propert$ of muscle that is &nown as the force@
velocit$ relationship. 1ssentiall$, this propert$ dictates that the faster
a muscle contracts, the lower the force it is able to generate. Thin&
about how much less force a person can e%ert on the pedals when
c$cling in a low gear compared to a high gear.
De can e%ploit this propert$ to optimise the training stimulus that the
muscle receives. For e%ample, let+s assume that because of the
force@velocit$ properties #ust described, as the rate of muscle
contraction doubles, the strength of the muscle is halved, despite the
same ,ma%imal- effort being applied under both conditions. Dhen
muscles contract ma%imall$ at an$ speed, the number of muscle
fibres that are recruited to the contraction is also ma%imised, despite
the fact that faster contractions result in lower forces. Kow let+s loo&
at the effect of doubling the rate of contraction slightl$ differentl$.
Dhen a muscle is contracting ver$ slowl$ to move a load that
reuires half its ma%imal force!generating capacit$, doubling the rate
of contraction against the same load would reuire F== percent of the
muscle+s force!generating capacit$ ,because its abilit$ to generate
force would be halved-. This means that close to F== percent of the
muscle fibres are recruitedJfor half the force. This can be turned to
our advantage, because it means that it is possible to train at close to
F== percent of a muscle+s force!generating capacit$ no matter what
load is being applied, provided that the load is moved as fast as
possible ,i.e., with ma%imal effort-. )nder an$ given loading condition,
fast muscle contractions recruit more muscle fibres than slow
contractions. Therefore, ma%imal effort ensures ma%imum velocit$
and the recruitment of the greatest number of muscle fibres.
.uscle recruitment has an important impact on the response to
training for two reasons. First, fibres that are not recruited will not be
trained. So, if the velocit$ of contraction is slow, a load reuiring half
of a muscle+s force!generating capacit$ will onl$ reuire recruitment
,and will onl$ train- about half of its fibres. But if the same load is
overcome as fast as possible, then close to F== percent of the fibres
will be recruited and trained. Second, ma%imising recruitment is an
important part of the neural adaptation to training, which also
contributes to optimising training outcomes. Training improves
strength through two mechanisms3 stimulating muscle fibres to grow
and causing neural adaptations, which ensures the recruitment of all
available fibres within a muscle, and that all muscles that contribute
to a given movement are recruited.
For muscle fibres to be stimulated to grow ,h$pertroph$-, the$ need to
be sub#ected to mechanical stress, which reuires the application of
reasonabl$ heav$ loading. This is wh$ high!velocit$, low!load training
does not improve strength, no matter how much effort is applied at
low training loads. The practical implications of this for '.T are that
the training load must be at least moderate ,L= to M= percent of
ma%imal strength-, and the velocit$ of contraction ,inhalation rate-
must be as fast as possible.
Accordingl$, '.T should be conducted with ma%imum effort" in other
words, each inhalation should be e%ecuted as fast as possible. An
inhalation should ta&e F or < seconds and should be accompanied b$
a loud rushing sound as air is suc&ed through the valve of the training
device at high velocit$. Tr$ to ma&e this sound as loud as possible,
because this indicates high flow rates. Be aware that the heavier the
load, the slower the ma%imal flow rate that can be generated. 'n
contrast to the ma%imal nature of the inspirator$ effort, e%halation
should be passive and uiet, and it should reuire 9 or > seconds.
Because of the higher!than!normal breath volume and breathing
freuenc$, some light!headedness ma$ result from the
h$perventilation. 'f this happens, pause at the end of e%halation and
wait for the urge to breathe in again. .ore detailed guidance on
h$perventilation is provided in the upcoming sections.
Setting the Training Hoad
The most important determinants of the outcome of an$ training
regimen are the training intensit$ and freuenc$, because these
factors define the siNe of the overloading stimulus to the muscles.
'ronicall$, these are the two factors that cause people the greatest
difficult$ in terms of getting them right. The worst mista&e is not
overloading the inspirator$ muscles sufficientl$ to elicit adaptation.
But how do $ou &now what intensit$ and freuenc$ to use6
Setting the training load is actuall$ much easier than people thin&,
provided that a few underl$ing principles are understood. Firstl$, it+s
important to appreciate that the inspirator$ muscles have evolved
with an impressive abilit$ to sustain ph$sical wor& ,high endurance-,
and secondl$, that inspirator$ muscle strength is dependent on lung
volume ,the muscles are strong when the lungs are empt$, but the$
are wea& when the lungs are full-. These factors have important
implications for optimising the training regimen.
The high endurance capacit$ of the inspirator$ muscles means that
both the number of breaths ,repetitions- and the freuenc$ of training
need to be higher than one would normall$ associate with limb weight
training. For e%ample, a t$pical strength training regimen for the
biceps might involve three sets of eight arm curls, twice per wee&, but
this regimen would not provide sufficient overload for the inspirator$
muscles. 'n the foundation phase of '.T, a regimen consisting of 9=
breaths, twice dail$ is reuired in order to elicit meaningful changes in
inspirator$ muscle function for health$, active $oung people. The
uestion then arises about the load setting for these 9= breaths. The
load setting is a compromise between a number of factors, including
the fact that the inspirator$ muscles become much wea&er as we
inhale ,see figure-.
'n this figure we can see the interactions between inspirator$ muscle
strength ,blac& line-, different training loads ,>=;, L=;, 8=; and
M=; of ma%imal inspirator$ muscle strength Ocoloured linesP- and the
breath volume that can be achieved during training, as well as the
effect of fatigue ,dotted lines-. For e%ample, at >=; it is possible to
inhale to around 8=; of lung volume, whereas at M=; it is onl$
possible to inhale to around 9L; of lung volume. The dotted lines
indicate the effect of fatigue, which onl$ serves to reduce the volume
that can be inhaled further.
All this means that a load setting that was achievable at the onset of
inspiration becomes unachievable partwa$ through the breath, and
the effect becomes more e%aggerated as the inspirator$ muscles
fatigue, leading to breath clipping. 'f the loading is too heav$, this will
have three conseuences3 Ier$ few breaths can be achieved
because the load cannot be overcome after the first few efforts" the
inspirator$ muscles onl$ become trained over a small ,low- range of
lung volumes ,this is detrimental because training specificit$ limits the
benefits to these low lung volumes-" and the amount of wor&
underta&en b$ the inspirator$ muscles is compromised. Both F and <
have fairl$ obvious negative impacts on the ualit$ of the training
stimulus and the adaptations that it is able to stimulate, but the third
point is less obvious and reuires some further e%planation. The
practical repercussion of point 9 is that during heav$ loading the
amount of wor& done b$ the inspirator$ muscles is lower than during
moderate loading This means that heav$ loading actuall$ provides an
inferior training stimulus, which limits its effectiveness.
7esearch and e%perience have shown that the best load setting is
one euivalent to L= to M= percent of the inspirator$ muscle strength.
This setting provides the widest range of benefits and the greatest
level of comfort during training. But how do $ou &now what setting
this is on $our breathing muscle trainer6 't+s simpler than $ou ma$
thin& and can be achieved b$ appl$ing the tried!and!trusted Brep ma%C
principle from weight training. 'n other words, $ou find the load setting
that allows $ou to achieve the number of reps that $our training
regimen reuires. The tric& with '.T is &nowing how man$ reps
,breaths- correspond to a load of L= to M= percent" once again,
research provides the answer ! the golden number to be around 9=.
For the first training session, the best plan is to set the training load to
the lowest setting on the training device and to complete 9= breaths,
concentrating on developing good breathing techniue ,as described
previousl$-. 'f the first training session felt ver$ eas$, increase the
load on the training device b$ one setting for the second training
session of the da$. Dith each training session, continue to increase
the load until a setting is achieved that onl$ allows $ou to complete 9=
breaths ,see also the upcoming 7epetition Failure-. 7emember, the
inspirator$ phase must be e%ecuted with ma%imal effort ,inhale as
fast as possible against the load-, but the e%pirator$ phase should be
slow and rela%ed.
The breathing pattern during '.T ,fast inhalation with ma%imal
volume- can induce some diNNiness due to h$perventilation and loss
of carbon dio%ide from the blood. This is harmless for the duration of
a 9=!breath wor&out, and it also seems to lessen in severit$ as
training progresses. 'f the diNNiness does become unpleasant at an$
time, simpl$ pause at the end of the ne%t e%piration and wait for the
urge to breathe in. For ma%imal training overload, the training breaths
should be completed as uic&l$ as possible, but this has to be
balanced against the diNNiness. A tric& that can be used to overcome
the loss of carbon dio%ide is to place the training device inside a bag
that has a slit down one side ,a grocer$ bag is ideal-. Dhen $ou
e%hale and inhale from the bag ,rebreathing-, the loss of carbon
dio%ide is largel$ abolished, and diNNiness is prevented. This allows
$ou to complete the breaths rapidl$, ma%imising the training benefits.
Dhen athletes are advised to underta&e '.T twice per da$, the$ often
as& whether an even better result can be achieved b$ training three
or even four times per da$. The answer is emphaticall$ no. 7ecover$
is an important part of the training process, and the inspirator$
muscles are alread$ being sub#ected to a ver$ challenging regimen of
specific '.T twice per da$, plus the wor& of breathing during other
training. People should not be tempted to do '.T more than twice
dail$, and the$ should ensure that the two sessions are separated b$
at least 8 hours.
7epetition Failure
Although the target number of breaths is 9= ,the 9=7.-, overload can
be ma%imised b$ training be$ond this threshold as soon as the
inspirator$ muscles are able to sustain the effortJin other words, if
$ou get to 9= and feel as if $ou still have a few more breaths in $ou,
$ou should go for it ,see later for advice on progressing the load-.
4owever, most people find it difficult to determine precisel$ when the$
have reached a point where the$ cannot continue ,i.e., when the$
reach BfailureC-. As the training session progresses and fatigue sets
in, each breath becomes progressivel$ shallower than the previous
one. This is a direct result of the fact that the inspirator$ muscles are
stronger at the start of the breath than at the end ,see figure above-J
because of this, fatigue is e%pressed first at higher lung volumes, and
successive breaths are BclippedC at a lower breath volume.
1ventuall$, a point is reached where it ma$ be possible to open the
valve, but not possible to ta&e a meaningful breath. This is ver$
different from an e%ercise such as a biceps curl, where the biceps are
wea&est at the onset of the e%ercise, which means that failure is
much easier to identif$ because the rep cannot be started.
So how is repetition failure defined for '.T6 Ance it+s impossible to
achieve a Bsatisf$ing breath,C then it+s time to stop. Another tric& can
also be used to ensure that failure is achieved on ever$ training
session" once 9= breaths have been completed, the load setting on
the training device should be increased b$ half a turn with each
successive breath ,do this during the e%halation-. This rapidl$ brings
$ou to the point where the valve cannot even be openedJ#ob done
,don+t forget to return the setting to the correct load for $our ne%t
training session-.
'f $our aim is to improve $our e%ercise performance, the importance
of training to failure for optimal results cannot be overstated. 'f
training ceases before failure is achieved, then the training intensit$
has been suboptimal, and the training adaptations will be similarl$
suboptimal. As with an$ other &ind of training, those people with the
greatest commitment to achieving 9= breaths at the highest load
possibleJand who don+t loaf b$ s&ipping sessionsJalwa$s reap the
best rewards in terms of the improvements that the$ achieve. Hi&e
most things in life, $ou reap what $ou sow.
'nfluence of /oncurrent Training
'f '.T is being underta&en concurrentl$ with other training, some
variation will li&el$ be seen in the number of breaths that can be
achieved before BfailureC in the '.T sessions. This is because the
inspirator$ muscles will have different wor& histories, depending on
the demands that have been placed on them b$ the other training that
is being underta&en. Therefore, it+s perfectl$ normal for an evening
training session to involve fewer breaths to failure at a given load
than a morning session. Accordingl$, if an evening session has been
especiall$ challenging, $ou should not reduce the training load before
the ne%t session, because the inspirator$ muscles will have largel$
recovered b$ the ne%t morning. 4owever, if $ou fail to complete 9=
breaths for more than three training sessions, a small reduction in
load should be made, because this ma$ be a sign of overtraining of
the inspirator$ muscles. This &ind of overtraining leads to severel$
impaired adaptation and a ver$ poor overall result. 'f $ou suspect that
there is an$ residual fatigue of the inspirator$ muscles, ta&e a da$ off
from '.T.
4owever, underta&ing '.T immediatel$ after a whole!bod$ training
session can also be a ver$ effective method of introducing specificit$
into $our '.T. After a whole!bod$ training session, $our inspirator$
muscles will be slightl$ fatigued. 'f '.T is underta&en when the
inspirator$ muscles are in this state, those muscles that have wor&ed
hardest during the preceding whole!bod$ session will receive the
greatest training stimulus. This approach is best introduced after
about > wee&s of foundation '.T, three or four times per wee&.
Qust as whole!bod$ training can influence the abilit$ of the inspirator$
muscles to tolerate '.T, so too can '.T influence the person+s abilit$
to perform whole!bod$ training. 'ndeed, much of the evidence for an
effect of inspirator$ muscle fatigue on performance was based on
prefatiguing the inspirator$ muscles and noting a decrement in
performance. The implications of this are clear for people engaged in
concurrent training" the$ must be mindful of the interaction between
the two forms of training. Ko athlete or coach would schedule a heav$
suat session immediatel$ before a c$cle time trialJit+s not roc&et
science, #ust common sense.
Progressing Training
After training at a given load setting for a few da$s, $ou will find it
progressivel$ easier to achieve Jand then to e%ceedJthe 9=!breath
target. This is because the inspirator$ muscles begin to adapt
immediatel$ to the training stimulus b$ increasing their strength and
endurance. Therefore, to maintain the overloading stimulus, the
person must increase the load setting at least once per wee& during
the first 8 wee&s. Dithout these increases, continued adaptation will
cease.
The increase in load should be sufficient to reduce the number of
breaths that can be achieved before failure to between <L and 9=. An
most training devices, this will be about one!uarter to one!half turn
on the spring tensioner. Bringing the number of breaths down to <L is
acceptable, because within a few da$s, the ma%imum number of
breaths will be bac& up to 9=.
As a general rule, the training load should be increased b$ at least
one!uarter turn each wee& for the first 8 wee&s of training ,i.e.,
during the foundation phase-. Alternativel$, small increases can be
made as soon as the ma%imum number of breaths e%ceeds 99.
5eeping a training diar$ is a good wa$ to &eep trac& of the number of
sessions completed, the increments in training load, the number of
breaths completed, and how the session felt. /lic& here to download
a Breathe Strong trianing diar$ template. Kote that there is space for
notes about how the training felt and other activities that were
underta&en on the same da$. This facilitates cross!referencing of
circumstances that ma$ be helpful for the athlete and coach in
interpreting sudden up! or downturns in training ualit$.
Dhen foundation training has been completed, $ou can switch to
maintenance training, or training can be developed further using
Breathe Strong functional training e%ercises.
Foundation '.T 1ssentials
Set the training load to the 9=!repetition ma%imum ,9=7.- using a
process of trial and error.
'nhale against the load with ma%imum effort ,as fast as possible-.
Breathe in AK0 out as far as possible during each breath.
Train twice per da$Jmorning and evening.
7emember that repetition failure for the inspirator$ muscles is an
Binabilit$ to achieve a satisf$ing breath.C
Progress the training b$ &eeping the load at $our new 9=7. to
account for improvement ,increase the load at least once per wee&-.
Train in a window between <L and 9L breaths per session.
5eep in mind that whole!bod$ training ma$ affect '.T because of
residual fatigue, so evening '.T sessions ma$ be more challenging
than morning sessionsJbut don+t reduce $our training load.
'f $ou suspect that there is an$ residual fatigue of the inspirator$
muscles, ta&e a da$ off from '.T.
0on+t do '.T #ust before a big training session or competition.
5eep an '.T diar$.
Top Tips for optimal results
Tip F3 Place the training device in a bag so that rebreathing can
occur. This allows for fast sets with no diNNiness.
Tip <3 1nsure BfailureC b$ increasing the load b$ half a turn on each
successive breath after 9=.
Tip 93 )nload the inspirator$ muscles during training b$ leaning
forward and resting $our hands on $our &nees or a chair bac&.
Tip >3 After about > wee&s of '.T, perform $our training
immediatel$ after a whole!bod$ training session three or four times
per wee& ,to introduce specificit$-.
'f $ou found this section useful, then find out more in m$
comprehensive guide to breathing training ! *Breathe Strong, Perform
Better+. Follow this lin& to purchase.

Breathing muscle assessment
'nspirator$ muscle strength is assessed b$ measuring the ma%imal
pressure that can be generated during a ma%imal inspirator$ effort
against an occluded airwa$. This is a *gold standard+ measurement in
research, but the euipment and e%pertise necessar$ to ma&e this
measurement reliabl$ are be$ond the reach of most people. But all is
not lost, because pea& inspirator$ flow rate ,the ma%imal rate of
inhalation- is closel$ correlated with inspirator$ muscle strength. B$
measuring this flow rate, $ou can monitor improvement in $our
inspirator$ muscle performance indirectl$. The product ' recommend
for measuring pea& flow is one that was developed for assessing
people+s abilit$ to breathe in through an asthma inhaler, but it does
the #ob of measuring pea& flow ver$ well. 'f $ou multipl$ $our pea&
inspirator$ flow rate b$ F:, $ou can estimate $our inspirator$ muscle
strength ,measured in centimetres of water pressure-. For e%ample, if
$our pea& inspirator$ flow rate is M litres per second, then $our
predicted inspirator$ muscle strength is F<8 cm4<A. See m$ Training
Accessories page for purchasing information.
The PAD17breathe 5!Series inspirator$ muscle training products
also measure pea& inspirator$ flow rate, and estimate inspirator$
muscle strength automaticall$ to give $ou a Bstrength inde%C ,also in
cm4<A-. These clever training devices also use the data to
automaticall$ individualise training loads ,see
www.powerbreathe.com for further information of the 5!Series-.
T$pical values for inspirator$ muscle strength are difficult to provide,
because this inde% varies widel$ in perfectl$ health$ people of similar
age, bod$ siNe and fitness. 4owever, as a rough rule of thumb,
$oung, well!trained men and women should have inspirator$ muscle
strength in the order of FL= cm4<A and F<= cm4<A, respectivel$.
.$ research has shown that this baseline value is fairl$ meaningless,
much more important is the e%tent to which this measurement can be
increased. T$picall$, <L!>L; increases are achievable within > to 8
wee&s of commencing Foundation training.
Freuentl$ as&ed uestions 2
Bac& to the top of the page R
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"Breathe Strong Perform Better"
Based on academic research spanning two decades, this boo&
e%plains how an$one can benefit from breathing training the Breathe
Strong wa$.
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Functional Breathing Training
't's the ne%t big thing, and the missing lin& in functional training...
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The creator of Breathe Strong
Professor Alison .c/onnell, the world's leading authorit$ on
breathing muscle training, and creator of the mar&et!leading
PAD17breatheE inspirator$ muscle trainers.
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