01/28/2026
Can just 4 weeks of inspiratory muscle training make a difference in older adults?
A randomized study in healthy men ages 60-80 found that short-term inspiratory muscle training led to meaningful improvements in function and muscle performance.
After training, participants showed:
✅ increase in diaphragm thickness
✅ improvement in 6-minute walk distance
✅ improvement in a fatty liver density biomarker
✅ Modest physical QoL improvements
✅ Moderate mental health improvements over time
This reinforces what many clinicians see in practice: targeted breathing training can improve functional capacity, even over a short time frame.
*The liver finding is interesting but early. Only one biomarker was measured, so this doesn’t yet prove broader metabolic benefit.
Still, it adds to the growing evidence that inspiratory muscle training may impact more than just the lungs.
Geriatrics
Konca, E., Yılmaz, C., Bayrakdaroğlu, S., Ceylan, H. İ., Arslan, A., Ocak, H., Karakulak, İ., Sarı, R., Uzun, R. N., Soylu, H. H., Ceylan, L., & Muntean, R. I. (2026). Short-Term Inspiratory Muscle Training Enhances Functional and Metabolic Health in Older Adults. Healthcare, 14(2), 249. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14020249
