Living Car Free - breathing

I just was told today about, a exercise one can do to increase ones lung volume. I got this because I am trying to learn the Irish Tin Whistle, and I was given this breathing exercise that I was told could in a month double ones lung volume. Here is what I was told. Breath in though ones nose so deep that it hurts, and hold your breath as long as you can (I was told that if you breathed deep enough you will be not able to hold it for more then 4 seconds) So this 8 times in the morning and 8 times at night, and after about a month you could get as much as double the lung volume.

I thought I would share this here since as bikers we could use larger lung volumes.

I almost passed out when I tried it. Is that normal?

don't know, I feel like that too, I get dizzy, but I was given this info by a music instructor, so I am going to try it, what can it hurt if I do it in the morning and in the evening, I don't think any one should try it while on a bike.

Hmmmmmm, got me interested as I quit smoking about 4 years ago and still at least from what I can tell have not fully regained my lung capacity. So I googled and found this link, seems similar to what you said in some respects plus gives a few more techniques as well.

Breathing for Highly Trained Athletes (http://www.cptips.com/respmus.htm)

If you do your 8 deep breaths fairly quickly, you deplete your lungs and body of carbon dioxide (CO2). While this is a waste product you want to get rid of, you need to have some in your body, because CO2 in the lungs or blood stream is also a more powerful cue to breathing than low O2 is. So after exhaling all your CO2, you might not notice that you need to keep breathing, until your O2 level starts to drop way below normal, making you dizzy.

you guys must not get enough aerobic exercise, I can hold it for quite awhile

we have excess lung capacity to begin with, isnt lung capacity limiting power on a bike, its ability to process oxygen and get it to the muslces

I get plenty of aerobic exercise but then I did smoke 2 packs a day for 30 years. :(