Jon Trevor, TV Expert at Sit-up Channels and Show Business Personal Trainer at Fit4ThePart, led a two-year trial with Dialect Dialogue and Voice Coach, Rick Lipton, at leading UK Drama Academy, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, using POWERbreathe inspiratory muscle training as a platform for singers and performers to help enhance their vocal performance.

The trial involved a bespoke combination of physical exercises combined with Inspiratory Muscle Training with POWERbreathe to see if it enhanced the performers’ vocals.

“We found that IMT (Inspiratory Muscle Training) did indeed have a positive effect on vocal performance, in activating the soft pallet and helping participants to identify and control intra-abdominal pressure,” reported Jon Trevor.

Having worked with the students for two years, Jon found that specific POWERbreathe training helped with breath control which in turn resulted in an improvement in vocal ability and vocal performance, “in more ways than just on a physical plain”.

“Having uncontrolled stronger breathing muscles can blow the vocal folds, which is not good for a singer, so my programme is a physical programme designed specifically for singers in combination with IMT that incorporates the learning curve of controlled breath support.”

Inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe:

  • Enhances the ability to inflate the lungs (take deeper breaths)
  • Enhances the ability to control the breath
  • Enhances the ability to sustain forceful breathing (breathing does not become fatigued)
  • May affect the intrinsic laryngeal muscles which control the action of the larynx

One of the three mechanisms of voice production is the Air Pressure System which involves the diaphragm, intercostal muscles, ribs, abdominal muscles and lungs. They help in voice production by providing air and by controlling the pressure of that air.

Learning to control your breath will help to control your voice, and by strengthening the breathing muscles used in the Air Pressure System for voice production, you’ll improve your ability to control your breathing. By incorporating POWERbreathe Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) into your vocal exercise routine, you’ll help make full use of your lungs, and how well you inhale will affect how well you exhale.