- What is lung capacity and how to check it?
- Benefits of Greater Lung Efficiency
- Exercises to increase lung capacity
By increasing lung capacity, the endurance of the body improves (this is especially important for long-distance athletes) and the amount of internal energy increases. See the breathing and endurance exercises that will help you increase your lung capacity.
Exercises to increase lung capacityare recommended to anyone who feels that even after a short physical exertion, they lack breath, and also for those who would like to improve their endurance.
What is lung capacity and how to check it?
Lung capacity indicates the condition of a person. The deeper his breath can be (i.e. the greater his lung capacity), the more air enters the alveoli and the more oxygen reaches the blood.
Lung capacity is a measure of how much air can fit into a person's lungs. Lung capacity (more precisely: total lung capacity - TLC) consists of VC (vital capacity) and RV (residual capacity, i.e. about 1.2 liters of air that is not exchanged during a standard breath).
Lung volume can be measured in a test called spirometry, using a spirometer.
The average man's lung capacity varies between 4.5-5 liters, and the woman's lung capacity is around 3.2 liters. Of course, these values depend on age, height, and exercise. Playing sports significantly increases the capacity of the lungs. In athletes, it is much higher than average and ranges between 6 and 8 liters.
Benefits of Greater Lung Efficiency
The greater the lung capacity, the more oxygen the body can absorb. And the more oxygen we breathe, the more energy we have. This contributes to the improvement of endurance and overall physical condition. The greater the lung capacity, the slower the body weakens during exercise.
Among athletes, swimmers have the largest lung capacity (even up to 11 liters!). Cyclists have a capacity of up to 8 liters of air, and long-distance runners up to 7 liters. Musicians playing wind instruments (up to 10 liters of capacity) can also boast of a very large lung capacity.
Exercises to increase lung capacity
Endurance exercise:
The best way to increase lung capacitythere are aerobic exercises, i.e. cardio training. In order to increase lung efficiency, interval exercises, elements of running / cycling / swimming training, such as ascents, speedboats, time trials, as well as intensive alpine training, are also recommended. At home, you can jump rope or train on the stairs.
Breathing exercises:
1. Stretching the chest muscles - e.g. walking up the stairs with your hands clasped behind your back (at the level of your buttocks) and sticking out / stretching your chest with each breath.
2. The next exercise to realistically increase lung capacity is, for example, inflating and emptying a large soda bottle or a balloon.
3. Another effective exercise is to draw in small breaths through your nose until your lungs are completely full, and then exhale very slowly and for as long as possible (mouth in the mouth when exhaling).
4. You can also exercise your lung function using a piece of paper. In the exercise, you put a piece of paper against the wall and try to keep it in one place for as long as possible by exhaling very slowly from your lungs. Before starting the exercise, take a deep breath and release the paper as soon as the air begins to blow out.
5. To increase the endurance of the respiratory muscles, it is also worth exercising with the bottle half full of water. You also need a long tube for it. Place the bottle on the table in front of you, then dip the tube into the water and try to blow air into the water as long as possible. During training, the resistance of water requires the involvement of additional chest muscles, which improves their efficiency.
6. We will also strengthen the respiratory muscles by lying on the back and placing a small weight (e.g. a book) on the stomach. The exercise consists in inhaling by lifting, or even pushing, the belly up, and when exhaling, pull in the navel as if trying to stick it to the spine. This way we learn diaphragm breathing.
7. People with impaired mobility who tire quickly can use a slightly simpler exercise: just sit on a chair, put your arms along your body, and while inhaling the air, raise both arms up, while exhaling - lower them down. And so on in turns.