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Foretić, Nikola

0000-0002-9160-0217

Mayo Clinic

Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Split, Croatia.

Citations 1

Reduction in respiratory muscle strength following a series of preparatory and maximal static, dry breath-holds

Journal of Applied Physiology | October 3, 2025 | Volume: 139 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 1235-1245

10.1152/japplphysiol.00256.2025 | PMID 41042814

Respiratory muscle fatigue could occur following involuntary breathing movements during maximal breath-holds. We measured respiratory muscle strength pre and post three preparatory and maximal breath-holds. We found significant reductions in diaphragm strength and total inspiratory and expiratory strength in some, but not all, divers. Divers that had respiratory muscle fatigue had a lower pseudo O 2 delivery (HR × [Formula: see text]) during the struggle phase. This suggests that reduced oxygen delivery may contribute to respiratory muscle fatigue during a breath-hold.