Effects of breathing exercises on young swimmers’ respiratory system parameters and performance

Breathing exercises are widely used to enhance respiratory function and athletic performance. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a modified exercise regimen on respiratory parameters and its effect on the performance of young swimmers in competition. Thirty-one swimmers aged 16–17 from various clubs in Latvia were selected, comprising an experimental group (n = 15, height: 174.36 ± 7.85 cm, weight: 65.80 ± 9.35 kg, body mass index: 21.60 ± 1.54) and a control group (n = 16, height: 180.78 ± 7.05 cm, weight: 69.90 ± 6.49 kg, body mass index: 21.40 ± 1.56). With an average of eight years of experience, participants trained for approximately 43–45 weeks annually (pool and gym sessions), with an average training duration of 20 ± 2 hours per week. Measurements were conducted on days one and 30, involving spirometry and swimming performance assessment based on the best results in the freestyle 100-meter distance. The experiment consisted of a modified breathing exercise performed thrice weekly for four weeks. Significant improvements were observed in the experimental group compared to the control group in forced vital capacity (p = 0.02), peak inspiratory flow (p = 0.001), and performance (p = 0.001), with p-values 0.05). The findings indicate that modified breathing exercises effectively enhance respiratory parameters and performance in competitive swimmers.