Posts Tagged ‘rib cage’

Some time back I had a check up and the doc told me my lung capacity is in the top percentile.
They get you to blow into that plastic thing and it tells them your lung volume.
As a teen I used to smoke two packs of cigarettes daily and a big pile of reefer. Now after over 20 yrs of teetotaling and non-drug use my lungs are great.

I know my lungs have a good volume because I deliberately trained them. I may do a free PDF report on this at a later stage but for now here’s how:

Breathing squats:

These are done with less weight and higher reps than normal squats.

Take a deep breath, exhale then do squat one,
Take two deep breaths, then do suat two,
Take three deep breaths, then do squat three…
…Continue like this up to ten deep breaths before squat ten. Thats one set.
Also experiment with more than one squat between the breathing try 3-5 if it feels better for you.

You can experiment with holding the breath in during the squat. When I say deep I mean breath it right in and stretch that diaphram.

You can increase the number of sets too, Start with 3-5 sets at the beginning.

Breathing pullover:

Perform as with regular dumbell pullovers but integrate the deep breathing and breath holding as above.

Flyes:

Flyes with dumbells are great for the ribcage and sternum perfomed flat on your back. The emphasis is on stretching and maximum lung expansion rather than strength.

Wind Sprints:

Try some sprinting exercises at your local park. Hill sprints are even better.

Carotid expansion:

There is a technique used by free divers and mountain climbers to enlarge the carotid arteries and improve lung capacity. This involves temporary oxygen deprivation so many recommend vitamin C and E supplements. Simply breath into a plastic bag for several minutes until its full of CO2. This will create a physiological response that over time can permanently increase your vascular and lung capacity. Some people claim it can lead to improved brain function due to greater circulation.

Warning : Dont overdo it, if you feel faint at all your doing it for too long.

Hatha Yoga:

This is known as the science of breath, many of the exercises are similar to carotid expansion but much more elaborate. There are plenty of books on Hatha Yoga.

Spend about six months on your lungs and they will grow.