Anyobdy tried the Powerbreathe?



I've used it and I'm still not convinced. If you try to do the "breathing workout" after a tough training day, it's harder to get the 30 reps (even if you could do it the previous day). To me this suggests that the diaphragm (and related muscles) does get fatigued. Whether or not the Powerbreathe helps strengthen those muscles and increase the endurance for that muscle, I can’t say. I would suggest that biking would improve your diaphragm endurance (i.e. you breath hard when you need to) so it’s a natural form of training.



To my knowledge, there’s only been one scientific study of the Powerbreathe and it showed no significant improvement for a test group using the Powerbreathe (Hart N, Sylvester K, Ward S, Cramer D, Moxham J, Polkey MI., “Evaluation of an inspiratory muscle trainer in healthy humans.” Respir Med. 2001 Jun;95(6):526-31.) They did show you can improve the max pressure you can hold. I don’t think that should have any influence on cycling or other endurance activities though. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest anyone get one of these unless you can get one free and you just want to play with it. Don’t put much stock in what it’ll do for you.
 
I've seen seniors use stuff like this because they have breathing problems...weak lungs and stuff. The resistance you face when you breathe in is supposed to help strengthen the muscles. My grandfather used something like this...ultimately the cancer still won though.
 
I use Powerbreathe every day, and have been using it for 1 - 1½ years now, I think.

I have exercise induced astma, and I really feel that my breathing have improved.
The thing is: I do not know if I would recommend it for everybody - I simply do not know if it has helped my astma - or my breathing in general.

One thing is for sure - the benefits are small - do not expect this product to turn you into a world class pro overnight.
 
Thanks guy's ive been looking at these miracle cures and now i just have to go back to the drawing board:rolleyes:
I find when climbing short steep sections( crosscountry) i sometimes don't breath correctlly and then for 15 min or so it feels as if i can't get the air to the bottem of my lungs,take a full breath.Stopping and resting and watching my fellow cyclists disapearing around the next climb is a crappy option.
Any miracle other cures out there.:cool:
 
Sounds like you have a low VO2 max. You need to work on VO2 intervals
 
HowardSteele said:
Thanks guy's ive been looking at these miracle cures and now i just have to go back to the drawing board:rolleyes:
I find when climbing short steep sections( crosscountry) i sometimes don't breath correctlly and then for 15 min or so it feels as if i can't get the air to the bottem of my lungs,take a full breath.Stopping and resting and watching my fellow cyclists disapearing around the next climb is a crappy option.
Any miracle other cures out there.:cool:
Click to expand...
Yes, patience and hard work followed by good rest. But most important is patience. If you're a beginner you need to pay your dues first. BTW, this forum is better than any drawing board. :)
 
Piotr said:
Yes, patience and hard work followed by good rest. But most important is patience. If you're a beginner you need to pay your dues first. BTW, this forum is better than any drawing board. :)

Man at times i feel like a beginner again, we have this weird stamina-sapping virus going around at the moment. Symtoms are burning ache in shoulders/going up the neck, headaches and cold sweats, and nausea and diaharea in some cases.Somedays i can power up the climbs and some days i feel like I’ve been invaded by the body snatchers.

I’ve Had it for close on two months now on and off.
Someone compared it to the Epstein bar virus he has.:eek:
Click to expand...
 
during an interview with an actor (he played a role on the early law and order series [cant remember the name]), he talked about having asthma. I remember this because I had allergies and was thought to be at a risk for asthma... he gave a demonstration of how he beat the problem. He would breathe through his fist (depending on how you clench while breathing through it you can change the difficulty). I tried this and it helped me. Would I have become asthmatic w/o doing the exercise? don't know... but I wouldn't buy this because I can do duplicate what the device does...

I just looked it up... the actor was Paul Sorvino...
 
I know a dude who would do exactly the opposite: do hard intervals while holding his breath as long as he could. Something about training the system to use the least oxygen possible. I don't think it worked for him. There's a theory for everything, and everyone has their own gimmick. I say if it works for you, more power to you. I'm just going to stick to hard training.
 
I have the Power Lung and used it for quite awhile during running.

I did notice a difference. Getting in those 'deep breathes' was much easier. Was easier to control breathing too. I still use my as part of my daily workout.
 
However I will say this: Doing intervals in 10 degree weather with a heavy mask over my face this winter had the added benefit of helping me learn to take forceful, deep breaths during hard efforts. I've noticed that I keep my wits about me better if I breathe deeply like that, which makes it worth doing for me.
 
When I'm struggling, eg: doing a long hard climb, I concentrate on exhaling as much as possible...inhaling takes care of itself, believe me....

Apparently, exhaling as much as possible leaves more volume in the lungs for more Oxygen when inhaling??

I'm no expert but it seems to work for me
;)
 
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