Boost Your Endurance with Respiratory Muscle Training for Mountain Athletes

Harness This Secret Weapon to Improve Endurance and Oxygen Efficiency

In our relentless pursuit of peak performance, mountain athletes will stop at nothing to gain an edge—whether it’s ultra-light gear, scientifically engineered nutrition, or obsessively tracking every data point on their wrist-mounted devices. But in this endurance training game of chess, there’s a crucial piece that’s often overlooked: Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT). This, which includes both expiratory and inspiratory muscle training, is the secret weapon that can transform your lungs into powerhouses of oxygen efficiency and improved endurance, especially when you’re scaling the world’s great vertical challenges. And for those of you embracing Recal’s high-altitude breathwork training, RMT is your new best friend. Let’s dive into why this seemingly niche training deserves your full attention.

Why Bother with Respiratory Muscle Training?

At first glance, respiratory muscle training might sound like something reserved for opera singers or chronic lung patients—not exactly the stuff of mountain legends. But the truth is, when you’re pushing your body to its limits at high altitudes, the ability to breathe efficiently can be the difference between a triumphant summit and a grueling retreat.

The Basics: Respiratory Muscle Training specifically targets the muscles involved in breathing—beyond simply how to strengthen your diaphragm, this includes how to strengthen your intercostal muscles as well—through a series of exercises designed to improve their endurance, strength, and efficiency. Imagine trying to summit a mountain without doing lunges to strengthen your quads. That’s the difference RMT can make for your respiratory muscles.

Get an inside look at a recent Information Session Recal founder Anthony Lorubbio hosted with Grajales Expeditions.

In this part of the session, he is explaining the importance of Respiratory Muscle Training and the impact it has on high altitude endurance.

learn more here

The Science Behind It

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of why respiratory muscle training (RMT) isn’t just another fitness trend, but a scientifically backed game-changer for mountain athletes. A study led by Dr. Mitch Lomax Ph.D., M.Sc., an expert in exercise physiology, has spent years studying the effects of RMT on exercise performance. This particular study focused on inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and showed that strengthening the muscles responsible for inhalation significantly enhanced endurance and reduced the perception of effort during strenuous activities.

Dr. Lomax’s research highlighted that participants who underwent inspiratory muscle training experienced notable improvements in their oxygen uptake and utilization at high altitudes. This isn’t just about breathing better; it’s about optimizing how your body uses every single breath. For mountain athletes, where every breath counts, this can make the difference between summiting with confidence and struggling with altitude sickness.

In the context of high-altitude endurance, where oxygen is scarce, and the air pressure feels like a relentless foe, these findings are nothing short of a revelation. By training your respiratory muscles, you’re not just preparing your body to cope with the challenges of altitude; you’re giving yourself a powerful tool to overcome them.

Why Mountain Athletes Should Care

A group of people climbing a snowy slope, with towering snow-covered peaks in the background
High-altitude hiking requires endurance, and respiratory muscle training can help improve your ability to breathe and perform at challenging altitudes.

So, why should you, a mountain athlete, care about respiratory muscle training? Because it’s one of the few training methods that directly targets the most fundamental aspect of survival and performance in high-altitude environments: your ability to breathe.

Improved Oxygen Uptake: Respiratory muscle training enhances the efficiency of your respiratory muscles, allowing for greater oxygen uptake and delivery to the rest of your body. This is crucial when every breath counts, such as when you’re trekking above 10,000 feet where the oxygen level drops to about 70% (see this chart from Hypoxico for more info) of what a sea-level dweller would be used to.

Delayed Onset of Breathlessness: Studies have shown that individuals who engage in regular respiratory muscle training experience a delayed onset of breathlessness during intense exercise. Translation: you’ll be able to maintain your pace and composure longer, rather than gasping for air after the first steep incline.

Increased Lung Capacity: Respiratory muscle training can also lead to a modest increase in lung capacity, giving you more room to store the precious oxygen your body craves at high altitudes. While it’s not going to turn you into a human air tank, every little bit helps when you’re thousands of feet above sea level.

Adapt for High Altitude: The higher you go, the thinner the air gets, and the more your body struggles to get the oxygen it needs. RMT preps your respiratory system to handle these conditions better, meaning you can push higher, longer, and harder without hitting that dreaded wall of breathlessness.

Improv Your Endurance: Whether you’re competing in a mountain marathon, a backcountry ski race, or just trying to keep up with your climbing partners, respiratory muscle training gives you an edge in endurance. While others are struggling to catch their breath, you’ll be powering through, thanks to your supercharged respiratory muscles.

Optimize Recovery: Post-exertion, your body’s demand for oxygen is still high as it works to recover. RMT not only helps during the climb but also aids in faster recovery by ensuring that your respiratory system is more efficient at delivering oxygen when you need it most.

Exercises for Inspiratory (IMT) and Expiratory (EMT) Muscle Training

Now that we’ve established the science, let’s dive into some practical exercises to help you build that respiratory powerhouse. These exercises are tailored for both Inspiratory (IMT) and Expiratory (EMT) muscle training, ensuring you’re prepared for every breath on the mountain.

Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT)

  1. Air Resistance Device Training (like the SportsMask, POWERBreathe, or O2Trainer)
    • How to do it: You have the option to use a training device, which is designed to offer resistance during inhalation. Start with a low resistance setting, and gradually increase it as your strength improves. If none of these are accessible to you, simply plug one nostril.
    • Benefits: Strengthen your diaphragm and external intercostal muscles (primary muscles used during inhalation), improve your lung capacity, and improve muscle endurance. Studies have also shown air resistance-based inspiratory muscle training helps to keep arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) high at altitude.
  2. Diaphragmatic Breathing:
    • How to do it: Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen (option to add weight just below your rib cage). Inhale deeply through your nose, ensuring your abdomen rises more than your chest. Exhale slowly.
    • Benefits: Enhances diaphragmatic efficiency and strength through the resistance of both gravity and weight (optional). This also promotes more optimal diaphragmatic breathing habits.
  3. Resistance Band Breathing:
    • How to do it: Wrap a resistance band around your lower ribcage (the Buteyko Belt, for example). As you inhale, work against the resistance of the band, focusing on expanding your ribcage.
    • Benefits: Builds strength for both diaphragm and external intercostal muscles; this conditioning will help in the thin air at high altitude, as it will require more work to pull in the air into your lungs with each breath.

    Expiratory Muscle Training (EMT)

    1. Balloon Blowing:
      • How to do it: Take a deep breath in and then exhale into a balloon, inflating it as much as possible without using your hands. Repeat several times.
      • Benefits: Targets the inner intercostal muscles (primary muscles used in exhalation) and helps develop controlled, powerful exhalations.
    2. Pursed-Lip Breathing with Resistance:
      • How to do it: Inhale deeply through your nose, then exhale slowly through pursed lips, creating resistance. For added challenge, use a straw to exhale, the O2Trainer, or SportsMask.
      • Benefits: Strengthens the muscles involved in exhalation, improving your gas exchange efficiency at high altitudes.
    3. Exhale Pulsations (from Breathing for Warriors by Dr. Belisa Vranich)
      • How to do it: Sit upright. Exhale forcefully and quickly, keeping your back still, contracting your abdominal muscles as you do. Inhale should be passive and automatic. Aim for short, powerful bursts of exhalation.
      • Benefits: Enhances your body’s expiratory muscles, in particular your inner intercostal muscles. These muscles come in handy for gas exchange while in the midst of a grueling high altitude endurance endeavor. This is also a cleansing pranayama-derived breathwork technique used in traditional yoga.

High Altitude Breathwork Training - A 5-week Program

View of Mt Kilimanjaro with a snow-covered summit and clouds just underneath.
At high altitudes, respiratory muscle training plays a vital role in improving endurance and performance

Recal’s high-altitude breathwork training has taken the principles of respiratory muscle training and worked them into a comprehensive program designed specifically for mountain athletes and adventurers. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about working smarter.

Integrative Approach: Our breathwork program integrates respiratory muscle training with altitude simulation training, and deep mindfulness practices, including the Wim Hof Method. The goal? To create an athlete who is not only physically prepared for high-altitude challenges but also muscle-conditioned, oxygen-efficient, and mentally resilient.

Real-World Application: This isn’t just theory. Recal’s training program has been tested and refined in collaboration with seasoned mountain athletes, expedition outfitters, and adventure racers. The result is a training protocol that delivers measurable improvements in performance at altitude.

Implement Breathwork into your Training

Get In Touch

Have questions or need more information? We’re here to help.

  • Comment on the Video: We’ll respond as quickly as possible.
  • Email Us: Reach out to info@recaltravel.com for detailed inquiries.

Conclusion:

In the end, respiratory muscle training is about maximizing your potential as a mountain athlete. Think of this as your invitation to join the ranks of those who understand that breathing isn’t just an involuntary action—it’s a skill. And like any skill, it can be trained and improved. And with Recal’s high-altitude breathwork training, you’re not just preparing to climb a mountain—you’re preparing to do it more safely and with more ease. So, take a deep breath, and let’s dive in together.

Once again, I’m Anthony. From all of us here at Recal, we wish you the best of luck in your upcoming adventures. See you on the mountain soon!

Happy Training,

Anthony and the Recal Team

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~ Message from Recal ~

Thanks for stopping by our blog. Here at Recal, we offer breathwork-based coaching to help you prepare for life’s greatest endeavors. 

The latest program we offer is High Altitude Breathwork Training to get you ready for the mountain, even if you live at sea level. We also created Guidebook to use as a daily journaling tool; it has helped leaders around the world live more focused and fulfilling lives.

If you’re curious about our Guides, click the links below to submit your information and receive a free digital copy:

We also have a strategic partnership with Oxygen Advantage and use their products (like mouth tape for sleep and SportsMask for altitude training) to help our community become better leaders through breathwork training and proper breathing habits. You can view their online breath courses and products by clicking here.  

We stand by the things that we offer and promote – and proudly use them ourselves.

If you have any questions, we’re here to help: email us at hi@recaltravel.com.