Breathless Legs? Consider Training Your Respiration.

[Robh]

SpiroTiger Respiratory Endurance Trainer from FaCT Canada

Respiratory muscles fatigue during sports activities. This leads to a decrease in performance. Studies by Prof. U. Boutellier, sports physiologist at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and the University of Zurich, prove this in a most impressive manner. In the past, it was assumed that physical endurance and performance were primarily limited by the heart and the cardiovascular system; in part also by the muscular system. This is why it was believed that the respiratory system did not impair the functional capacity since it was assumed that it had sufficient reserves.

The targeted endurance training of the respiratory muscles, however, does substantially increase physical endurance, resulting in a relevant increase of functional capacity. This is true both for top athletes as well as popular sports.

Priorities in energy distribution (A respiratory metaboreflex that ‘steals’ blood flow from locomotor muscles.)

The functions of vital organs such as the heart, the brain and respiration are maintained by the body as its top priority. Even under maximum stress, these organs are supplied with sufficient oxygen and energy. This happens at the expense of non-vital functions: oxygen-supply to the legs and arms is reduced. The consequence is a substantial decrease in vitality and a quick build-up of hyperacidity due to H+ production. Endurance training of the respiratory muscles will remedy this problem. It reduces oxygen consumption by the breathing muscles. The oxygen supply is now available to the peripheral muscles. Legs and arms will fatigue later under stress and will produce less H+ at the same level of activity.

WHY USE THE SPIROTIGER?

There are other respiratory devices on the market but the SpiroTiger is the only one that exercises your respiratory muscles correctly. All other respiratory training devices (eg. Powerlung) are resistance training devices like a leg press apparatus whereas the SpiroTiger is like a treadmill. With the Powerlung you are able to use it for 20 - 30 breaths, and after that you will have hyperventilated, and will become dizzy if you continue. This could be compared with a high intensity session that a marathon runner might do by running 400m as an all out sprint. If a marathon runner trains like this the effect would be to change his muscle fibre ability and produce a bad marathon runner and not a good 400m runner. If the runner was genetically good for endurance distances then it would decrease the ability of his Slow Twitch Fibres to work and if he was not genetically predisposed (i.e. had higher percentage of Fast Twitch Fibres) then you could alter his muscle make-up considerably. The diaphragm is predominantly STF as the respiratory system can be classed as having an endurance role. So using a system that tends to improve the efficiency of FTF is of no benefit. The Spirotiger is an STF training device whereas the Powerlung is an FTF training device.

SpiroTiger training is the "LSD" training for the diaphragm - long slow endurance training with all the benefits of "overload" on a muscle that you normally can't work during regular training.

The SpiroTiger will train your respiratory system to increase air volume in and out of the lungs, to increase O2 intake with increased air distribution to the whole lung, as well as deep expiration with avoiding air entrapment to get rid of the CO2. Explosive and hard expiration as we see with the Powerlung never empties the lungs properly. Try it out; breathe out as hard as possible against resistance. Then relax the abdominal muscles after this hard contraction and then breathe more air out and you will feel and will be able to measure how much more is going out after the initial hard expiration.

Airflow, air speed, air pressure, air volume, proper diaphragm contraction, avoiding auxiliary activation and more will only be able to be improved and affected under control with SpiroTiger.

Design and Function

The unique endurance training device for respiratory training consists of a hand held unit with a respiratory pouch and a base station. The easy to operate monitoring electronics allow you to train safely and in a targeted manner. In case of regular training, measurable results will be achieved in a matter of a few weeks.

Effects of Spirotiger Training

* Substantial increase of endurance and performance
* Improved top performance in all phases of competition
* Improved metabolic processes
* Shortened recovery times during and after meets
* Delayed lactate production
* Considerable improvement of coordinating capabilities of the respiratory system under stress
* Energetically efficient breathing under stress
* Elimination or threshold increase of stress asthma
* Longer and therefore improved oxygen supply to the skeletal muscles, also under stress
* Complement to or partial replacement of interval training
* Additional training that is non-stressful to the heart and cardiovascular system
* Personal control of performance development

"I did a VO2Max treadmill test earlier this week on my rollerski and I found it interesting that even at my max I did not feel that I was breathing hard. I have definitely improved greatly from the Spirotiger training. In addition my training with the Spirotiger has improved my core strength."
- Chris Klebl (world class paraplegic cross-country skier)

A University of Arizona Study shows clearly that trained cyclists improved their time trial performance by 4.7% (2 minutes faster in a 45 minute Time Trial) after twenty 45 minute respiratory training sessions.

... let the "Power of the SpiroTiger" convince you.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSCXiDkf5ek[/youtube]

[Robh]

Another video showing assembly of parts (not in English).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSa1GU-VdoI[/youtube]

[Sylv]

Have you bought one yet Rob?

Why does it cost so much?

Are you going to try it on yourself?

[George]

Now thats a training product I like the look of
How much are they in England Rob?
I might be interested in getting one.

[Robh]

[quote="Sylv"]Have you bought one yet Rob?

Why does it cost so much?

Are you going to try it on yourself?

[Robh]

[quote="George"]Now thats a training product I like the look of
How much are they in England Rob?
I might be interested in getting one.

[Ian A4size]

He's never gonna get that balloon blown up if he doesn't learn to pinch the end.

[Robh]

How do I use or integrate the Spiro Tiger in my overall training.

Well first we may have to accept the fact , that the pulmonary system is as limiting for your performance , as any other system in your body. ( muscle / cardio / nerval a.s.o )
The second main barrier is, that we may have to learn to accept, that the diaphragm as a muscle , has it's limitation at least as fast , as we have accepted the fact , that the heart as a muscle has its limitation .
It seems interesting , that , if you do biceps curls and you are getting tired , the first response is, oh I am out of shape with my biceps, so I may have to get some work done here.
Now your respiratory muscles have the same ability as any other muscle , they can get weaker , as well as stronger. The diaphragm is a classical STF fiber muscle ( like your heart ) and therefore important to maintain for this type of work.
Any attempt to change a STF fiber muscle ( given by nature , CNS frequency ) into a FTF fiber muscle may fail.
The basic idea to use equipment like power lung and other forced expiration equipment talks very strongly against any training physiology we ever learned.
The key to improve the respiratory system is therefor the same as to improve your long term endurance in your legs. LSD (long slow distance. )
Now that can only be done ( long deep breathing , if we can avoid hyperventilation).
That's the benefit or the idea behind the primary usage of the Spiro Tiger.

Now once you dig somewhat deeper in the different aspects of training other body systems , you may find very fast , that you can move ideas you use succesfully in one system , and try it as well on another system , like the respiratory system.

We have identified for the moment 4 areas of possible training ideas for the respiratory system in combination with the Spiro Tiger.

1. Actual respiratory training to improve costo-abdominal ( diaphram breathing ).
Important is here first the proper instruction of the breathing technique.
Like you would teach a proper bike technique or skiing technique.
Once you have this achieved your next step again is very similar. You try not to rush too fast for "performance " but you increase intensity and duration depending on the level of control of your breathing technique.
You have to choose the right bag size , and with this bag size the proper RR ( respiratory rate or frequency ) and with this the proper duration.
Again go back to cycling.
You finally have that kid on the bike with no crash. ( Technique ) now you may have to find the optimal bike height and so on , and based on this you have to find out , how long can the kid ride the bike , before crashes will occur again and the fun , resp. the training is over.
Depending on test equipment available we have 2 different tests.
And again , we took the idea from already existing muscle testing.
a) step test as in any test.
b) lactate test as in any test with lactate to find the trend of the lactate dynamic.
Now with the words finally out, that lactate does not contribute to acidosis , we are really able to use lactate as well in finding the LBP for breathing.
Now this is the basic use of Spiro Tiger.

We added now
2. Spiro Tiger training as an intermuscular coordination training for insiration / expiration

3. We use it as discussed already in a few other points on this Forum ( research ) as a possible hypoxy/hypercapnia stimmulation in resting position.

4. Hypoxy / hypercapnia with motion as a training for possible acid buffering.

Juerg
Source :- http://www.fact-canada.com/discus/messa ... 1141082787

[Robh]

Intresting quote from Juerg :-

The respiratory system , may follow a similar trend as the cardio system, as it may feed the brain with information to maintain the proper balance.
( Dempsey's metaboreflex )

For most people breathing is not under control, we just simply breath. (I've witnessed this on my tests - Robh).

We know today , that breathing can be somewhat controlled and we did some case studies, where we could change the LBP in a short test to the other by just "manipulating" the breathing.

Problem is it is " fatiguing" if not trained properly.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Rob,
Ever since my LBP test, I have concentrated on my breathing (although only when riding ) and to start with, could accurately ride at a steady 120 bpm. Now several weeks in, I am riding at a steady 140bpm and when climbing have reached 155bpm before getting distressed and it all going pear shaped.

Would be interested to try another ramp test when in a better state than last time.

Guru P