Breathing is usually not restrictive during exercise in healthy people. Yet many athletes appear to experience respiratory complaints, without there being a medical cause. This is often due to incorrect breathing technique. That is, too fast, shallow breathing in which you breathe relatively little air per breath. Such a breathing pattern costs more energy and increases the risk of fatigue of the respiratory muscles.

Perceived Rate of Exertion

Research by Nicolo et al. (2016) shows that there is a direct relationship between the level of your breathing frequency and how you feel about the intensity of the effort. This means that at the same intensity, an effort feels heavier if you breathe faster with little air per breath than the other way around. A consequence of this may be that you unconsciously perform your interval training too ‘easy’, because you have the feeling that you are already working very intensively. ‘Physiologically’ there is actually more to it than comes out during training sessions and competitions.

Respiratory muscle training

Respiratory muscle training can help you improve your breathing technique while strengthening your respiratory muscles. During the training you breathe into a device against resistance, which forces you to breathe with the correct technique. There are training devices such as the Powerbreathe K5, which you can connect to the PC and give you feedback per breath. This is an effective way to learn the correct technique at the beginning of your breathwork exercises.

Training sessions consist of 30 breaths. This will cost you about 2 to 3 minutes per workout. In the build-up phase, you are supposed to do a workout 2x a day and 5 days a week. If you have built up enough strength, you can maintain it with 3 workouts per week.

Respiratory muscle training: guidance

There are various respiratory muscle trainers on the market, ranging in price from €78 to €845. See www.trainjelongen.nl for different types of Powerbreathe devices. Since only the most expensive version (K5) has the feedback function, we have a number available that you can rent as part of a coaching process.

This guidance consists of:

• Session 1: A maximum respiratory muscle strength test to determine the training values ​​and a first training under supervision.
• The rental of the K5 Powerbreathe for 5 weeks.
• Weekly feedback on the workouts performed and adjustments to the schedule.
• Session 2: After 5 weeks a 2nd test to map the result of the respiratory muscle training. And a measurement of breathing during running or cycling in order to functionally evaluate the effects of respiratory muscle training (provided a VO2max Test has recently been performed).

The costs, including 5 weeks rental of the K5 Powerbreathe, are €195.

Interested?

Mail for questions or to make an appointment to info@contest.nl.