Exercises to Breathe Easy

Many runners and asthma sufferers are looking for the same solution…How can I breathe easier? Runners can get a side ache in some of the assistor muscles in breathing and asthma sufferers have inflammation in the tubes headed to the lungs restricting the flow of air. Both can cause severe pain and in asthma sufferers even death. Researchers from Northern Arizona University sought out to see if different exercises would improve the strength of the diaphragm, the main muscle used during inspiration ($10 word for breathing in).

They discovered that core exercises such as listed below from the study improved the strength of the diaphragm and thus should improve ability to breathe a deeper breath.

The exercises that yielded significant results were:

Sit and reach- The subject sat with legs extended and feet against a box, then leaned as far forward as possible while inhaling.

45o Lean Back – The subject sat on a 36 cm box, with feet flat on the floor, then leaned back until the angle between the torso and seat of the box reached ~ 45o. Then the subject returned to the starting position.

Pull-ins – This was a modification of the pull-in with ball assistance, but without the ball. The subject started with legs straight out on the floor and hands behind the head, then pulled the elbows toward the knees by raising the legs (knees bent) and the shoulders off the ground. They then brought the shoulders back to the floor and legs down.

Pull in with ball assistance – While lying supine with arms behind the head, and feet resting on a 65 cm exercise ball, the subject brought the elbows toward the knees pulling the upper body off the floor and rolling the ball to bring the knees toward the elbows

Crunch – This exercise had the subject lying supine with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms extended at the side. The subject lifted the shoulders off the ground while sliding the hands forward six inches along the floor.

Sit-ups – In this exercise the subject started by lying supine on the floor with knees bent and arms folded across the chest. The subject raised the upper torso off the ground until the elbows touched the knees, while  inhaling.

Double leg lifts (DLL) – Similar to the SLL, the subject lay supine with the legs straight and arms by the side of the body. While lifting both legs to about 90 degrees the subject inhaled. The subject then lowered the legs to approximately 15 cm (6 inches) off the floor.

Source:

THE EFFECT OF CORE EXERCISES ON TRANSDIAPHRAGMATIC PRESSURE
Lisa M. Strongoli, Christopher L. Gomez and J. Richard Coast
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2010) 9, 270 – 274