The art of heavy breathing

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The art of heavy breathing

Internationally renowned British sports scientist Professor Alison McConnell will visit New Zealand next week to share the art of heavy breathing with athletes and sport experts. Hosted by AUT University's Institute of Sport and Recreation Research New Zealand, with support from The Royal Society of New Zealand, Professor McConnell will discuss inspiratory muscle training and how it can help athletes improve their performance as well as its health benefits for asthmatics.

The lecture is being held Tuesday November 1, 6.00pm to 7.30pm at AUT's Akoranga Campus, on Auckland's North Shore. Entry is free. As Chair of Human and Applied Physiology at London's Brunel University, Professor McConnell leads its Applied Physiology Research Centre.

Professor McConnell is internationally recognised for her pioneering research into inspiratory muscle training, particularly its application to sport. This includes developing the POWERbreathe inspiratory muscle trainer, a hand-held, drug free product that looks similar to an asthma inhaler.

Many professional athletes now use the device, including Britain's athletics team, its Rugby World Cup 2003 squad and Olympic medallists from Sydney and Athens. "Inspiratory muscle training is a developing area in sports science," says Professor McConnell.

"Partnerships such as this one with AUT are important for increasing awareness and understanding." Dr Andrew Kilding, senior research lecturer in Exercise Science at AUT's Division of Sport and Recreation, is excited to have the opportunity to host Professor McConnell.

"This free seminar will be invaluable to coaches and athletes * by sharing her expertise in this area, we can identify ways to improve their performance," says Dr Kilding.

ENDS

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