POWERbreathe Guide for Indoor Rowers
Contents
1. a level equivalent to low aerobic training interspersed with 3 short 30 45 seconds sprints at 77 91 and 108 of 2k power This should be sufficient to increase muscle and core temperature without fatiguing or losing energy This warm up protocol is taken from a research paper that believe has credibility and certainly appears to be effective for my rowers that have used It2 recommend that all indoor rowers should use this warm up protocol in training before any high intensity sets 1250 750s and 500s so that on race day it becomes just normal race preparation For those of you who suffer with exercise induced breathlessness of any description warm up is paramount as the initial moderate intensity can help to prevent exercise induced asthma However if you are under medical care for asthma and exercise triggers a response use your inhaler prior to training and competition It is also important that you check on the competition rules regarding the use of inhalers in competition before taking any medication SECTION 04 USING POWERBREATHE AS PART OF THE WARM UP Warm down is as important as warm up It helps to reduce the lactic acid build up return heart rate core temperature and breathing to normal and prevent stiffness 10 minutes of gentle rowing can be sufficient to reduce lactic levels to near normal Again particularly important if you suffer post race breathlessness know it is difficult to get on the warm up machin2. HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Using your POWERbreathe the basics It is recommended that you use your POWERbreathe twice a day in the morning and at night each time following a simple routine 1 Make sure you are sitting or standing upright and feel relaxed 2 You should aim to complete 30 breaths each session and for these to be undertaken at the 30 repetition maximum load in other words the load should be such that you cannot complete more than 30 If you start to feel lightheaded slow down and pause at the end of your breath out before taking the next breath in 3 Don t worry if you can t manage to complete 30 breaths straight away Everyone is different and it can take time to build up your breathing muscles 4 If you can complete 30 breaths with ease turn the tensioner knob to the right to increase the training load In this way by a process of trial and error you will be able to find the optimal training level for you the key is to be just able to complete 30 breaths 5 Use your POWERbreathe on this new setting still aiming to complete 30 breaths You should find breathing in a little harder and may not be able to complete a full session But within a few days you will so persevere 6 The aim is to continue adjusting your POWERbreathe so that it is challenging but not painful so that you can only just complete 30 breaths in a session REMEMBER Everyone is different Using your POWERbreathe
3. Perform two sets of 30 breaths with 1 2 minutes rest between each set Try to breathe in fully but avoid maximum effort You should do this immediately after completing your rowing warm up SECTION 00 HEADING Appendix A RACE WARM UP PACE GUIDE Time 4 4 3 30s 2 45s 2 30s 2 Stroke Rate 18 20 22 24 26 28 18 2830 18 30 34 18 2k timePer 500m PACE 5 40 125 149 145 144 142 133 149 128 149 1 22 1 49 5 44 126 150 146 145 143 134 150 1 29 1 50 1 23 1 50 5 48 1 27 1 51 147 146 144 1 35 1 51 130 1 51 1 24 1 51 5 52 128 152 148 147 145 1 36 152 1 31 152 1 25 1 62 5 56 129 153 149 148 146 1 37 153 132 153 1 26 1 53 6 00 130 154 150 149 147 138 154 133 154 1 27 1 54 6 04 1 31 155 1 51 150 148 139 155 134 1 55 1 28 1 55 6 08 132 1 56 1 62 1 51 149 140 156 135 1 56 1 29 1 56 6 12 133 1 57 1 64 1 52 1 50 1 41 157 136 1 67 130 1 57 6 16 134 1 58 1 55 153 1 51 142 158 1 37 1 58 1 31 1 58 6 20 135 2 000 1 56 1 54 1 52 143 200 138 2 00 1 32 2 00 6 24 136 2 01 157 1 55 154 144 2 01 139 2 01 133 2 01 6 28 137 2 002 158 156 1 55 145 202 140 202 1 34 2 02 6 32 138 2 004 2 00 1 57 156 146 204 1 41 204 1 35 2 04 6 36 139 2 05 2 01 158 157 147 205 142 2 05 1 36 2 05 6 40 140 2 06 2 02 2 01 159 148 206 143 2 06 1 37 2 06 6 44 1 41 208 2 04 202 2 00 149 208 144 208 1 38 2 08 6 48 142 209 2 05 2 03 2 01 150 209 145 2 09 1 39 2 09 6 52 143 210 206 2 004 2 02 1 51 210 146 2 10 1 40 2 10 6 56 1 44 2 11 207 2 05 203 1 52 2 11 147 2
4. Medicine amp Science in Sports amp Exercise 23 11 1260 1264 7 Hawkins S A amp Wiswell R A 2003 Rate and mechanism of maximal oxygen consumption decline with aging Sports Medicine 33 12 877 888 8 Galloway M T Kadoko R Jokl P 2002 Effect of aging on male and female master athletes performance in strength versus endurance activities American Journal of Orthopedics 31 2 93 98 This Guide has been written by Eddie Fletcher in collaboration with Professor Alison McConnell
5. 00 5 a gain of 22 seconds Conversely hypothetical Rower 2 has a 6 minute 2000 m time which is 1 30 per 500 m or 480 watts Increasing power in Rower 2 by 25 watts would reduce the time down to 5 51 2 giving a pace per 500 m of 1 27 8 Rower 2 gains just 8 8 seconds for the 25 watt increase in power The faster you are the harder it is to improve ergometer time but every little helps and even small gains make a difference between winning and losing For arguments sake if POWERbreathe training produced a 0 5 gain at the 6 minute level it is worth nearly 1 8 seconds at the 8 minute 24 second level 0 5 is worth 2 5 seconds Realistically gains of 2 3 are possible for some indoor rowers Worth 5 minutes extra effort a day SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES 3 How do you train the Inspiratory Muscles POWERbreathe is a hand held inspiratory muscle trainer that uses the tried and tested principles of resistance training It incorporates an adjustable load which caters for all capabilities and permits progressive training In order to breathe in you must overcome the tension of the spring allowing the valve to open The amount of effort and inspiratory muscle force applied to the POWERbreathe depends upon the opening pressure set on the inspiratory valve Sternomastoids Muscles of Respiration Scalenes Diaphragm The makers of POWERbreathe describe their device as dumb bells for
6. Champion 2004 45 49 Iwt improved her 1609 m performance from 6 minutes 22 3 seconds to 6 minutes 16 4 seconds and later in the year she improved her 2000 m personal best from 8 minutes 04 seconds to 7 minutes 57 3 seconds More recently in 2006 she has reduced the 50 lwt marathon record by over 7 minutes and the half marathon record by over 4 minutes Anne s inspiratory muscle strength increased by a massive 54 and is now even higher Geoff Brimble 39 year old Iwt improved his 1609 m performance from 5 minutes 12 7 seconds to 5 minutes 09 9 seconds and his inspiratory muscle strength improved 57 Through continued use of POWERbreathe have recently measured his inspiratory muscle strength at 100 above his original reading SECTION 02 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATHING MUSCLES TO INDOOR ROWING Megan Brown 35 39 British Indoor Rowing Champion 2004 2005 already had high inspiratory muscle strength but after an improvement of 13 4 in inspiratory muscle strength she reduced her rowing time by 2 5 seconds from 5 minutes 49 4 seconds to 5 minutes 46 9 seconds At the other end of the age range 63 year old Mike Alexander 60 64 Iwt British Indoor Rowing Champion 2004 increased his inspiratory muscle strength by 18 5 and rowing time by 0 6 seconds setting a British record and in a more recent training session 5 months into using POWERbreathe he reduced his 1609 m personal best by 4 seconds Mike also reports
7. also to describe a specific warm up routine that indoor rowers can use prior to racing The purpose of a warm up is to increase muscle and core temperature blood flow and improve the uptake transport and utilisation of oxygen as well as providing a comfortable way to lead into a 2000 m race A warm up should progress gradually and provide sufficient intensity to increase muscle and core temperature without causing fatigue or reduced energy stores it should make you sweat and feel slightly breathless Warm up may need to vary depending on the environmental conditions hot or cold venue and should be completed within a few minutes of the race recommend 10 minutes Warm up stretches the muscle tendons allowing greater length and less tension on exposure to the fast start to a race Injuring a warmed up muscle requires greater force than required to injure a cold muscle A 1991 study suggested that a warm up produces higher temperature higher oxygen consumption and lower blood lactate in the first minute of exercise than no warm up a considerable benefit for a fast 2k start Whilst more research is required to fully authenticate warm up procedures physiologists generally agree that correct warm up improves physical performance and exercise capacity by increasing blood flow muscle and core temperature and oxygen delivery The warm up recommend for a 2000 m race is of 20 minutes duration For 18 minutes intensity is 50 60 of 2k power
8. an exquisite machine and that although the diffusion of oxygen is not a limiting step in the delivery of oxygen during exercise breathing does limit performance It does so because breathing is bought about by muscles and these muscles impose their own demands upon the oxygen delivery system However the limitations can be significantly overcome by training the respiratory system specifically the breathing inspiratory muscles The performance of your breathing muscles determines your chest expansion and breathing performance We know that when muscles are trained their function improves and they become more efficient metabolically and mechanically So it stands to reason that if you train your breathing muscles your breathing will become more efficient and the demands made by these muscle will decrease We also know that training muscle makes a given task feel easier and this also applies to the inspiratory muscles studies have shown that POWERbreathe training reduces breathing and whole body effort 2 3 So it probably stands to reason that if you strengthen your breathing muscles under load and then remove the load for training and competition the muscles will be more efficient releasing more oxygen rich blood to other skeletal muscle lowering fatigue all round In addition to meeting the breathing requirements of exercise your respiratory muscles are also involved in stabilising the upper body and transmitting forces from your lowe
9. coping much better with his asthma and breathing in the past when have had a cold normally use Ventolin 2 3 times during the night and probably 3 times during the day This time have not used the inhaler at all and today went back in the gym and did 3x2500 at 2min 5sec pace and 22 som and my breathing was good Must be the POWERbreathe Let me reiterate these initial gains came after only 30 days at a fixed setting not maximum on the POWERbreathe In view of Mike s comments about his asthma it is worth mentioning that inspiratory muscle training is becoming a well established drug free method of managing asthma symptoms The POWERbreathe Medic model has recently been made available on prescription due to its proven efficacy in clinical trials Rowers with borderline symptoms who don t qualify to medicate in competition will find inspiratory muscle training of great benefit The conclusion draw for older rowers is that both inspiratory muscle strength and race performance can be improved by inspiratory muscle training in both male and female age group athletes Performance time gains may reduce with advancing age and the main benefit for some age group athletes may be in coping better with the physiological demands of indoor training and racing All age group rowers will benefit in some way from the inclusion of POWERbreathe training into their rowing programme Providing a rower is following a consistent and progres
10. their training Having introduced the concept of breathing muscle training to many of my indoor rowers am uniquely placed to demonstrate the real performance benefits of strong breathing muscles and the importance of including inspiratory muscle training in your overall training plan POWERbreathe is a simple yet highly effective inspiratory muscle trainer easy to use and yielding significant performance gains over a short period of time am indebted to Professor Alison McConnell for permission to use some of her thoughts technical knowledge and research material in preparation of this guide Thanks also to my group of indoor rowers for permission to use their data and for their continued support of my training methods Special thanks to Cherrie Gayton the model for the photographs of specific inspiratory muscles training exercises SECTION 01 INTRODUCTION Eddie Fletcher MSc is a sport and exercise physiologist and coach specialising in endurance events He is also author of the Suunto Indoor Rowing Guide Professor Alison McConnell is Professor of Applied Physiology in the Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance at Brunel University Conflict of interest statement Professor Alison McConnell has a beneficial interest in the POWERbreathe inspiratory muscle trainer in the form of a royalty share on license income to the University of Birmingham She also acts as a consultant to Gaiam Ltd Note Some sectio
11. to produce powerful muscle contractions Loss of strength is generalised and includes the breathing muscles This loss of muscle mass is most severe during the 4th decade where research has shown a decline in power of 3 per annum with 1 per annum every year thereafter Crucially for age group athletes the effectiveness of training for muscle strength decreases rapidly with age but my experience with POWERbreathe suggests that the inspiratory muscles remain very responsive to training Cardiovascular and respiratory function also reduce For rowing research suggests that endurance capacity in men reduces by 0 12 per annum between ages 25 55 and in women 0 23 per annum The implication is that age groupers can continue to perform effectively for endurance events but will struggle in activities that require maximal effort Research on young elite rowers indicates that 2000 m rowing is 65 87 aerobic it depends on gender and a number of other physical and physiological characteristics but is probably best described as a power endurance event so for older rowers the struggle to maintain performance is difficult As you age you have to rely more and more on your aerobic capacity SECTION 02 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATHING MUSCLES TO INDOOR ROWING to row a 2000 m race This means that it is vital that the oxygenated blood is directed to the muscles that produce power against the ergometer and that every component of the system is working
12. who are in physiological decline and want to maximise or improve their performance by strengthening their breathing muscles using the POWERbreathe www powerbreathe com inspiratory muscle trainer The benefits of POWERbreathe apply equally to elite athletes as they do to recreational indoor rowers My own interest stems from my breathing asthmatic problems which constant use of the POWERbreathe has greatly ameliorated It occurred to me that if it could have such a dramatic effect on my meagre performance then the potential for athletic performance was huge People with asthma have narrow lung airways which increases the resistance to breathing and increases the work demanded of the inspiratory muscles during exercise the logic of training these muscles seemed obvious to me as a coach It also seemed logical to me that rowers struggling to breathe particularly where maximal effort is involved would benefit from having stronger breathing muscles If you happen to be an asthmatic rower you will see a significant improvement in your breathing effort very quickly When checked the scientific and medical literature for information about inspiratory muscle training IMT was delighted to see that not only was there good evidence that IMT improved asthma symptoms but also that it improved performance in highly trained young oarswomen and cyclists This strengthened my conviction that IMT was something that all my rowers should incorporate into
13. 11 1 41 2 11 7 00 145 212 208 206 204 153 212 148 212 142 2 12 7 04 146 213 209 2 07 205 154 213 149 213 143 2 13 7 08 147 214 210 208 2 06 1 55 2 14 1 51 214 144 2 14 7 12 148 2 16 212 209 207 156 216 152 216 1 45 2 16 7 16 149 218 213 210 208 157 218 153 218 146 2 18 7 20 150 219 214 2 11 209 158 219 154 219 147 2 19 7 24 1 51 220 216 213 2 11 159 220 155 220 148 2 20 SECTION 00 HEADING RACE WARM UP PACE GUIDE Time Stroke Rate 2k timePer 500m 7 28 7 32 7 36 7 40 7 44 7 48 7 52 7 56 8 00 8 04 8 08 8 12 8 16 8 20 8 24 8 28 8 32 PACE 1 52 1 53 1 54 1 55 1 56 1 57 1 58 1 59 2 00 2 01 2 02 2 03 2 04 2 05 2 06 2 07 2 08 4 18 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 32 2 33 2 35 2 37 2 38 2 39 2 40 2 41 20 2 17 2 18 2 19 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 26 2 27 2 29 2 30 2 31 2 32 2 33 2 34 2 35 2 37 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 19 2 20 2 2 2 22 2 23 2 24 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 31 2 32 2 33 24 2 13 2 14 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 2 20 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 31 30s 26 28 2 01 2 03 2 04 2 05 2 06 2 07 2 08 2 09 2 10 2 11 2 12 2 13 2 14 2 15 2 16 2 17 2 18 18 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 32 2 33 2 35 2 37 2 38 2 39 2 40 2 41 45s 28 30 1 56 1 57 1 58 1 59 2 00 2 01 2 02 2 03 2 04 2 05 2 06 2 07 2 08 2 09 2 10 2 11 2 12 9 18
14. 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 32 2 33 2 35 2 37 2 38 2 39 2 40 2 41 30s 30 34 1 49 1 50 1 51 1 52 1 53 1 54 1 55 1 56 1 57 1 58 1 59 2 00 2 01 2 02 2 03 2 04 2 05 18 2 21 2 22 2 24 2 25 2 26 2 27 2 28 2 29 2 30 2 32 2 33 2 35 2 37 2 38 2 39 2 40 2 41 SECTION 00 HEADING References 1 Weiner P Azgad Y Ganam R Weiner M 1992 Inspiratory muscle training in patients with bronchial asthma Chest 102 5 1357 1361 2 Volianitis S McConnell A K Koutedakis Y McNaughton L Backx K amp Jones D A 2001 Inspiratory muscle training improves rowing performance Medicine amp Science in Sports amp Exercise 33 5 803 809 3 Romer L M McConnell A K amp Jones D A 2002 Inspiratory muscle fatigue in trained cyclists effects of inspiratory muscle training Medicine amp Science in Sports amp Exercise 34 5 785 792 4 Harms C A Babcock M A McClaran S R Pegelow D F Nickele G A Nelson W B amp Dempsey J A 1997 Respiratory muscle work compromises leg blood flow during maximal exercise Journal of Applied Physiology 82 1573 1583 5 Johnson B D Babcock E A Suman O E amp Dempsey J A 1993 Exercise induced diaphragmatic fatigue in healthy humans Journal of Physiology 460 1 385 405 6 Hill N S Jacoby C and Farber H W 1991 Effect of an endurance triathlon on pulmonary function
15. ES by the time you reach 30 breaths If you find that you can manage 34 breaths with ease increase your training load by a quarter of a turn This may mean that you can only achieve 26 breaths or so next session but stick at it within a few days you will be back up to 30 again In this way you are always training to the max This intensity of training is quite strenuous and we only recommend it for those users who are accustomed to hard physical activity Professor Alison McConnell has identified a routine that works for time trials between 6 and 60 minutes duration in rowing cycling and running i e 30 repetition maximum load executed with maximal effort The latter is important because it ensures that the muscle recruitment is maximal i e as many muscle fibres as possible are forced to contract against the load Specific inspiratory muscle training exercises for indoor rowing From a practical point of view it would make sense to train the inspiratory muscles under the conditions where they experience the greatest challenge i e when rowing Catch Inhale Drive Exhale Finish Inhale Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 POWERBREATHE INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Professor McConnell and have identified a number of rowing postural challenges that appear to benefit from posture specific inspiratory muscle training Rowers normal
16. OWING TRAINING GUIDE SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Normal and extended finish position No empirical testing of these postural approaches has been undertaken However Professor McConnell s opinion is that it would be very hard to differentiate quantitatively any enhancement due to the application of posture specific inspiratory muscle training vs traditional inspiratory muscle training given the relatively small absolute magnitude of improvement that is involved However feedback from the rowers she has worked with suggests that they notice a difference at crucial times when the going gets tough Since it s the tough points in a 2000 m race that are pivotal in its ultimate outcome this is significant feedback SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Review of the rowing specific inspiratory muscle exercises 1 Catch 2 Drive Inhale Drive Exhale 3 Finish SECTION 04 USING POWERBREATHE AS PART OF THE WARM UP Using POWERbreathe as part of the warm up for a 2000 m race or time trial Research has shown that a normal warm up routine neglects your breathing muscles so using POWERbreathe as part of your warm up routine will enhance your performance improvements in the region of 1 have been observed in the laboratory Before describing how to use the POWERbreathe in warm up it is appropriate to review the purpose of a warm up and
17. POWERbreathe Guide for Indoor Rowers By Eddie Fletcher Fletcher Sport Science In collaboration with Professor Alison McConnell Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance Brunel University Contents 1 Introduction 2 The importance of the breathing muscles to rowing 3 How do you train the inspiratory muscles 4 Using POWERbreathe as part of the warm up Appendix A Warm up pace guide References POWERBREATHE INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 SECTION 01 INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction The best opportunity you will ever have to improve your indoor rowing performance If you could improve your race performance by 1 2 or even 3 reduce your breathing effort and recover faster after racing or training and all in fewer than 5 minutes a day wouldn t it be worth while As a user of the Concept 2 Indoor Rower www concept2 co uk you spend huge amounts of time on technique training your cardiovascular system and building muscle strength using weights However if you fail to pay the same attention to your breathing pump muscles you are neglecting to train one of the most important groups of muscles contributing to your performance Out of sight is out of mind but breathing is a muscular process requiring a huge amount of muscular work This guide is written for those training to improve their 2000 m race or time trial performance It is specifically aimed at age group rowers
18. as close to maximum efficiency as is possible to achieve POWERbreathe is a vital contributor to this If training the breathing muscles improves performance despite the aging process then the minimal effort needed is well worthwhile My approach is never to ask athletes to undertake something that I m not absolutely convinced is a worthwhile use of their valuable time With this is mind ran my own trial of POWERbreathe subjected 16 age group rowers aged 36 63 and randomly assigned into a training or control group to a 1609 m maximal row at the beginning of the experiment and after 30 days of inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe In the 30 day training period inspiratory muscle strength improved by a 31 8 in the training group over the control group Seven of the eight in the training group achieved personal bests in the second 1609 m trial whilst only two in the control group lowered their personal bests Overall the average time of the training group improved by 1 8 seconds whilst the average time of the control group declined by 1 8 seconds Statistically the difference between the groups was significant for both inspiratory muscle strength and 1609 m rowing performance The range of improvement over 1609 m was 0 2 seconds to 5 9 seconds after just 30 days of inspiratory muscle training In real terms in real athletes Anne Yates current 50 Iwt marathon and half marathon record holder British Indoor Rowing
19. e advanced version of this exercise would be to use a seated row weight machine in the gym to simulate the arm pull of the drive An upright row with barbell or dumbbells is a further modification of this exercise In all cases the inspiratory effort should be made through the POWERbreathe at the same time as you lift pull the weigh resistance A further more specific exercise would be to inhale whilst on the rowing machine in the mid drive position or by using an up right row Drive Inhale Or Drive Exhale Or INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Upright row Finish A core stability accessory such as a Swiss Ball or Balance Ball is needed for this exercise The body should be positioned so that the upper body muscles are engaged in postural stabilisation activity such as sitting on the ball slightly extended at the hip with the shoulders leaning back behind your centre of gravity Next the required number of repetitions is executed A more advanced version would be to sit on the ball without the feet in contact with the floor Normal and extended finish position As with the catch and drive position it is also possible to undertake this Finish exercise on the rowing machine using a normal finish or extended position Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 POWERBREATHE INDOOR R
20. es post race but it is well worth the effort So how does the warm up work Example for a rower with a 7 minute 2000 m time 1 45 per 500 m 302 watts Time 4 4 3 1 30 2 45 2 30 2 of 50 55 57 5 60 77 50 91 50 108 50 2000m Watts Pace PP 2 08 2 06 2 04 1 53 2 12 1 48 2 12 1 42 DD To find your individual warm up use the look up chart in Appendix A Including POWERbreathe as part of the warm up You first need to establish your current POWERbreathe training level by checking the numerical scale on the POWERbreathe or the number of circular steps visible on the lower chamber if you have the older model For new models with the numerical scale use the following table to identify the appropriate warm up load Current Training Load Ideal Warm up Load 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 SECTION 09 HEAWENRDWERBREATHE AS PART OF THE WARM UP Users with older POWERbreathe models should look at the position of the pointer on the tensioner knob relative to the steps on the spring housing chamber If for instance you can only see one line circle visible on the chamber your level is high if you a can see two lines your level is medium and if all three are visible then you are using a low training level Reduce the load on your POWERbreathe by three turns if your level is high two if it is medium and one if it is low
21. is not a race to get the tensioner knob to the highest position Some people may never be able to achieve 30 breaths with the tensioner knob at its starting point but the exercise can still benefit their breathing On the other hand you may progress rapidly and find it necessary to adjust your POWERbreathe every four or five days Getting the most out of your POWERbreathe You should begin to enjoy the benefits of your POWERbreathe within the first one to two weeks of use and your breathing power should have improved substantially after four to six weeks At this stage you will not need to use your POWERbreathe every day to maintain your improved breathing Using your POWERbreathe every other day will be sufficient however if you want to squeeze out as much benefit as possible from your POWERbreathe read on POWERbreathe Training for performance POWERbreathe is like any other kind of training you get out what you put in If you are using POWERbreathe to enhance your performance you may want to push yourself a little harder When training for performance with POWERbreathe use the same 30 breaths twice a day training programme but be aware you will only achieve optimum benefits when you train hard In other words breathe as deeply and forcefully as you possibly can and aim to reach overload within 30 breaths Overload means you should be unable to open the valve properly SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCL
22. ly inhale at two points in the stroke just before the catch and just after the finish the largest breath being just after the finish Both of these points in the stroke impose restrictions on breathing at the finish the hips are extended and the shoulders are behind the hips This means that the muscles of the torso including the inspiratory muscles must work against gravity to prevent the rower from falling backwards At the same time the rower needs to take a large fast breath which means that the inspiratory muscles are subjected to competing demands for postural stability and breathing Once the rower reaches the catch they must take another breath but in this position the movement of the diaphragm is impeded by the crouched body position At the catch the abdomen is compressed by the thighs pushing the liver stomach and gut upwards against the diaphragm This compression makes it harder for the diaphragm to contract flatten and move downwards as it must do in order to inflate the lungs Rowing specific inspiratory muscle exercises recommend three exercises that are designed with posture specificity in mind but they should only be attempted after a 4 week period of traditional upright training to provide a base Catch For this exercise the abdomen needs to be compressed by bending forward from a standing position and grasping the ankles The knees should be slightly bent and pushing against
23. ns of this guide are based upon the POWERbreathe user manual and other copyrighted materials owned by Gaiam Ltd They are reproduced with the permission SECTION 02 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATHING MUSCLES TO INDOOR ROWING 2 The importance of the breathing muscles to indoor rowing It is important to understand how critical your breathing muscles are to good indoor rowing performance Rowing has a high respiratory demand which means that your breathing muscles fatigue early Prevailing science suggests that this high respiratory demand steals blood from your legs during rowing which reduces your overall rowing performance By strengthening your breathing muscles blood flow demand by the respiratory muscles is reduced cardiac output to your leg muscles is increased and therefore your performance will improve The likelihood of inspiratory muscle fatigue increases with intensity of exercise above 85 of maximum oxygen uptake VO2a 5 If you are a competitive indoor rower a significant amount of your training will be carried out above this level and during the main body of a 2000 m race or time trial you will be working above 90 of your VOomay It has previously been thought that the weakest link in performance is the rate of oxygen delivery to the muscles i e the pumping capacity of the heart because breathing does not limit this process We now know that the lungs in the words of Professor Alison McConnell are
24. r body to the handle of the ergometer Inspiratory muscle fatigue may also impair this vital function inspiratory muscle fatigue results in reduction in force applied at the catch The good news is that POWERbreathe training abolishes inspiratory muscle fatigue So what is the evidence Let s look at the evidence in general first There is evidence to suggest that fatigue of the breathing muscles limits performance in a number of sports In a 1991 experiment the inspiratory muscle strength of triathletes was measured during a triathlon of 3 8 km swim 180 km cycle and 42 km run No significant decline occurred during the swim but significant breathing muscle fatigue occurred after the SECTION 02 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATHING MUSCLES TO INDOOR ROWING cycle 25 and run 26 6 On the shorter Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons the breathing muscles will begin to fatigue during the swim phase due to the greater intensity of effort Further research in 2002 suggests significant improvement in 40km time trial cyclists following a period of inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe In this experiment 20km and 40 km time trail performance improve by an average of 3 8 and 4 6 respectively reducing 40km time trail performance by up to 3 minutes3 Inspiratory muscle fatigue was abolished So what evidence is there of improvement in indoor rowing performance In a 2001 study of 14 young oarswomen inspiratory muscle strength improved b
25. sive training programme appropriate to their rowing ability adding POWERbreathe training will undoubtedly assist in either maintaining or improving performance What gain is realistic It is difficult to be definitive about the magnitude of gains that can be achieved because everyone is different physiologically but also because of some idiosyncrasies of the way that the ergometer expresses performance Gains will vary from individual to individual However everyone will gain something that allows them to cope better with the physical and physiological demands of 2000 m racing SECTION 02 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BREATHING MUSCLES TO INDOOR ROWING From my experience the gains seem to be scaled depending on the power needed to generate a set pace per 500 m On the Concept 2 indoor rower the faster you are the more difficult it is to produce the power needed to improve performance As the graph below shows the relationship between power in watts and pace is not linear but a curve 800 700 4 e 600 500 4 gt Watts 00 2 e 300 er 4 200 e gt 100 4 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Seaconds For instance let s say that hypothetical Rower 1 has a 2000 m performance of 8 minutes 24 seconds which equates to 2 06 per 500 or 175 watts adding 25 watts would reduce the 2000 m time to 8 minutes 2 seconds giving a pace per 500 m of 2
26. y 45 and the distance covered in a six minute all out rowing effort improved by 1 9 following inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe In this same study the gain over 5000 m rowing was even more impressive an average gain of 25 seconds2 Most of the gains occurred after only four weeks of inspiratory muscle training Impressive gain but what are the implications for age group indoor rowers am indebted to my good friend Professor Alison McConnell for the following seemingly obvious question Why do older people experience greater intensity of breathlessness during exertion than young people The clue Older people have weaker inspiratory breathing muscles than younger people Indoor rowing is a sport that appeals to all age groups and whilst the impressive gains in experiments with young athletes cannot be ignored the question is whether older athletes are able to achieve similar results As your body ages there are a number of physiological changes that limit performance The ability to take up and utilise oxygen VOJmay reduces by about 10 per decade in men and women regardless of age or exercise activity Regular high intensity exercise may reduce this loss in young and middle aged men by 50 but not in older men and for middle aged and older women it does not appear that rates of loss can be reduced Muscle mass reduces particularly fast twitch muscle and there is a consequential deterioration of the ability
27. your abdomen The required number of inspiratory repetitions breaths is then undertaken in this posture using your POWERbreathe This exercise is very tough and may require a step down in the training load setting on the POWERbreathe when getting started Emphasis must be given to maximising the volume of each breath inhaling the breath as quickly as possible and focussing on using the diaphragm to get maximum benefit POWERBREATHE INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES Catch It is also possible to undertake this Catch exercise on the rowing machine using a normal catch or overreaching position to compress the abdomen Normal and overreaching catch position Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 POWERBREATHE INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE SECTION 03 HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE INSPIRATORY MUSCLES POWE T E Drive Although breathing in during the drive is not to be recommended ensuring that the inspiratory muscles are capable of rising to this challenge may be advantageous A high resistance rubber cord with handles is required for this exercise The exercise is undertaken in a seated position with the feet together and legs extended The cord should be wrapped around the feet and pulled as if rowing simultaneously an inhalation is made through the POWERbreathe for the required number of repetitions A mor
28. your diaphragm which will for a few minutes daily make your inspiratory muscles work harder thereby increasing your strength and endurance Within a few days inspiratory breathing muscles will feel stronger and within four weeks performance will improve Inspiratory muscle training should be seen as weight training for your breathing muscles and demands the same care and attention that is given to other aspects of your training programme It needs to be based on the application of scientific principles of intensity and repetitions progressive development of intensity over time It should also be as specific to indoor rowing as possible and should therefore be part of structured periodised training programmes The benefit of training your breathing muscles can be achieved in as little as four weeks The POWERbreathe inspiratory muscle trainer may also be incorporated into warm up routines to further improve performance see section 4 As a minimum the best way to start inspiratory muscle training is to follow the POWERbreathe instructions which are included with your POWERbreathe see also www powerbreathe com It is important to follow the correct technique and progressively increase the training load to obtain maximum benefits The gains to be had from training the breathing muscles are significant so do not neglect this important aspect of your training Copyright Concept2 Ltd 2006 POWERBREATHE INDOOR ROWING TRAINING GUIDE SECTION 03
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