Postgraduate student A.A. Shlapak¹
PhD, Professor A.V. Zakharova^1
1Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg

Keywords: diaphragm, inversion exercises, fitness training.

Introduction. After the age of 40, women experience a decrease in the functionality of the respiratory system, including a reduction in vital lung capacity (VC) and volume-velocity characteristics of forced expiration due to a decreased contractile ability of the respiratory muscles [1]. It is known that in exercises where the pelvis is higher than the head, or inversion exercises, the abdominal organs exert pressure on the respiratory diaphragm and impede its movement during inhalation [2], thereby providing a training effect on the respiratory muscles.

Objective of the study. To determine the influence of inversion exercises on the functionality of the respiratory system in women of the second mature age.

Methodology and organization of the study. In women of the second mature age, an assessment of external respiratory function was performed using a MicroLab computer spirometer (United Kingdom) before and after performing three exercises: 1) an inversion exercise in hammocks called "Bat"; 2) a Pilates exercise "Bridging" combined with myofascial release of the diaphragm; 3) holding a deep forward bend from a standing position. In all exercises, the pelvis was significantly higher than the head for 1 minute. The following indicators were analyzed: VC, forced VC (FVC), and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), expressed as percentages of the normative values based on women's anthropometry and age.

Results of the study and discussion. A statistically significant increase in VC from 108.6±20.53% to 113±20.58% and in FVC from 94.6±21.5% to 108.4±18.92% after performing exercise 1 may indicate that the inversion exercise in hammocks positively affects the function of the respiratory muscles (diaphragm and intercostal muscles).

MVV characterizes the ability for intense breathing. The average MVV of women before performing the exercises (72.56±19.2%) was below the norm (80%). After performing all exercises, MVV increased: after exercise 1 it reached normal values of 86.4±15.66%; after exercise 2 it increased significantly – to 91.2±23.57% (p˂0.05); MVV did not change after exercise 3.

Conclusion. The inversion exercise in hammocks positively affects the functionality of the respiratory system (VC, FVC, and MVV). The "Bridging" exercise with diaphragm relaxation significantly increases MVV. The functionality of the respiratory system improved after a single performance of these exercises; accordingly, they can be included in health-improving sessions for women of the second mature age.

Literature

1. Andreeva M.V. Vliyaniye uprazhneniy po sisteme Dzh. Pilatesa na pokazateli vneshnego dykhaniya zhenshchin v vozraste 30-50 let [The influence of J. Pilates system exercises on external respiration indicators of women aged 30-50 years]. Vestnik Yuzhno-Uralskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya: Obrazovaniye, zdravookhraneniye, fizicheskaya kultura. 2010. No. 19(195). Pp. 11–14. 
2. Ivanitsky M.F. Anatomiya cheloveka [Human Anatomy]. Moscow: Chelovek, 2025. 624 p.