increase my lung capacity?

Question

how can in increase my lung capacity, I run cross country and track and wrestle so my resting heart rate is between 45 and 50 depending on the season but no matter what i do I can t seem to hold my breath any longer or breathe any less, how can I help with that, other info: lance armstrongs resting heart rate was 32, thats almost wrong its so good and his lung capacity was over double what a normal person is and he can hold his breath pretty much forever, now i'm not saying I want to be him, not that its a bad thing but how can I get closer to those numbers, heart rate and breathing, thanks lots

Answer 1

Actually lung capacity is irrelevant. Don't worry about it. Even below average lung capacity provdes ample aveoli (air sacs) to deliver enough oxygen to the blood. The logjam in the cardiovascular system occurs with the red blood cells, which is why EPO and Blood doping are the most frequently used doping methods in cycling. Because they increase the supply of red blood cells. Intermittent hypoxia training (IHT), high altitude training, is the best way to legally increase your red blood cell count. If you don't live someplace above 5000 ft, or have access to a hypoxia chamber, then you are pretty much stuck with what mom and pop gave you.

And don't worry about your resting heart rate either. They did a study a couple of years ago involving only the best pro cyclists. Those who had either won a world championship, or won a grand tour. They expected that they would all have ridiculously low resting heart rates, but they were surprised to find that it wasn't true. If I remember correctly, it was Ivan Basso who actually had a resting heart rate in the mid 40's. It's a very good idea to track your resting heart rate though, it's a good indicator of when you are over training.

Also, holding your breath is not a good idea either. The whole idea in aerobic exercise is to inhale and exhale as fully as possible, as quickly as possible. All that holding your breath does is increase the CO2 levels in your blood. It doesn't increase lung capacity or encourage the production of red blood cells.

Sorry, but you're pretty much stuck with what your genes gave you. That doesn't mean that you cannot outperform people with lower resting heart rates, and bigger lung capacities. Every great cyclist has a riding style which is adapted to their own personal physiology. Watch the great cyclists. Some hammer up hills in big gears. Some spin up them in small gears. Some stand more than others, and some like to accelerate while others like to hold a steady pace. It all depends upon your own physiology. Find what works for you. I had a coach who told us that we should train our strengths, not somebody else's. Which means train what your body is made for, don't try to emulate someone else's style just because it works for him. Find what works for you, and try to be the absolute best at that.

Answer 2

Lance Armstrong Lung Capacity

Answer 3

The only way to increase lung capacity is to chose your parents more carefully. Basically, what you have is all your going to have. Some people are genetically gifted, such as Miguel Indurain, Lance Armstrong, and Mark Allen. They are the elite in endurance athletes. Indurain's lung capacity was measured at 6.2 liters, 20% above avg for a person of his size. He was also born and raised in the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain.
Living and training at high elevation will train your body to use oxygen more efficiently.
You can train your body to use the oxygen you take in more efficiently. Raising your VO Max. Which is a measurement of how many liters of O2 per Kilo of body weight your body can absorb.

Answer 4

I really don't think you need to. You sound pretty fit. Just work with what you have. As you get older, your vital capacity decreases anyway, that can't be helped.
Don't forget to avoid smoky areas as this won't help.
Or get a personal trainer or fitness specialist.

Answer 5

Try to see how long you can hold your breath under water. Try to keep beating your time. Be careful, of course.

Answer 6

Stop smoking.

Answer 7

have you ever heard of clenbuterol? its fun im gonna use some tommarrow on the group ride.........................

Answer 8

Von... I like the name Von.... very ethnic....