techniques to improve breathing

[ajtoady]

I am looking to improve my all around breathing capabilities both under and above water. I was a moderate smoker, yes I know it was bad, on and off for a few years. I no longer smoke but would like to know what exercises, if any, are beneficial to help improve lung function. I do not have ready access to a gym or sports complex so basically simple exercises or activities is best. I also have seen some devices on Ebay that claim to improve breathing, any comments?

 

[CT Sean]

Have you tried the "in, out, repeat" method? - It works great for me

But seriously, any activity that gets your heart rate up will improve your respiratory system as well. Simply going for a "brisk" walk will do (a fancy way to say walk fast) Your location looks pretty nice and rural on Google Maps, it should be easy to walk a handful of miles on a regular basis.

 

[Bedros A]

I think cardiovascular exercises would help in this matter. Even if you do not have access to a gym or any sports complex, you can go running/jogging or walking on the roads.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

My techniques are simple and result in a good SAC (.4) for me despite being old, big and only in fair shape.
1) Move less, most divers try to cover too much area too fast.
2) Don't use your hands to swim at all.
3) Make sure your trim is pretty close to horizontal so you are not fighting gravity.
4) Breath slow and deep rather than shallow and fast - but don't force it.
5) Chill out, get your mind in a relaxed state before you splash
6) Cardio 3x a week at the gym for an hour plus (moderate intensity, long time)

 

[WVMike]

I also have seen some devices on Ebay that claim to improve breathing, any comments?

I tried a power breathing device several years ago and did not see any improvement. I agree with "Grumpy" and the other posters on their comments.

I do cardio several times a week and alternate between moderate and high intensity. I also climb stairs at a moderate pace almost everyday. I work in a seven story building and do not use the elevator. My SAC rate is also around .4.

 

[dkktsunami]

Try a more relaxed breathing style concentrating on filling the lower lobes of lungs first, then upper lobes. Breathe slowly, but establish a pattern, breathing in to a certain count such as 6 seconds, and then out to a longer count, for example 8 seconds. This can be done while lying down, swimming, jogging, etc but the timing will vary with the activity. I am not an athlete nor am I particularly good at breath hold but, if relaxed and lying down, I can slow my rate of breathing to one or two times per minute (not suggesting this for scuba, just the couch). This is the type of exercise that would be used for yoga or meditation but is very useful for scuba and should lead to a more relaxed dive with much better air consumption.

 

[nitrophila]

Totally agree: cardio and relaxation exercises are the key, and both can be done for free without much equipment!

A few years ago I was actually in a very similar position and started doing more and more cardio exercise, starting with walking, then running and cycling: building from a low base up to a high level of cardio fitness. Over a few months I saw my resting heart rate drop considerably, and also the amount of work I could do for a given heart rate (for example, how fast I could cycle on the flat) rise significantly as well. Along with this, I noticed my air consumption while diving went down - that wasn't my goal, but it kind of makes sense.

In terms of the exercises I would recommend:
- Starting with walking
- Cycling as the main source of exercise if you can get hold of a bike: much lower impact than running and very good for cardio fitness, and of course gets you to beautiful places faster!
- Swimming: Requires a pool but great cardio and again is low impact.
- Running: very good for fitness but high-impact.

In general the thinking on training for fitness in the last few years has focused on training for long periods at low intensity and (once you have built endurance this way) occasional short periods of high intensity. But I never worried about this until I started getting into training plans.

They're not for everyone but I would also recommend use of a heart rate monitor - you can get these real cheap now on Amazon and the like. I found having a rough idea of my heart zones was a good way of avoiding pushing too hard, and also seeing how I improved over time.

Suzie / nitrophila

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

In the early days when I was sucking air like no tomorrow and had to be the first to go up, I use to set the breathing resistance on the regulator to slightly high resistance so when one hyperventilates, at least one is not sucking up so much air.

I also tried the tongue in the mouthpiece method, so when air gets sucked in, it doesn't rush in so fast.

 

[lowviz]

In the early days when I was sucking air like no tomorrow and had to be the first to go up, I use to set the breathing resistance on the regulator to slightly high resistance .............

That won't help. Don't increase the "work of breathing".

I am looking to improve my all around breathing capabilities both under and above water. I was a moderate smoker, yes I know it was bad, on and off for a few years. I no longer smoke but would like to know what exercises, if any, are beneficial to help improve lung function. I do not have ready access to a gym or sports complex so basically simple exercises or activities is best. I also have seen some devices on Ebay that claim to improve breathing, any comments?

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/179741-diaphragmatic-breathing-heard.html

and

THE SIX BASIC SKILLS: Number One, Breathing « Doppler's Tech Diving Blog

-hope this helps.

 

[TSandM]

The lung is not a muscle which can be trained, and breathing is a very low resistance activity -- or should be; if it is not, you have some significant lung disease. So machines that promise to "improve lung function" can't really do that.

Exercise tolerance can be improved with better cardiovascular fitness. Stopping smoking was probably the biggest thing you could have done for your lungs, per se.