Although you can't increase the size of your lungs, you can increase your lung capacity, and many musicians and athletes train to do so. In general, the methods of doing so are transferable among both groups. A musician can improve lung capacity through athletic, aerobic workouts. An athlete might adopt the breathing techniques used by musicians -- or take up an instrument -- to increase his lung capacity.
Athletes
A variety of exercises can help you increase the amount of air your lungs take in and the efficiency with which they utilize oxygen. If you do such exercises on a regular basis, you should see an increase in your lung capacity.
For example, take your normal stretching and weightlifting workout into water by submerging yourself up to your neck and then doing your routine. Because the your blood shifts into your chest cavity and the water compresses your body, you wind up taking short, quick breaths. This will cut your air capacity by as much as 75 percent and increase the workload on your lungs. Doing pool workout regularly will improve the efficiency of your respiratory system and increase your lung capacity.
Athletes and Music
Playing a wind instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone, or a brass instrument such as a trumpet or trombone, can help athletes learn to control breathing and increase lung capacity, advises HealthExpertAdvice.org. You also could play in a marching band. The combination of moving and playing will enhance lung capacity. Singing can achieve similar results.
Musicians and Sports
In addition to the myriad forms of breathing techniques, musicians can help expand their lung capacity through aerobic activity on a regular basis. This can take the form of aerobics classes, cycling, running, swimming and any other form of activity that requires you to elevate your heart rate and breathe hard for a sustained amount of time.
Considerations
Any sort of breathing routine or exercise that requires you to breathe deeply and from the diaphragm is bound to increase your lung capacity, sometimes relatively quickly, according to researchers. But you can go too far. Intensive exercise can be bad for your lungs, especially for serious competitors who train in cold weather. Studies in Norway and Finland and at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games indicated that asthma and respiratory conditions were common among marathon runners and cross-country skiers. Cold weather training and age were factors in the research findings. However, swimmers were also at risk, primarily from inhaling large amounts of chlorine molecules that can cause inflammation in the lungs as well as asthma-like symptoms.
