Breathing Toys.... Arnold Jacobs

[brianf]

I still have a 6 1/2 liter lung capacity today, just as I did when I was first measured in 1978.

Roger- Where did you find the fountain of youth? A lot of us would like to go there to regain our vital capacity lost due to age.

[Roger Lewis]

Hi Brian.

Basically I've never let myself get lazy. Over time, many players relax and learn to do more with less and they lose the capacity because they are not using it. I've never allowed myself to get lazy in my breathing and still swim a lot when the seasons cooperate. I also use an Ultrabreathe and a Sports model Powerlung to keep the inspiration muscles in shape.

I was tested about 6 months ago by my physician and he said that my capacity is still right around 127% of normal and my expulsion rate is about 123% of normal. When I had my physical for AT&T in 1978 those were the same numbers. The pulmonary specialist who tested me in 1978 was David Nadien's brother (former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic) and we had a nice chat about music.

Maybe it's genetic?

All the best to you my friend.

Roger

[brianf]

It is very common for a healthy musician to show more than what the vital capacity charts show. Roger is coming in with 120%+. I knew someone who played the horn and was an avid bicycle rider who came in at 120% even with pnemonia! Many times when I test players, I would try to push them over what the charts say. Does this mean they can increase capacity? No, lung tissue cannot become expanded but the elasticity of the lungs can improve. It is like constantly extending a rubber band - it streaches to the point that there is little resistance.

Roger - Keep it up!

[Roger Lewis]

As it was explained to me by David Nadien's brother, when you ask an average person to take as full a breath as they can they will only truly fill 80% of the capacity they actually have. So 80% became 100% for the average person. To have a reading higher than 100% you only need to fill more than 80% of your actual capacity and you're there.

I have had a number of students over the years with Asthma, a really nasty and dangerous condition. All of my students were over 100% efficiency after working with me. I was a severe asthmatic as a child, but I have not been bothered by it since taking up the tuba. There is a theorist in psychology, named Scheidt (not related to the composer to my knowledge) who believed that human behavior was based on "over achievement". Whatever you perceive your weakness to be as a child you will over achieve at it and it will become your strength as an adult. When looking back on my childhood, I would have to agree that there is something to this.

I've spent many years observing my own reactions and behavior so that I could better understand the effects that situations would have on me.

Roger

[jorgeskid]

Start a breathing gym routine!