Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Warm-up on Respiratory Variables, Physiological Indices, and 400-meter Performance in Elite Male Runners - Randomized Crossover Trial

Summary

A single-blind, randomized crossover design was employed in this study. Two days before the study commenced, all participants were provided with detailed information about the warm-up protocols and tests to be conducted. Participants were brought to the standardized 400m-track for measurements a total of four times, with one-week intervals, beginning two days after the initial familiarization and information session. They were required not to perform any strenuous training and avoid long travels during 24 hours before the testing sessions. They were told to abstain from food intake for 3 hours before the protocol and avoid alcohol and caffeine for at least 24 hours prior to testing to ensure controlled conditions. The participants underwent four different warm-up protocols in a randomized order: one consisting of an athletic warm-up alone and three incorporating an inspiratory muscle warm-up at varying intensities in addition to the athletic warm-up. All warm-up protocols were administered one week apart, on the same day of the microcycle and at the same time, under relevant supervision. Various measurements were conducted at specific time points to assess physiological responses within each warm-up protocol. Accordingly, MIP and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) tests were performed at the following time points: pre-warm-up, post-warm-up (pre-run), post-400-meter sprint, and at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after the run to evaluate inspiratory and expiratory muscle strength. Additionally, the Peak Inspiratory Flow Rate (PIFR) test was performed to determine inspiratory flow rate, and the Inhaled Volume (IV) test was conducted to measure the volume of air inhaled during inspiration. To objectively assess the effects of the warm-up protocols on sprint intensity and the recovery process, blood lactate testing was conducted. Furthermore, to monitor cardiovascular responses, heart rate measurements were recorded before the run, immediately after the 400-meter sprint, and at 1, 3, and 5 minutes post-run.

Conditions

• Athletic Performance

Interventions

OTHER

Inspiratory Warm-Up - 60% MIP

Inspiratory Muscle Warm-up Protocols In addition to athletic warm-up an athletic warm-up protocol, participants performed inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) using the POWERbreathe® Plus Blue Medium Resistance (POWERbreathe International Ltd., Warwickshire, England UK). In the IW60 arm, inspiratory muscle warm-up was performed at 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). Each protocol consisted of two sets of 30 repetitions (Marostegan et al., 2022; Demirkan et al., 2025).

OTHER

Inspiratory Warm-up - 40% MIP

Inspiratory Muscle Warm-up Protocols In addition to athletic warm-up an athletic warm-up protocol, participants performed inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) using the POWERbreathe® Plus Blue Medium Resistance (POWERbreathe International Ltd., Warwickshire, England UK). In the IW40 arm, inspiratory muscle warm-up was performed at 40% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). Each protocol consisted of two sets of 30 repetitions (Marostegan et al., 2022; Demirkan et al., 2025).

OTHER

Sham

In addition to athletic warm-up an athletic warm-up protocol, participants performed inspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) using the POWERbreathe® Plus Blue Medium Resistance (POWERbreathe International Ltd., Warwickshire, England UK). In the sham arm, inspiratory muscle warm-up was performed at 15% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). Each protocol consisted of two sets of 30 repetitions (Marostegan et al., 2022; Demirkan et al., 2025).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hitit University, Corum, Turkey

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Institute of Sport - National Research Institute, Poland

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-12-01

Primary Completion

2025-01-30

Completion

2025-01-30

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations