Building up lung strength / capacity

[Nemrod]

You can always use this while you're working out.



Disclaimer: I have no interest in this product, nor have I ever used it; a number of athletes in my gym have used with some success.

Is it Nitrox certified?

See, thing is, you do not suck air into your lungs. The atmosphere at sea level is 14.7 psi and when your diaphragm moves down the gas bags (your lungs) inflate as the atmospheric column over your head that extends to outer space forces the air in to fill the evacuated space.

Jet engines do not suck air in, though it may appear that way, the atmosphere (and forward speed) forces air into the inlet. Your lungs are no different, except for the dubious thought of putting an air scoop on the nostrils of competitive cyclist, ram effect has no place in this but, Venturi effect in a well designed regulator does force air into your lungs. So yes, there can be a ram air effect. I tune my double hose regs to shove the air at me at depth. Once I initiate the flow over coming the cracking force (about .4 on my Phoenix PRAM-HPR) the strong Venturi effect takes over and essentially inflates my lungs, no other effort needed on my part.

A low cracking effort and a low exhalation resistance and a strong and well modulated Venturi are critical aspects of low WOB and a well designed regulator mechanism.

As an aside, single hose regulators do have flow vanes, or Venturi design but it is weak compared to a double hose regulator. It does not need to be so powerful because it is right at your mouth. A double hose must supply the air demand through hoses from a remote source way back on your back and usually at a slightly less ambient than your air inlet (your mouth). Thus they are designed to have strong Venturi effect. Do NOT stick your lips on to the horn of a double hose regulator with no hoses and mouthpiece and a relief, as a I warned a fellow recently, unless you want your inside on your outside. The flow can be powerful and forceful and on a single stage double hose, that is tank pressure coming at you. Yes, Victoria, double hose regulators, well designed ones, can be tuned to shove the air at you once the initial cracking effort is overcome.

N

 

[Michael Guerrero]

As was posted above, this is a bad idea. It will likely increase your CO2 retention, which is dangerous. I would suggest you read up on breathing resistance and CO2 retention, as well as the additive affects w/ narcosis.

One of the benefits of Helium in breathing gas is its low density relative to nitrogen.

Since you're already in good physical fitness, I would think you'd want to focus on your breathing. Slow, deep diaphragm breathing. You may want to look into some breathing exercises.

 

[uncfnp]

Add yoga to your routine.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Oms2LFP4yAo&desktop_uri=/watch?v=Oms2LFP4yAo

 

[vincent54]

Add yoga to your routine.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Oms2LFP4yAo&desktop_uri=/watch?v=Oms2LFP4yAo

It helps your golf game as well. Cheers

 

[tracydr]

So I'm a bit of a fitness freak although I'm nowhere near ironman level but I was wondering whether setting the 2nd stage to the lowest setting (greatest effort required) would be a good way to give my lungs a workout assuming that I'm not task loaded underwater. It's probably not conclusive but I seem to be getting better mileage per tank now that I've found a new love for running plus I still work out with weights before going onto the treadmill for anything from 3 to 10km each time so perhaps I can continue this 'lung training' thing on dives as well?

Your lungs are not a muscle and you can't work them out. The only thing you might do by increasing work of breathing is to possibly cause pulmonary edema. Not a good thing to have when diving!
yoga is great for improving your breathing,especially if you don't know how to breath with your diaphragm. Many people are terrible breathers. It amazes me,as a doctor,how few people know how to "take a deep breath".

 

[spectrum]

Just to clarify my point of singing in post 5. The intent is not to build "strong lungs that can duel with a stingy regulator.

The point is to give the diver the ability to naturally manage air movement, not simply pump it in and out randomly but with some level of control. It's also an enabler of pinpoint buoyancy control. It's not about breathing in a prescribed way, fitness and relaxation will let it all evolve.

Pete

 

[FinnMom]

Swimming is great, esp. underwater rugby. It's a fast-paced 3D game that's incredibly fun to play and will definetly build up your lung strength/capacity.

 

[Progen]

Actually, I do / can sing as in I understand the basics of using the diaphragm and stuff since vocal techniques and related stuff were part of the audio engineer curriculum). I used to do some biking but not where I am now since the drivers here are nuts ie. selfish and ignorant. Most roads are not properly designed and maintained too with road shoulders / emergency lanes disappearing, covered by grass or exposed gravel which is not where someone on a road bike kitted out with mild time trial aspirations wants to go onto.

My initial question wasn't about increasing bottom time or reducing air consumption actually. Was more like since the running and working out helped in diving, would breathing under heavier resistance, as in a higher vs. lower setting, help the running as in perhaps having stronger lungs that can force more stale air out per breath?

 

[TSandM]

Again, I make the point that normal breathing is not something for which you need strength. The airway is designed with very low resistance. The maximal volume of air you can move during a minute is much more related to the physics of the very tiny airways, which, with sufficient exhalation effort, begin to collapse and trap air. So, in a sense, improving your ability to force exhalation may be counterproductive.

You cannot train your lungs; they are not muscles and don't "do" anything. They are in essence a huge diffusion surface. You improve things by training your muscles so that they do less work to produce the same result, and then you don't need as much O2 and don't generate as much CO2, so you don't have to move as much gas through your lungs.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Actually, I do / can sing as in I understand the basics of using the diaphragm and stuff since vocal techniques and related stuff were part of the audio engineer curriculum). I used to do some biking but not where I am now since the drivers here are nuts ie. selfish and ignorant. Most roads are not properly designed and maintained too with road shoulders / emergency lanes disappearing, covered by grass or exposed gravel which is not where someone on a road bike kitted out with mild time trial aspirations wants to go onto.

My initial question wasn't about increasing bottom time or reducing air consumption actually. Was more like since the running and working out helped in diving, would breathing under heavier resistance, as in a higher vs. lower setting, help the running as in perhaps having stronger lungs that can force more stale air out per breath?

Asking if you can improve your breathing underwater by increasing work of breathing on your regulator is kind of like asking if you can improve your sex life by repeatedly kicking yourself in the nuts. All you'll really accomplish (maybe) is conditioning your body to tolerate something that's really uncomfortable and potentially hazardous to your health.

CO2 is not your friend underwater ... and all you're really going to accomplish is to increase the buildup of CO2 in your body ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)