I was introduced to Inspiratory muscle training by Martin Mcphilimey as I was beginning a short and accelerated preparation for Western Australia’s Strongman series after seven months of traveling. Due to having only two months to prepare, Martin suggested IMT would enhance recovery from exercise so that I was able to put as many sessions as possible.

After a 10 year career in the Military including 5 within the Australian Special Forces I previously assumed I was in physically good shape year-round. Post-discharge from the Army I spent 7 months abroad, generally staying well away from most forms of fitness aside from the occasional hike. Needless to say upon my return from traveling, I was probably in the worst shape I’d been in for the past 15 years in both strength and cardiovascular fitness. Shortly after I had my arm twisted to test myself against some of WA’s strongest including recently crowned Worlds strongest U90kg man Ngarimu Ahipene.

After competing in the Qualifying round and earning a place at the state finals, Martin introduced me to the advantage of Inspiratory muscle training. I quickly jumped on board to leverage any possible physical benefits I could get with a shortened prep in comparison to most other competitors, I was looking for support from a performance coach. We completed an initial baseline of testing, and one day, Martin issued me a daily program that was easy to follow. We then had fortnightly retests to measure results to ensure the appropriate training load throughout the training protocol. After a week of using the device, I could noticeably feel the strength of my breathing muscles increase. It became easier to draw air through the IMT device, making each training session easier. After four weeks of training, I was becoming less frequently out of breath during my workouts.

Each fortnightly retest reaffirmed my opinion that the five minutes of complete training a day was making my lungs significantly stronger. Increasing my cardiac output and allowing the rest of my muscles to receive far more oxygenated blood than usual to the last longer and recover faster throughout my lead up training and during competition. At the WA strongman state finals, I managed to cap it off with a second-place finish to the Worlds Strongest 90kg man and an invite to Arnold’s national competition in Melbourne with 8 weeks of weight training and 6 weeks Inspiratory Muscle Training.

I will be continuing to work with Martin, and I’d undoubtedly recommend IMT to any individual finding it difficult to breathe during exercise. From those with breathing-related issues, all the way up to elite Athletes wanting to find that extra 2-3% when only milliseconds or a fractional weight plate might mean the difference between first and last place.