Social media users are turning to breathing drills and handheld resistance devices in the hope of building stronger lungs, improving stamina and lasting longer during workouts.
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“They do not suddenly enlarge the lungs or dramatically increase oxygen levels in a healthy person,” said Dr Muhammed Aslam, a specialist pulmonologist at International Modern Hospital in Dubai.
Structured breathing practice may strengthen the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles, improve breathing rhythm and help people coordinate their breathing with movement, he said.
It may also reduce rapid, shallow breathing and help athletes become more comfortable with the normal feeling of breathlessness during exercise.
However, doctors said the phrase ‘lung capacity’ is often used loosely online to describe better stamina, breathing control or stronger respiratory muscles rather than an actual increase in lung volume.
Why exercise feels easier
Feeling less breathless after regular training does not necessarily mean a person’s lungs have become larger. Lung capacity refers to measurable volumes of air inside the lungs. In healthy adults, this is influenced mainly by age, body size, genetics and the structure of the chest and lungs.
Exercise instead improves how efficiently the heart, muscles, circulation and respiratory system work together. A person may therefore run farther, swim longer or complete a harder workout while feeling more comfortable, even if their measured lung volume remains almost unchanged.
“Training commonly improves the efficiency of the entire cardiorespiratory system rather than physically increasing the size of the lungs,” said Dr Aslam.
Dr Jomar Souza, a specialist in sports medicine at NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai, said breathing exercises can support athletic performance by strengthening respiratory muscles and reducing fatigue.
They may also help athletes control the timing and number of breaths they take during certain activities. This can offer an advantage in sports such as short-distance swimming, where breathing must be coordinated with movement.
However, he said becoming less breathless and increasing lung volume were not the same thing.
“Two athletes can have different lung capacities but the same breathing rate, as well as the same capacity to extract oxygen from the inspired air,” said Dr Souza.
Do breathing trainers work?
Handheld respiratory trainers make users inhale against resistance, causing the diaphragm and other breathing muscles to work harder.
Dr Aslam said structured respiratory-muscle training may improve the strength and endurance of these muscles and offer modest benefits to some endurance athletes or less-conditioned people.
For an ordinary healthy gym-goer, however, the improvement is likely to be limited.
“A breathing device will not replace cardiovascular training, resistance exercise or proper coaching,” he said.
Dr Souza said there was no strong scientific evidence that such devices produced major benefits for ordinary gym users or weightlifters. They may be more useful in sports where breath control is central, such as freediving.
Doctors also urged consumers to be cautious about products claiming to detoxify the lungs, permanently increase oxygen levels or transform athletic performance quickly.
No shortcut to stamina
The safest way to improve stamina remains regular cardiovascular exercise, doctors said.
Brisk walking, running, cycling, rowing and swimming gradually improve how the heart, lungs and muscles work together. Exercise duration and intensity should be increased over time.
Yoga and Pilates may also improve breathing awareness and control, Dr Souza said, while diaphragmatic and slow, controlled breathing may help people use their respiratory muscles more efficiently.
However, these techniques should support a proper fitness programme, not replace it.
For most people, regular aerobic exercise, gradual training and proper breathing technique remain more useful than trying to “maximise” the lungs through viral routines or heavily marketed devices.
Source: Khaleej Times