Effects of breathing exercises on young swimmers’ respiratory system parameters and performance
Abstract
Breathing exercises are widely used to enhance respiratory function and athletic performance. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a modified exercise regimen on respiratory parameters and its effect on the performance of young swimmers in competition. Thirty-one swimmers aged 16–17 from various clubs in Latvia were selected, comprising an experimental group (n = 15, height: 174.36 ± 7.85 cm, weight: 65.80 ± 9.35 kg, body mass index: 21.60 ± 1.54) and a control group (n = 16, height: 180.78 ± 7.05 cm, weight: 69.90 ± 6.49 kg, body mass index: 21.40 ± 1.56). With an average of eight years of experience, participants trained for approximately 43–45 weeks annually (pool and gym sessions), with an average training duration of 20 ± 2 hours per week. Measurements were conducted on days one and 30, involving spirometry and swimming performance assessment based on the best results in the freestyle 100-meter distance. The experiment consisted of a modified breathing exercise performed thrice weekly for four weeks. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental group compared to the control group in forced vital capacity (p = 0.02), peak inspiratory flow (p = 0.001), and performance (p = 0.001), with p-values < 0.05. However, no significant changes were noted in peak expiratory flow (p = 0.46 > 0.05). The findings indicate that modified breathing exercises effectively enhance respiratory parameters and performance in competitive swimmers.
References
1. Ribeiro PAB, Boidin M, Juneau M, et al. High-intensity interval training in patients with coronary heart disease: Prescription models and perspectives. Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2017; 60(1): 50–57. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2016.04.004
2. Solovjova J, Boobani B, Grants J, et al. Effect of different sports on young athlete’s posture swimmers and cyclists. Arch Budo Sci Martial Art Extreme Sport. 2023; 19: 141–149.
3. Vennell R, Pease D, Wilson B. Wave drag on human swimmers. Journal of Biomechanics. 2006; 39(4): 664–671. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2005.01.023
4. Marinho DA, Barbosa TM, Neiva HP, et al. Comparison of the start, turn and finish performance of elite swimmers in 100 m and 200 m races. J Sports Sci Med. 2020; 19: 397–407.
5. Morais JE, Marinho DA, Arellano R, et al. Start and turn performances of elite sprinters at the 2016 European Championships in swimming. Sports Biomechanics. 2018; 18(1): 100–114. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2018.1435713
6. Veiga S, Roig A, Gómez‐Ruano MA. Do faster swimmers spend longer underwater than slower swimmers at World Championships? European Journal of Sport Science. 2016; 16(8): 919–926. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2016.1153727
7. Veiga S, Roig A. Effect of the starting and turning performances on the subsequent swimming parameters of elite swimmers. Sports Biomechanics. 2016; 16(1): 34–44. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2016.1179782
8. Veiga S, Cala A, G. Frutos P, Navarro E. Comparison of starts and turns of national and regional level swimmers by individualized-distance measurements. Sports Biomechanics. 2014; 13(3): 285–295. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2014.910265
9. Veiga S, Pla R, Qiu X, et al. Effects of Extended Underwater Sections on the Physiological and Biomechanical Parameters of Competitive Swimmers. Frontiers in Physiology. 2022; 13. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.815766
10. Wells GD, Plyley M, Thomas S, et al. Effects of concurrent inspiratory and expiratory muscle training on respiratory and exercise performance in competitive swimmers. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2005; 94(5–6): 527–540. doi: 10.1007/s00421-005-1375-7
11. McCabe CB, Sanders RH, Psycharakis SG. Upper limb kinematic differences between breathing and non-breathing conditions in front crawl sprint swimming. Journal of Biomechanics. 2015; 48(15): 3995–4001. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.09.012
12. Downey AE, Chenoweth LM, Townsend DK, et al. Effects of inspiratory muscle training on exercise responses in normoxia and hypoxia. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. 2007; 156(2): 137–146. doi: 10.1016/j.resp.2006.08.006
13. Romer LM, McConnell AK, Jones DA. Effects of inspiratory muscle training on time-trial performance in trained cyclists. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2002; 20(7): 547–590. doi: 10.1080/026404102760000053
14. Romer LM, Polkey MI. Exercise-induced respiratory muscle fatigue: implications for performance. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2008; 104(3): 879–888. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01157.2007
15. Volianitis S, Mcconnell AK, Koutedakis Y, et al. Inspiratory muscle training improves rowing performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Published online May 2001; 803–809. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200105000-00020
16. Gibson Alves TG, Sierra APR, Moraes Ferreira R, et al. Acute Effects of Marathon Running on Lung Function, Lung Mechanics, and Inflammation. European Journal of Sport Sciences. 2022; 1(6): 13–18. doi: 10.24018/ejsport.2022.1.6.40
17. Lorca-Santiago J, Jiménez SL, Pareja-Galeano H, et al. Inspiratory Muscle Training in Intermittent Sports Modalities: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(12): 4448. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17124448
18. Katayama K, Iwamoto E, Ishida K, et al. Inspiratory muscle fatigue increases sympathetic vasomotor outflow and blood pressure during submaximal exercise. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 2012; 302(10): R1167–R1175. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00006.2012
19. Oliveira MF, Caputo F, Dekerle J, et al. Stroking Parameters during Continuous and Intermittent Exercise in Regional-Level Competitive Swimmers. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2012; 33(09): 696–701. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1298003
20. Brown S, Kilding AE. Exercise-Induced Inspiratory Muscle Fatigue During Swimming: The Effect of Race Distance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2011; 25(5): 1204–1209. doi: 10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181d67ab8
21. Kilding AE, Brown S, McConnell AK. Inspiratory muscle training improves 100 and 200 m swimming performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2009; 108(3): 505–511. doi: 10.1007/s00421-009-1228-x
22. Lemaitre F, Coquart JB, Chavallard F, et al. Effect of additional respiratory muscle endurance training in young well-trained swimmers. J Sports Sci Med. 2013, 12 (4): 630–638.
23. Klusiewicz A, Starczewski M, Sadowska D, et al. Effect of high and low-resistance inspiratory muscle training on physiological response to exercise in cross-country skiers. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2019; 59(7). doi: 10.23736/s0022-4707.18.09120-x
24. Fernández-Lázaro D, Corchete LA, García JF, et al. Effects on Respiratory Pressures, Spirometry Biomarkers, and Sports Performance after Inspiratory Muscle Training in a Physically Active Population by Powerbreath®: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Biology. 2022; 12(1): 56. doi: 10.3390/biology12010056
25. Sheel AW. Respiratory Muscle Training in Healthy Individuals. Sports Medicine. 2002; 32(9): 567–581. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200232090-00003
26. Jakubovskis G, Zuša A, Solovjova J. Relationship between respiratory systems’ parameters and result in swimming. LASE Journal of Sport Science. 2022, 123 (1): 33–42. doi: 10.2478/ljss-2018-0055
27. Hakked CS, Balakrishnan R, Krishnamurthy MN. Yogic breathing practices improve lung functions of competitive young swimmers. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 2017; 8(2): 99–104. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2016.12.005
28. Solovjova J. Swimming (Latvian). Rīga: Latvijas Sporta federāciju padome. 2017; 36–43.
29. Worldwide swimming rankings. Available online: www.swimrankings.net (accessed on 14 June 2024).
30. World Aquatics. Available online: https://www.worldaquatics.com/swimming/points (accessed on 14 June 2024).
31. Kibble JD, Halsey CR. Medical Physiology: The Big Picture. The McGraw-Hill Medical. 2009; 435.
32. Lindholm P, Wylegala J, Pendergast DR, Lundgren CEG. Resistive respiratory muscle training improves and maintains endurance swimming performance in divers. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2007; 34 (3).
33. Zauner CW, Benson NY. Physiological alterations in young swimmers during three years of intensive training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1981;21: 179–85.
34. Kesavachandran C, Nair HR, Shashidhar S. Lung volumes in swimmers performing different styles of swimming. Indian J Med Sci. 2001; 55: 669–76.
35. Ganong WF. Pulmonary function review of medical physiology,21st ed. Boston: McGraw Hill; 2003.pp. 649–66.
36. Boutellier U, Piwko P. The respiratory system as an exercise limiting factor in normal sedentary subjects. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology. 1992; 64(2): 145–152. doi: 10.1007/bf00717952
37. Kilding AE, Brown S, McConnell AK. Inspiratory muscle training improves 100 and 200 m swimming performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2009; 108(3): 505–511. doi: 10.1007/s00421-009-1228-x
38. Mickleborough TD, Stager JM, Chatham K, et al. Pulmonary adaptations to swim and inspiratory muscle training. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2008; 103(6): 635–646. doi: 10.1007/s00421-008-0759-x
39. Clanton TL, Dixon GF, Drake J, et al. Effects of swim training on lung volumes and inspiratory muscle conditioning. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1987; 62(1): 39–46. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1987.62.1.39
40. Karsten M, Ribeiro GS, Esquivel MS, et al. The effects of inspiratory muscle training with linear workload devices on the sports performance and cardiopulmonary function of athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2018; 34: 92-104. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2018.09.004
41. Lakhera SC, Mathew L, Rastogi SK, Sen Gupta J. Pulmonary function of Indian athletes and sportsmen: comparison with American athletes. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1984;28 (3): 187–194.
42. Sonetti DA, Wetter TJ, Pegelow DF, Dempsey JA. Effects of respiratory muscle training versus placebo on endurance exercise performance. Respir Physiol. 2001;127 (2-3): 185–199. doi:10.1016/s0034-5687(01)00250-x.
43. Markov G, Spengler CM, Knöpfli-Lenzin C, et al. Respiratory muscle training increases cycling endurance without affecting cardiovascular responses to exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2001; 85(3-4): 233–239. doi: 10.1007/s004210100450
Copyright (c) 2024 Germans Jakubovskis, Anna Zuša, Jelena Solovjova, Behnam Boobani, Tatjana Glaskova-Kuzmina, Juris Grants, Janis Žīdens
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright on all articles published in this journal is retained by the author(s), while the author(s) grant the publisher as the original publisher to publish the article.
Articles published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which means they can be shared, adapted and distributed provided that the original published version is cited.
Submit a Paper
