POWERbreathe

Inspiratory muscle training - scientifically proven to improve swimming, cycling and running performance and endurance

POWERbreathe, the official inspiratory muscle training partner of IRONMAN since 2005, is clinically proven to deliver results. Decades of research, development and trials proved Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) improves inspiratory muscle strength, endurance and reduces whole body effort during physical exercise. POWERbreathe's partnership with IRONMAN has helped triathletes reach their full IRONMAN potential in this most challenging endurance event.

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In independent trials, Inspiratory Muscle Training:

• Increased swimming performance by up to 3.5%
• Improved cycling time trial performance by 4.6% - equivalent to slashing 3-minutes off a 40k time trial
• Enabled participants to cycle for 33% longer and with lower sense of effort
• Accelerated recovery during repeated sprints by up to 7%
• Improved inspiratory muscle strength by 31.2% and endurance by 27.8%
• Reduced whole body effort during exercise
• Reduced lactate by 16%

Inspiratory muscles play a vital role in the efficiency of breathing at rest and during exercise. Fatigue of the inspiratory muscles may result in diversion of blood away from other working muscles, such as the arms and legs. This means that the supply of oxygen to these other muscles is reduced and performance impaired. Like any muscle group, exercising the inspiratory muscles makes them stronger. POWERbreathe strengthens the lung muscles using resistance training, improving endurance and performance.

Research also shows that a standard warm-up fails to prepare the inspiratory muscles for physical exercise and can lead to excessive breathlessness at the start of an event. POWERbreathe warms-up these inspiratory muscles unlike standard routines. And researchers at the University of Sao Paulo recently found that breathing against an inspiratory load immediately after exercise reduces lactate by 16%. Furthermore, when using the inspiratory load, lactate concentration after just 5 minutes was equivalent to that achieved in 15 minutes during passive recovery.

POWERbreathe Ironman Plus models feature 10 adjustable training levels to allow for progressive training and include a FREE inspirational IRONMAN DVD:

• POWERbreathe Ironman Plus - Light Resistance - for aspiring athletes
• POWERbreathe Ironman Plus - Medium Resistance - for serious athletes
• POWERbreathe Ironman Plus - Heavy Resistance - for competitive athletes