PowerBreathe Lung Exerciser

How Does It Work?

It uses the basic principles of resistance training, with adjustable load which caters for all capabilities and permits progressive training 'Dumb-bells for your diaphragm' - Just as you might use weights to strengthen your arm muscles, breathing in through POWERbreathe for a few minutes twice daily, makes your inspiratory muscles work harder - thereby increasing their strength and endurance. It is an easy-to-use, drug-free, hand-held device with a comfortable mouthpiece. Within a few days your inspiratory muscles will feel stronger and within four weeks your lung function, and ultimately performance, will improve.

Facts about asthma

• Asthma is the most common chronic disease in the developed world
• In the UK, around 3 million people have asthma
• Asthma is responsible for the loss of 11 million working days every year
• Asthma attacks are behind the hospitalisation of more than 100,000 Britons a year
• Asthma attacks cause the deaths of some 1,900 people annually - the equivalent of one person every four hours
• One child in every ten suffers from asthma

POWERbreathe has been shown to reduce breathlessness and bring new-found freedom to people who, because of illness or advancing age, are restricted by shortness of breath. Using the laboratory-proven POWERbreathe training system of 30 BREATHS TWICE A DAY, the strength of your breathing muscles will improve rapidly. An easy-to-use, drug free, hand-held device, POWERbreathe has a controllable load for progressive exercise and is appropriate for people at all levels of fitness.

Relieves the symptoms of ASTHMA, POWERbreathe is great for asthmatics, or anyone who suffers from respiratory problems. Numerous research trials have already been conducted, examining breathlessness and respiratory muscle fatigue in many groups of people.

In randomised, controlled trials, on mild / moderate asthmatics, POWERbreathe increased inspiratory muscle strength by a mean of 11% in just 3 weeks (McConnell et al., 1998)

Practising with your POWERbreathe

Perform the following steps to practise the correct way to breathe through your POWERbreathe.

1. Remove the outer sleeve and check that knob is in the start position (described earlier), holding the POWERbreathe upright.

2. Replace the outer sleeve and grip it as you place the mouthpiece in your mouth.

3. Breathe out as far as you can, then take a fast, forceful breath in, and continue so that you take in as much air as you can, as quickly as you can. Breathe in until you are no longer able to open the valve.

4. Now breathe out slowly and passively until your lungs are empty in the way you have already practised. You will need to squeeze the last bit of air out of your lungs.

5. Pause until you feel the urge to breathe again.

6. Repeat this exercise until you feel confident about breathing through the POWERbreathe, then put on the noseclip and continue to practise making a forceful breath in and breathing out fully.

REMEMBER:Your breath in should be fast and forceful and your breath out should be long and slow. Do not pant. With a little practise you should find using POWERbreathe simple and enjoyable.

It should be challenging, not painful - if you feel any discomfort while using POWERbreathe, discontinue use immediately and consult your doctor, or call the POWERbreathe helpline.

MODELS

Sport - (For people with above average to high fitness levels who are involved in regular activity or team sports)
Fitness - (For people with average to above average fitness levels and are involved in regular aerobic activity)
Wellness - (For people with below average to average fitness levels)

Getting the most out of your POWERbreathe

You should begin to enjoy the benefits of your POWERbreathe within the first one to two weeks of use and your breathing power should have improved substantially after four to six weeks.

At this stage you will not need to use your POWERbreathe every day to maintain your improved breathing. Using your POWERbreathe every other day, when convenient, will be sufficient to continue to enjoy a better lifestyle.

POWERbreathe-Training for performance

POWERbreathe is like any other kind of training - you get out what you put in. If you are using POWERbreathe to enhance your performance, you may want to push yourself a little harder.

When training for performance with POWERbreathe, use the same "30 breaths twice a day" training programme, but be aware you will only achieve optimum benefits when you train "hard". In other words, breathe as deeply and forcefully as you possibly can and aim to reach "overload" within 30 breaths. "Overload" means you should be unable to open the valve properly by the time you reach 30 breaths. If you find that you can manage 34 breaths with ease, increase your training load by a quarter of a turn. This may mean that you can only achieve 26 breaths or so next session, but stick at it - within a few days you will be back up to 30 again. In this way you are always training to the "max".

This intensity of training is quite strenuous and we only recommend it for those users who are accustomed to hard physical activity.

Using your POWERbreathe as an addition to warm-up

Research has shown that a normal warm-up routine neglects your breathing muscles. POWERbreathe can be used to warm-up your breathing prior to exercise. To do this you first need to determine your current training level by removing the outer sleeve and checking the number on the circular "steps" visible on the lower chamber.

If you can see only one line circle visible on the chamber, your level is high, if you can see two lines your level is medium and if all three are visible, you are using a low training level. Then reduce the load on your POWERbreathe by three turns if your level is high, two if it is medium and one if it is low.

Your POWERbreathe is now set for warm-up. Perform two sets of 30 breaths with two mins rest between each set. Try to breathe in fully but avoid maximum effort. This routine should be done within five minutes of your workout, training or competition.