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Had a routine medical at work a while back, and the nurse commented my lung capacity was on the low side, considering I'm generally pretty healthy/ reasonably fit.
Has anyone made an effort to improve in this area? Quite happy to do some proper exercise, running has been suggested by a mate, also swimming (but most of my trips to the pool tend to be with 2 kids in tow, so I'm busy stopping them drown each other...) Any thoughts?
Swimming would be best but running is pretty good too.
Run and cycle regularly and you'll have a very "rounded" and useful level of fitness.
Every year, when my grandparents pool is open, I practice by seeing how many lengths I can do under water, initially it used to only be 1-2, but over the years I have managed 4. Even though this falls away a bit each year, but this year, the first time I tried I managed 3, so its definitely improving 😀 ! Maybe I'll go for by the end of the year....
I find that I do a lot more running than cycling. When i get out on the bike I find my lungs and heart are easily coping with strenous stuff/endurance but it's my legs that tend to pack in first! boo
Yep swimming Under water does help.
had mine measured for a work medical a few weeks back : 10.56 litres - explains alot !
iirc from my human biology lectures
the best way to significantly increase lung capacity is swimming and bizarely smoking!
This is why routine medicals are a bad idea. A throw away comment has a perfectly healthy man fretting about his "lung capacity". What was probably measured was your forced vital capacity (FVC) and your forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Single, slightly low, measurements of these are not significant. The reference ranges you have been compared to represent an average of a population, but individual readings in that population follow a normal distrubution pattern around the mean values quoted. Your lung capacity will be normal for you. Only if serial measurement shows a significant decrease, or if you develop respiratory symptoms, does it take on any significance.
If you are healthy and active, and don't smoke or work with asbestos, then ignore it. These tests are a measure of respiratory mechanics, not cardiovascular fitness, so exercise won't make any difference.
As always however, medical advice off the internet is not to be relied upon. You should go back to see the nurse, tell him/her about your concerns and have them explain the significance, or lack of it, of the test results.
[i]Your lung capacity will be normal for you[/i]
+1.
Your lung capacity is like your shoe size, and not really 'expandable'. FVC tests only measure your performance in the test, and there is a knack to doing the tests...
The lung test that you get in a normal medical is probably more to do with technique than anything.
Your lung capacity will be normal for you
But that doesnt really help. My ability to run is "unique" to me. I may however choose to improve it through training.
Both the lungs capacity and your bodies ability to utilise oxygen can be improved through exercise.
In answer to the op. Yes, as with other sports such as cycling, swimming etc.
was going to suggest swimming or ahem smoking too!
How old are you?
If you're over 30 then you might improve the blood vessels for gaseous exchange.
I had a 6.2 litre lung capacity at 18, now its dismal. But I can try to improve the exchange I guess but thats like riding at 80-90% VO2 Max but don't do unless you're in good health.
Or in leymans, training and lots of hills so you're out of breathe...
It was an odd test, blowing through a tube approx 25mm diameter into some device with hardly any resistance- just exhaling really quickly, but the aim being to keep it up for as long as possible?! Did it twice with similar (low-ish) results.
Not really worried about the result, more wondering whether it's worth looking into improving lung capacity. So it sounds like running might be useful, although swimming's better. Or do nothing and don't fret!
I'm 38 btw, so no spritely teenager, but not an oldie yet 🙂
Freedivers use a technique called pack stretching where they hold a deep breath and then stretch, in particular the intercostal muscles (the ones between your ribs). By increasing the flexibility of those muscles it allows the freediver to take (and consequently hold) a larger volume of air by allowing the ribcage to expand more.
By doing this, they don't change the mechanics of their CV system, or change/improve their ability to do gas exchange in the lungs, but it gives them a bigger FVC, which for freediving is important (only in part because of the increased oxygen contained in the lungs, more significantly it's of benefit as the larger volume of gas makes depth equalization easier)
Just to add, I've known plenty of people pass out when pack stretching, so be careful trying it without supervision based on advice on the internet!
I would expect that if you did any form of CV exercise in an attempt to try to increase your FVC, it would be the fitness increase that would be more useful than any consequential increase in lung volume.
Has anyone used these daft-looking powerbreathe things? My brother got me one for my birthday, I'm still undecided if it was a joke or not since I'd just broken 2 ribs 🙄
As a slight aside Emil Zatopek used to hold his breath until he fainted. It was one of the many ideas he had to improve his fitness.