How do you expand your lung capacity after age 50?

[imperialbari]

Go to the gas station, get the tire inflation hose, stick it in your mouth, press the button.

One never shall dismiss a good joke, but this advice would be fatal if followed. And very painful.

Klaus

[MaryAnn]

The stuff Sam Pilafian teaches has you "sipping" air after you think your lungs are full, until you think you will explode. That is a useful exercise.

Another exercise I ran into at ITEC was this:
1. Make two full inhalations, followed by full exhalations (without instrument, this is a breathing exercise)
2. On the third inhalation/exhalation, stop when you are empty and just sit there for ten to fifteen seconds, but without tensing your throat/glottis/etc
3. When the ten-to-fifteen seconds is up, inhale. You should notice that your chest moves, and your inhale may be more relaxed than what you were doing before. When you tense those muscles to avoid inhaling, they will automatically relax and you will get much more of a full inhalation, using the capacity that you have.

This was part of Dave Vining's excellent talk about focal dystonia; he was taught, as many were, to use "belly breathing" by his band director back when, with the lying on the floor with a book on his stomach and moving the book up and down. He demonstrated that he could move his belly in and out a large amount while he was talking normally, proving that this belly action really had nothing to do with breathing, since if it did it would have interfered with his talking during it if belly motion were essential or even applicable to breathing.

MA

[Alex C]

Capacity is fixed...efficiency can be improved. But, capacity can easily decrease thru lack of use, possibly recoverable but not definitely.

If capacity is fixed, then "capacity can easily decrease..." does not logically follow.

If capacity can easily decrease then, barring a physiological problem, it can be regained and I think that is what the OP is asking about.

Efficiency is improved at the embouchure with less tension. There is an efficiency of expansion/contraction of the lungs which can come with flexibility. Joint laxity is a bonus for tuba players contributing to efficiency of expansion/contraction.

Thanks to those who have sent the $100 honorarium. I trust your breathing is already showing signs of improvement. Lay off the cakes and pies now.

[peter birch]

Capacity is fixed...efficiency can be improved. But, capacity can easily decrease thru lack of use, possibly recoverable but not definitely.

If capacity is fixed, then "capacity can easily decrease..." does not logically follow.

If capacity can easily decrease then, barring a physiological problem, it can be regained and I think that is what the OP is asking about.

Efficiency is improved at the embouchure with less tension. There is an efficiency of expansion/contraction of the lungs which can come with flexibility. Joint laxity is a bonus for tuba players contributing to efficiency of expansion/contraction.

Thanks to those who have sent the $100 honorarium. I trust your breathing is already showing signs of improvement. Lay off the cakes and pies now.

lung compliance does decrease with age, you will not be able to run as fast at 50 as you could at 20, it does not necesarily indicate a physiological problem, it is just a fact of life - I whole heartedly concur with a reduction in cakes and pies, eat fewer but better cakes etc, there are health benefits to be had beyond tuba playing.
Something I was thinking about though, is that tuba playing is as much about breathing out as it is about breathing in, we seem to be concentrating on the inspiratory phase, the point of wind playing is to control how the breath goes out through our instrument, and that I think is equally interesting.