High intensity respiratory muscle training most effective in healthy people
Three pages on PainSci cite Enright 2011: 1. The Art of Bioenergetic Breathing 2. The Respiration Connection 3. When To Worry About Shortness of Breath … and When Not To
PainSci notes on Enright 2011:
Since we know that inspiratory muscle training can improve inspiratory muscle function, lung volume, lung capacity, and work capacity, what level of intensity will “do the trick”? This was a randomized and controlled trial — good science stuff — with three groups, each group training at a different level. The results suggest that high intensity is better than low intensity: “High-intensity IMT set at 80% of maximal effort resulted in increased MIP and SMIP, lung volumes, work capacity, and power output in individuals who were healthy, whereas IMT at 60% of maximal effort increased work capacity and power output only. Inspiratory muscle training intensities lower than 40% of maximal effort do not translate into quantitative functional outcomes.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been shown to improve inspiratory muscle function, lung volumes (vital capacity [VC] and total lung capacity [TLC]), work capacity, and power output in people who are healthy; however no data exist that demonstrate the effect of varying intensities of IMT to produce these outcomes.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of IMT at varying intensities on inspiratory muscle function, VC, TLC, work capacity, and power output in people who are healthy. Design This was a randomized controlled trial.
SETTING: The study was conducted in a clinical laboratory.
PARTICIPANTS: Forty people who were healthy (mean age=21.7 years) were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 10 individuals.
INTERVENTIONS: Three of the groups completed an 8-week program of IMT set at 80%, 60%, and 40% of sustained maximum inspiratory effort. Training was performed 3 days per week, with 24 hours separating training sessions. A control group did not participate in any form of training. Measurements Baseline and posttraining measurements of body composition, VC, TLC, inspiratory muscle function (including maximum inspiratory pressure [MIP] and sustained maximum inspiratory pressure [SMIP]), work capacity (minutes of exercise), and power output were obtained.
RESULTS: The participants in the 80%, 60%, and 40% training groups demonstrated significant increases in MIP and SMIP, whereas those in the 80% and 60% training groups had increased work capacity and power output. Only the 80% group improved their VC and TLC. The control group demonstrated no change in any outcome measures.
LIMITATIONS: This study may have been underpowered to demonstrate improved work capacity and power output in individuals who trained at 40% of sustained maximum inspiratory effort.
CONCLUSION: High-intensity IMT set at 80% of maximal effort resulted in increased MIP and SMIP, lung volumes, work capacity, and power output in individuals who were healthy, whereas IMT at 60% of maximal effort increased work capacity and power output only. Inspiratory muscle training intensities lower than 40% of maximal effort do not translate into quantitative functional outcomes.
related content
- “Effects of High-Intensity Inspiratory Muscle Training Following a Near-Fatal Gunshot Wound,” Hill et al, Physical Therapy, 2011.
- “Inspiratory muscle training: integrative review,” Padula et al, Research & Theory For Nursing Practice, 2006.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Classical Conditioning Fails to Elicit Allodynia in an Experimental Study with Healthy Humans. Madden 2017 Pain Med.
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.
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- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.