TromboneChat

Has anyone encountered this before?

I presume this is nonsense but... it does come in alluring colors...

Shop - Lung Trainers

$12.00



$692.00

I don't think it's possible to train your lungs. Unlike muscle tissue, as you damage them they just scar up and become less flexible. If you really want to do it, this is the way:

Having had lung damage, and having had a hell of a road back from that, yes you most definitely can train your lungs. They give you this lovely tool at the hospital call a lung incentive spirometer.

There are a lot of ways to damage your lungs, and they don’t all result in scar tissue. They can if you don’t work on recovering your existing airways.

I believe in one way what harrisonreed is saying is correct, you’re not going to increase your lung capacity through training. Certain tools on the market are snake oil, but some tools, like the spirometer are designed to help build the muscles which aid breathing while working to optimize the performance of your airways or open them up.

I suffered from numerous pips, and large sections of atelectasis/collapsed portions of lung due to pneumonia and flu. That resulted in a PFT which showed a reduction in lung capacity of 31 percent. Through rehabilitation, I’ve gotten back up to 95ish percent with a very minimal amount of scarring…not to bad and I’ll take it.

To be honest, my best results didn’t come from the spirometer, but it did help. One of the best things for opening my airway up was picking up the euphonium. I don’t quite know, maybe something about the back pressure/resistance helped me to push out the crud….

Either way, I believe certain tools can help, my pulmonologist was very supportive of trombone/euphonium playing for helping with the damage along with the use of the spirometer. I believe some of these lung devices are great for healing…at the direction of a physician of course, and they will help in a similar way to other breathing exercises, but to increase total lung capacity, I don’t believe so…then again, like most of our discussion on the forum, I guess if capacity can’t be expanded, then increasing efficiency should be the goal…

I'm very interested in this subject as I have COPD and a paralyzed diaphragm. It lays up on the bottom of my left lung. I can still take in the same amount of air as always, but can't push it out very well. A four bar phrase is about all I can play. Any help would be appreciated.

But will it make your Drum Corps bugling louder?

That was the gist of the Facebook ad that led me to that product.

atopper333 wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2026 7:29 am To be honest, my best results didn’t come from the spirometer, but it did help. One of the best things for opening my airway up was picking up the euphonium.

I'm reminded of my college teacher who said he didn't need to quit smoking because playing the trumpet kept his longs clean. Maybe it was true!

But it remains an open point, the drinking did him in first.



.

harrisonreed wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2026 4:12 am I don't think it's possible to train your lungs. Unlike muscle tissue, as you damage them they just scar up and become less flexible. If you really want to do it, this is the way:

^ this is the way

I think,, you can't train the lung tissue directly, but you can train diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Not the exact ad I saw but similar... Lung Trainers

Doldom wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2026 6:24 am you can't train the lung tissue directly,

That may be true for the average Joe, but my dad is currently recuperating from heart surgery,.and the hospital has him doing breathing exercises to open up alveoli (or keep them' from shutting down). That is absolutely exercising the lungs.

AtomicClock wrote: Wed Apr 29, 2026 12:22 pm

Doldom wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2026 6:24 am you can't train the lung tissue directly,

That may be true for the average Joe, but my dad is currently recuperating from heart surgery,.and the hospital has him doing breathing exercises to open up alveoli (or keep them' from shutting down). That is absolutely exercising the lungs.

Yes the patient should do some breathing exercises after the surgery, because lung atelectasis is common after surgery. the patient should open up the lung if the atelectasis is present(if not the patient might develop pneumonia).
But in healthy person, I don't think it is possible to "stretch" the alveoli because it is already pretty opened.

Speaking of training... check out those lungs!

arttu.jauhiainen: Advice on long phrases