Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up on muscular performance and pulmonary function in natural male bodybuilders.

backgroundInspiratory muscle warm-up (IWU) has been hypothesized to enhance athletic performance by pre-activating respiratory muscles; however, evidence in professional natural male bodybuilders is scarce. The present study investigated the acute effects of IWU on One-Repetition maximum (1RM) bench press performance and pulmonary function.

methodsThe present randomized controlled experimental study comprised 20 male athletes with an average training experience of 3.21 ± 1.44 years, who trained for more than 5 h per week and had participated in national or international competitions. At the commencement of the study, all participants underwent a series of pulmonary function tests (PFTs), measurements of maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP and MEP), and a 1RM test. Following the initial assessments, which were conducted seventy-two hours prior, participants were randomly assigned to either the IWU group (n = 10) or the control (CON) group (n = 10). While the IWU group performed both inspiratory muscle warm-up and standard exercise warm-up, the CON group performed only the standard warm-up. Subsequent to the execution of the warm-up protocols, both groups were subjected to re-evaluation through the means of the 1RM test and respiratory parameter measurements.

resultsThe IWU group demonstrated a 5.96% greater enhancement in 1RM performance in comparison to the control group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, significant increases were observed in FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC following IWU, with improvements of 2.57%, 2.44%, and 2.65%, respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, an additional 2.39% enhancement in MEP was identified in favour of the IWU group (p = 0.008). The alterations in MIP and PEF exhibited by the two groups were analogous, with no statistically significant disparities observed (p > 0.05).

conclusionsThe present study has demonstrated that IWU has the capacity to rapidly enhance maximal strength and respiratory function in professional bodybuilders. Consequently, IWU can be advocated as an efficacious warm-up technique to augment exercise performance in bodybuilding athletes.

trial registrationThis trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the title "Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warmup on muscular performance and pulmonary function in natural bodybuilders''. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT07390149, Date 18012026. (Retrospectively).