Runner’s World July 2010
Feature: Warm-ups Gear
POWERbreathe Kinetic K3
WHAT IS IT?
The POWERbreathe Kinetic K3 is a breathing training device that exercises the lungs and equips them to work more efficiently. For optimium results, the recommended usage is five minutes per day.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The device is inserted into the mouth and the user breathes in and out. Kinetic K3 then detects the lung muscle strength and sets a resistance based on this reading. As the user’s lungs become stronger, it automatically increases the resistance and tracks the results, Helpfully, it beeps to tell you when to inhale and when to exhale, and there are also warm-up and cool-down modes.
WHAT ELSE?
This is the latest addition to POWERbreathe’s long-standing range of breathing trainers, but it’s the first digital one.
The key advantage of this model is that it maximises the benefit derived from each breath. Whereas previous versions were set up so that the user worked against a constant resistance and either succeeded or failed, this one adjusts automatically during each breath, reducing the resistance levels when the lungs start to struggle.
VERDICT
The initial set-up is easy and using the device thereafter is also a doddle, as there are only two navigation buttons. And it works; our test results showed a demonstrable difference in lung muscle strength after just a couple of weeks’ use.