Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review

Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) has become an alternative approach to boost athletic performance by improving respiratory function and delaying inspiratory muscle fatigue. The objective of the present study is to synthesise recent works on the benefits of RMT regarding muscle strength, respiratory...

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Main Authors: Thiagarajan Subramanian, Manu Goyal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
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Online Access:https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20433/76089_CE[Ra1]_QC(RD)_F(SHU)_PF1(RI_OM)_PF1_redo(RI_SL)_PFA(SS)_PN(IS).pdf
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author Thiagarajan Subramanian
Manu Goyal
author_facet Thiagarajan Subramanian
Manu Goyal
author_sort Thiagarajan Subramanian
collection DOAJ
description Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) has become an alternative approach to boost athletic performance by improving respiratory function and delaying inspiratory muscle fatigue. The objective of the present study is to synthesise recent works on the benefits of RMT regarding muscle strength, respiratory system function and exercise performance in athletes and healthy individuals. The reviewed studies suggest that RMT can significantly increase pulmonary function parameters; however, the impact of RMT on these parameters remains inconsistent across studies. Regarding exercise performance, RMT has been shown to improve endurance, as evidenced by increased time to exhaustion, VO2 max, Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) and postural control in some studies. This author aimed to analyse the different studies on respiratory training with the aforementioned outcomes. A thorough search of studies were conducted using various databases. The review included studies published in English, which were peer-reviewed and focused on RMT interventions in sports players. The following keywords were used as search strategies: RMT, Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT), pulmonary function, Maximum Inspiratory Pressure (MIP), Maximum Expiratory Pressure (MEP), exercise performance, VO2 max and endurance training. All 10 studies were extracted based on their research design, including randomised controlled trials, pre-post experimental studies, randomised sham-controlled trials and randomised group factorial designs and were synthesised and analysed qualitatively. The activation of the metaboreflex mechanism and improved blood flow distribution to working muscles during exercise are proposed as potential underlying mechanisms for these performance benefits. However, the additive effects of RMT when combined with regular strength and endurance training remain debatable. The present analysis identified a suitable metric that could substantiate the evidence supporting the enhancement of athletic performance through RMT.
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spelling doaj-art-7c20fb4ef0d049d0aab03abc1d0b5d9d2025-01-07T12:20:51ZengJCDR Research and Publications Private LimitedJournal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research2249-782X0973-709X2025-01-011901010410.7860/JCDR/2025/76089.20433Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative ReviewThiagarajan Subramanian0Manu Goyal1Research Scholar, MMIPR, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India.Professor, MMIPR, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India.Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT) has become an alternative approach to boost athletic performance by improving respiratory function and delaying inspiratory muscle fatigue. The objective of the present study is to synthesise recent works on the benefits of RMT regarding muscle strength, respiratory system function and exercise performance in athletes and healthy individuals. The reviewed studies suggest that RMT can significantly increase pulmonary function parameters; however, the impact of RMT on these parameters remains inconsistent across studies. Regarding exercise performance, RMT has been shown to improve endurance, as evidenced by increased time to exhaustion, VO2 max, Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) and postural control in some studies. This author aimed to analyse the different studies on respiratory training with the aforementioned outcomes. A thorough search of studies were conducted using various databases. The review included studies published in English, which were peer-reviewed and focused on RMT interventions in sports players. The following keywords were used as search strategies: RMT, Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT), pulmonary function, Maximum Inspiratory Pressure (MIP), Maximum Expiratory Pressure (MEP), exercise performance, VO2 max and endurance training. All 10 studies were extracted based on their research design, including randomised controlled trials, pre-post experimental studies, randomised sham-controlled trials and randomised group factorial designs and were synthesised and analysed qualitatively. The activation of the metaboreflex mechanism and improved blood flow distribution to working muscles during exercise are proposed as potential underlying mechanisms for these performance benefits. However, the additive effects of RMT when combined with regular strength and endurance training remain debatable. The present analysis identified a suitable metric that could substantiate the evidence supporting the enhancement of athletic performance through RMT.https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20433/76089_CE[Ra1]_QC(RD)_F(SHU)_PF1(RI_OM)_PF1_redo(RI_SL)_PFA(SS)_PN(IS).pdfassistive devicesinspiratory capacityinspiratory muscle fatiguesports performance
spellingShingle Thiagarajan Subramanian
Manu Goyal
Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
assistive devices
inspiratory capacity
inspiratory muscle fatigue
sports performance
title Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
title_full Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
title_fullStr Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
title_full_unstemmed Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
title_short Respiratory Muscle Strength Training for Athletes: A Narrative Review
title_sort respiratory muscle strength training for athletes a narrative review
topic assistive devices
inspiratory capacity
inspiratory muscle fatigue
sports performance
url https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/20433/76089_CE[Ra1]_QC(RD)_F(SHU)_PF1(RI_OM)_PF1_redo(RI_SL)_PFA(SS)_PN(IS).pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT thiagarajansubramanian respiratorymusclestrengthtrainingforathletesanarrativereview
AT manugoyal respiratorymusclestrengthtrainingforathletesanarrativereview