28 replies to this topic

[Shepard]

Has anyone ever seen or used this one of these things before?


http://www.powerbreathe.com/homep.html

I'm not particularly interested in obtaining one, but it looked interesting and might potentially be of use to many people.

[mitkat]

wow, this looks really interesting. it looked like a bronchodilator at first, but it's not a drug at all, just a device. i want one. they even come in different styles/colours!

[REGIMEN]

You can do some of the more 'active' breath practices in yoga to get the same results and you don't need a $75 plastic flow valve to do it. Try this...purse your lips. Now try to breath deeply to fill your lungs and then exhale the same way. Wow! You just made your very own PowerBreather named 'you'. In fact, not through the mouth, but through the nostrils.

Less active people, the sick and elderly, wouldn't get much more out of this thing that what they could put in. It would be like asking them to play saxophone in their hospital bed. WIth circular breathing. kind of...

Edited by liplex, 13 September 2005 - 02:31 AM.

[Shepard]

Yeah, but that just isn't as fun or cool as a colorful piece of equipment.

[REGIMEN]

Koolaid and fastfood are fun and cool 'equipment'(funky young models posing with shitMacs, "yo, nice equipment, Cha-lee!" "Yo, thanks I got this here thang at the local glop-house. CHOmp!" ).
I don't see anyone advocating the benefits of those things here on the forum...

If Dumbo needed his magic feather to begin flying, well... I guess you can use this here plastic tube to begin learning how to breath better.
Dang, I've always loved them crows...

[Shepard]

I can honestly say that I have talked to people tripping on all kinds of bad acid that made more sense than that.

[REGIMEN]

I'm just equating this here plastic-breath-toy with all the other fun, flashy, plastic crap that is passed off as another way for someone to make a buck off of people without the brain to see the weakness in themselves that the 'product' addresses.

Unlike the people you talked to, I took the good acid.

[Shepard]

But it's just so cool looking...

[REGIMEN]

It wasn't all -that- incoherent...

And yeah, it would make breathing into a expert navy seal, preparing for death-defying scuba action, commando-like exercise. "I just did 50 reps on my PowerBreather...what did -you- do today, wimp?"

GRANDmaaaaa.... [:o] )

[Shepard]

In all seriousness, I imagine you'd have much more luck getting the average person with horrible lung capacity/health to use one of these than by doing traditional breathing exercises (or intense activity). Much in the same way that someone will pop pills that claim to "melt the fat away" instead of getting outside and doing some exercise.

[icyT]

Hmmm I'm afraid I don't see why we would need a machine to learn how to breath harder when you can increase the difficult of drawing air by pursing your lips and putting your tongue in the way of the air flow...

This is probably more measurable though so perhaps it is useful. I am assuming it has measurable increases in difficulty, right? I checked, and yes, there's a 'tension knob.' It looks like the sport breather is the best kind, so I'd probably buy that.

I do hope it's available outside the UK.

I do wonder... what if we try more than 30 breaths twice a day? Once you get to the highest level on the sports model I don't think you can go higher so you'd have to just do it MORE.

I hope it's safe though, for the air and stuff, like it doesn't dirty it or anything. They should build in a gas mask air filter thing while they're at it, that'd be sweet.

Does it advice to do deep belly breathing ala 'normal breathing' since we normally do reverse breathing?

[Shepard]

All right, so I bought myself one of these little babies for Christmas. I went for the top model (Athlete version, supposedly) to help me fully prepare for a little intense summer adventure I have planned. First impressions: This shit is hard. I don't see myself being able to experience this type of "lung exercise" by any type of non-assisted breathing exercise. But, it is fun in a way. I'll post back some feedback on how it affects lung capacity and endurance after a week or so.

[mitkat]

shepard, you know i want to hear about it.

[Shepard]

Early update: I'm a big fan of this thing so far. After smoking for a couple of years, combined with typical college life, my lung capacity isn't the greatest. I used to do quite a bit of racquetball/kayaking, which was never a problem (maybe due to adrenaline). However, when it comes to sprints....I'm dying after three. I managed to make it to five today (and this is after a few days of eating too much holiday food). It may be placebo, it may just be adaptation, maybe the pecan pie gave me the Red Bull wings. But, after a few days doing the 30 breaths twice a day, I'm happy with my purchase. I'll give some more feedback once I go for a longer run this weekend, assuming New Year's doesn't get in the way.

[mitkat]

Any word on the plastic lung?

[Shepard]

Yeah, the early gains did eventually level out. However, I have not yet increased the difficulty of the lung workout yet. I'm still a big fan of this thing. My physical fitness increased in nearly every area. My lifts went up, aerobic stamina increased, sprint work no longer made me long for death, and I'm not quite as winded as my partner after racquetball.

[REGIMEN]

Well, you've sold me on it, shepard.

You think a piece of bent gardenhose would work nearly as well, though?

[U_N]

I have been away from the forums for some time and I come back to see a product that I have had a lot of success with being shot down.

I use the athletic version of the PowerLung:


I would consider it a more worthwhile product than the Powerbreathe.

The PowerLung came highly recommended from my previous Special Forces commander.

For those of you that think that "another way for someone to make a buck off of people without the brain to see the weakness in themselves that the 'product' addresses" you are being a little ignorant to the amount of resistance the athletic version of this product can produce.

I tried to replicate the amount of resistance "by pursing [my] lips and putting [my] tongue in the way of the air flow" and it is absolutely impossible.

To even meet about an eigth of the resistance on an exhale I would end up sending like an elephant or a large bowel movement.

The PowerLung has to adjustments: one for inhale and one for exhale. I do not really see this on the Powerbreathe. Am I missing it?

[Shepard]

Well, you've sold me on it, shepard. 

You think a piece of bent gardenhose would work nearly as well, though?

I haven't made it a habit on sucking/blowing on random items around the house, but it might work.

[Shepard]

umbraenoctem, the Powerbreather does not have any significant resistance for exhaling.

[U_N]

Thank you for confirming what I thought, Shepard.

Even on the lowest settings of the athletic version of the PowerLung, there is a good deal of resistance.

This is coming from someone that is require by law to be in top shape. I run at least three 5Ks a week and do callistetics.

So if you are an athlete or intend to be in top shape and have the money to spare, I would recommend this product.

[meatwad]

The presupposition I am understanding is that you, umbraenoctem, curently use this product?

If this is true, can you please give a mini review, beginning with when you first received this product till now? I would greatly appreciate it.

[Athanasios]

hmmm, I have read a few reviews on this product, and it has rave reviews every time.

A good place to get one:

http://www.polardisc...sp?idproduct=66

[stormheller]

Yo, that thang is weird. It looks like one of those things kids with asthma use.

[zoolander]

Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004 Oct;93(1-2):139-44. Epub 2004 Aug 19.

    Oxygen uptake kinetics and maximal aerobic power are unaffected by inspiratory muscle training in healthy subjects where time to exhaustion is extended.

        * Edwards AM,
        * Cooke CB.

    Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education, Fairfax Building, Leeds Metropolitan University, Beckett Park, LS6 3QS, Leeds, UK. a.m.edwards@leedsmet.ac.uk

    The aim of this study was to determine whether 4 weeks of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) would be accompanied by alteration in cardiopulmonary fitness as assessed through moderate intensity oxygen uptake (V(.)O(2)) kinetics and maximal aerobic power (V(.)O(2max)). Eighteen healthy males agreed to participate in the study [training group (Tra) n=10, control group (Con) n=8]. Measurements of spirometry and maximal static inspiratory mouth pressure ( PI(max)) were taken pre- and post-training in addition to: (1) an incremental test to volitional exhaustion, (2) three square-wave transitions from walking to running at a moderate intensity (80% ventilatory threshold) and (3) a maximal aerobic constant-load running test to volitional fatigue for the determination of time to exhaustion ( T(lim)). Training was performed using an inspiratory muscle trainer (Powerbreathe). There were no significant differences in spirometry either between the two groups or when comparing the post- to pre-training results within each group. Mean PI(max) increased significantly in Tra ( P<0.01) and showed a trend for improvement ( P<0.08) in Con. Post-training T(lim) was significantly extended in both Tra [232.4 (22.8) s and 242.8 (20.1) s] ( P<0.01) and Con [224.5 (19.6) and 233.5 (12.7) s] ( P<0.05). Post-training T(lim) was significantly extended in Tra compared to Con ( P<0.05). In conclusion, the most plausible explanation for the stability in V(.)O(2) kinetics and V(.)O(2max) following IMT is that it is due to insufficient whole-body stress to elicit either central or peripheral cardiopulmonary adaptation. The extension of post-training T(lim) suggests that IMT might be useful as a stratagem for producing greater volumes of endurance work at high ventilatory loads, which in turn could improve cardiopulmonary fitness.

    PMID: 15322855 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Evaluation of an inspiratory muscle trainer in healthy humans.

    * Hart N,
    * Sylvester K,
    * Ward S,
    * Cramer D,
    * Moxham J,
    * Polkey MI.

Respiratory Muscle Laboratories, Royal Brompton and Kings College Hospitals, London, UK.

The Powerbreathe is an inspiratory muscle trainer promoted as improving inspiratory muscle strength (and consequently exercise performance) in athletes and patients with respiratory disease. No published evidence supports its efficacy. We performed a prospective randomized controlled study in which 12 normal subjects received either Powerbreathe training or sham training for a 6-week period. The primary outcome measure was diaphragm strength evaluated as twitch transdiaphragmatic pressure (Tw Pdi) but secondary outcome measures were provided by full respiratory muscle assessment and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. An advantage to training was observed when outcome was assessed by maximal static inspiratory mouth pressure (mean advantage 14.5 cm H2O, 95% CI 2.2-26.9 cm H2O, P=0.025). However. no significant difference was observed between the groups in any other parameter. In particular the deltaTw Pdi was not different between groups (mean 'advantage' 0.7 cmH2O, 95% CI- 7.0+/-5.5 cmH2O, P=0.8). The continued sale and use of the Powerbreathe device is not justified by our data. A sample size calculation showed that 234 subjects would need to be randomized to definitively refute the hypothesis that Powerbreathe improves Tw Pdi and we argue that such a study is required.

PMID: 11421512 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Brainbox]

normal subjects received either Powerbreathe training or sham training

How can such a study be performed in a placebo controlled manner? Wouldn't the subjects discover immediately in which group they are placed due to the breathing characteristics of the device or placebo?

[zoolander]

sham therapy (...THAYR-uh-pee)
An inactive treatment or procedure that is intended to mimic as closely as possible a therapy in a clinical trial. Also called placebo therapy.

I'm thinking that they probably used a breather without resistance or without a significant threshold resistance

[icyT]

This would be an excellent addition to cardio. Variety's always good.

The problem with exercise alone is that increases in fitness would be due to better oxygen utilization, more hemoglobin/mitochondria/heart rate/oxygen takeup in the lungs. Due to that, you don't know how much of the improvement would be due to increased lung capacity.

Whereas this, sort of like a cheap version of those astronaut ball-blowing in water tests, measures the capacity, sorta.