Respiratory Responses to Short Term Sustained Isometric Muscle Contraction among Undergraduates

Aim: This study sets out to investigate whether a short-term isometric abdominal exercise can benefit adults with improvement in ventilatory functions.

Materials And Methods: The present study was performed in 20 adults from the student population of I-BDS students with no history of smoking and respiratory illness. The participants did a daily 20-minute static abdominal exercise over a period of three days. The lung function test was assessed using spirometry and the values of FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR, FEF 25-75. Paired dependent t test was done to evaluate the anthropometric variables and changes in lung functions pre-exercise on day 1 and post-isometric exercise on day 3.

Results: The study demonstrated a significant increase in the mean values of forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second. The FEV1/FVC ratio, PEFR, FEF 25-75% did not reveal significant changes.

Conclusion: The study concluded an innovative finding that ventilatory functions improved after short term isometric training.