"The Roundtable Discussion"

Roundtable Discussion #4

"Reading this question made me remember when I did a VO2 max test during my undergrad.  My background is a sprinter/receiver (I played receiver in college for 4 years).  99% of my training throughout my youth was anaerobic based.  As most educated coaches/trainers know, performing anaerobic training can increase your ability to remove lactic acid during high intensity that prolongs into the lactic acid energy system. 

 

As I performed the VO2 max test and the inclined got steeper (Bruce protocol), the burn began in my legs.  I listened to the professor read off my RER values and max HR measures.  During a good VO2 trial, RER values often rise above 1.00, often up to 1.10 as lactic acid is used for energy, not fat or carbohydrates.  As I finished the test, I ended up peaking twice (the second time was after the incline increased before I stopped the test), having a max value of 51 ml/kg/min.  My max RER value was 1.28, much higher than the normal value ranges. 

 

As I thought about why this occurred, I concluded that my body's ability to deal with lactic acid allowed me to perform much longer than expected. 

 

What does this have to do with your question?  Well, during my freshman year in college, I broke my nose returning a punt in a game.  My septum was so deviated, I breathe 90% out one side of my nose.  Without the ability to fully utilize oxygen during training, even during anaerobic training of long durations (ie. performing 10 sets of 1 min runs with 2 min rest at high intensity), your body will need oxygen.  I feel that due to my nose problem, this limited the amount of air I could breathe in, thus affecting my body's lactic acid production during high intensity exercise. 

 

Without the research to prove it, my thoughts are that I was better able to handle high intensity anaerobic training which lead to improved performance due to lack of ability to inhale oxygen.

 

Research has proven that oxygen supplementation (often seen during football games in Denver) doesn't improve anaerobic performance because of the oxygen disassociation curve, where the body is only able to use so much oxygen at different air pressures.  So why would a lack of oxygen improve my performance? 

 

I think this would be an interesting topic to perform research on, where athlete perform both aerobic and anaerobic training, where the experimental subjects perform exercise with some difficulty inhaling oxygen (maybe a 5%, 10% difference could yield good results)".

 

Thoughts, ideas, complaints can be e-mailed to Roger@sportxtraining.com   

 

Dr. Kwame Brown: 

"HIGHLY unlikely that you will get the effect you desire!  Will lung capacity improve by using resisted breathing?  Probably.  However, is lung capacity the only thing involved in athletic conditioning?  The fact is, "conditioning" happens not only as a result of an increase in lung capacity and the muscles involved in inspiration/expiration, but also through adaptations made at the level of the heart, the vascular system, and muscles.  Would you have confidence in most opera singers being able to run 6 110 yard sprints before their muscles severely cramped?  I sure wouldn't.  I always say this, but one must view the systems in the body multidimensional.  By this I mean that everything is integrated.  You can't just train one part of the equation and expect everything to fall in line.  This is yet another symptom of the quick fix or easy fix philosophy that the industrialized world has adopted.  What a shame.  Work hard, work efficiently, get results.  Period."

 

Brian Nolan:

"Not silly, but interesting. I think the two examples aren't necessarily analogous.  Preparing the throat and lungs for singing isn't necessarily the same as preparing for sport.  Okay, maybe it is, i know nothing about opera.

I think smart athletes and trainers should condition for their sport the way they are going to play their sport--whether it be with pads on, mouth gaurd in, holdhing a ball, or their stick.  It was amazing to watch a lacrosse kid I was working with run with and without his stick.  You would think they were two different players.

Anyone that has ever worn a mouth piece knows you breath differently.  With the mouth piece in, you breathe more diaphramatically and through
the nose.  With it out, you'll hang your chin and breathe mostly through your mouth--not as efficient.

I think that is really all that is going on here.  I'm not sure about breathing through a straw for conditioning, that to me, seems like its encouraging MORE mouth breathing.

As far as increasing stroke volume, or oxygen consumption?  Hhmmm.. ..I wouldn't think it would positively affect neither.  What if you looked at the extreme of what you are implying?  If breathing thruough a straw would limit to some degree the amount of oxygen you can uptake, what if you
cut it off all together?  wWould holding your breath be an even better choice?  I dont think so.

iI've seen cases where "free divers" train (in the gym) while holding their breath, but again, that simulates the environment.  They have to produce work (swimming) while holding their breath for long periods--makes sense.

The only comparison I can think of would be to high altitude training--creating an adaptation to the thinner air and doing more with each breath, but again, this doesnt sound like the same thing.  Training at altitude doesn't require a different breathing technique, it requires improving the proper breathing technique.

It'll be interesting to hear some of my colleagues opinions on this."

 

Chaney Weiner:

"I would tend to believe that it wouldn't increase stroke volume or oxygen consumption to any significance. What it boils down to is the bodies ability to take in oxygen and use it within the body. In other words what goes on internally should not be affected whether one breathes through a straw or not. The ability to increase this capacity within the body has more to do with training the proper energy system, particularly the aerobic system in this case, and not so much as if someone is breathing through a straw. The improved conditioning of an individual is dictated more by the type of training and the ability to consume oxygen via that training and should not be affected by breathing into a straw."

 

Steve Payne:

"I believe there may be some potential in the "straw" method, but only from an anecdotal background.  My brother had asthma as a kid, and as such was unable to breathe normally for much of his early life.  I asked him one time what it was like to have asthma, and more specifically an asthma event.  He stated, "Imagine running a mile as fast as you can, and having to breathe through a coffee straw."  Today, I am happy to report that he is symptom free from asthma, and he has the lung capacity to run miles on end, should he wish. 

 

As for training my own clients (athletes and lay persons) utilizing this methodology, I would need to do a little more research to feel more comfortable with it.  While I can see the potential benefits, I can also envision some drawbacks with respect to blood oxygen levels, lactic buildup and such."

 

Rob Pilger:

"I like having my athletes train with their mouthpieces, especially my fighters. I can remember my first amateur fight back in 1992 and the feeling of wanting to through up, and being so uncomfortable having my mouthpiece in while  feeling fatigued.

 

I think it's a mental factor, and a bit technical, training with a mouthpiece in, and my fighters agree. It's important to not allow them to breath with their mouth open gasping for air, and leaving it open, that is how jaws are broken! Get the mouthpiece in their mouth. Train them to get use to it while getting fatigued, and how to breath with it in for recovery.

 

Now would I use a straw? No. What works for opera singers is one thing, but for athletes it's another. The concept is interesting, but I just can't see me taking the time to do that.

 

The methods I have been using to get my fighters and other athletes in shape has been working great, and will continue to. Hey, if it ain't broke why fix it?"

 

John Izzo:

"I think the idea of making lungs work harder is interesting. In essence, we make our muscles stronger by making them work harder (resistance). We imporrove lung capacity by performing tremendous amounts of cardiovascular work (steady-state, continuous, interval, HIIT, etc..). Why woudln't the straw method make our lungs stronger?"

 

What do you think? E-mail me at John@standAPARTfitness.com

 

 

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