Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up added to usual or sport-specific warm-up in trained and competitive athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 1Graduate School of Physical Education, Myongji University, Yongin-si, Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Physical Education, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, China
- 3Department of Physical Education, Sichuan Vocational and Technical College, Suining, China
Abstract
BackgroundInspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) may acutely improve inspiratory muscle function. Whether it adds a performance benefit to an athlete’s usual warm-up is less clear. We evaluated the acute effects of adding IMW to usual or sport-specific warm-up in trained and competitive athletes.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to 20 April 2026 and updated on 14 September 2026. Eligible randomized studies evaluated a single session of IMW in trained or competitive athletes. Random-effects meta-analysis was used. Participant counts in crossover analyses counted each participant once. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, and certainty with GRADE.ResultsNineteen reports were included; 15 contributed to at least one quantitative synthesis. Primary add-on analysis favored IMW for immediate inspiratory muscle function (6 comparisons, 79 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.437, 95% CI 0.115 to 0.759; I² = 0.0%; moderate certainty). The primary performance analysis also favored IMW, with a small average effect (13 comparisons, 171 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.248, 95% CI 0.042 to 0.454; I² = 0.0%; low certainty). The effect on dyspnea or perceived breathing effort remained uncertain (3 comparisons, 30 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.125, 95% CI −0.602 to 0.852; I² = 0.0%; low certainty).ConclusionsAdding IMW to usual or sport-specific warm-up probably improves immediate inspiratory muscle function and may provide a small average improvement in acute performance. The effect on dyspnea or perceived breathing effort remains uncertain.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261400752, identifier CRD420261400752.
Related
- Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up on exercise performance in competitive athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Effects of inspiratory or respiratory muscle training on respiratory function, perceived exertion, and exercise or functional performance in team-sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Sport-specific differences in DXA-derived bone outcomes persist after adjustment for lean mass in competitive female athletes
- Effects of core training on physical fitness in trained adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Shoulder Injuries and Sport-Specific Shoulder Adaptations in Judo Athletes: A Systematic Review
BibTeX
@article{song2026acute,
title = {{Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up added to usual or sport-specific warm-up in trained and competitive athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
author = {Ziqi Song and Zilu Zheng and He Wang and Dongyang Jing},
journal = {Frontiers in Physiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2026.1976822},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1976822},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Acute effects of inspiratory muscle warm-up added to usual or sport-specific warm-up in trained and competitive athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Ziqi Song
AU - Zilu Zheng
AU - He Wang
AU - Dongyang Jing
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2026.1976822
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1976822
AB - BackgroundInspiratory muscle warm-up (IMW) may acutely improve inspiratory muscle function. Whether it adds a performance benefit to an athlete’s usual warm-up is less clear. We evaluated the acute effects of adding IMW to usual or sport-specific warm-up in trained and competitive athletes.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to 20 April 2026 and updated on 14 September 2026. Eligible randomized studies evaluated a single session of IMW in trained or competitive athletes. Random-effects meta-analysis was used. Participant counts in crossover analyses counted each participant once. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, and certainty with GRADE.ResultsNineteen reports were included; 15 contributed to at least one quantitative synthesis. Primary add-on analysis favored IMW for immediate inspiratory muscle function (6 comparisons, 79 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.437, 95% CI 0.115 to 0.759; I² = 0.0%; moderate certainty). The primary performance analysis also favored IMW, with a small average effect (13 comparisons, 171 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.248, 95% CI 0.042 to 0.454; I² = 0.0%; low certainty). The effect on dyspnea or perceived breathing effort remained uncertain (3 comparisons, 30 participants; Hedges’ g = 0.125, 95% CI −0.602 to 0.852; I² = 0.0%; low certainty).ConclusionsAdding IMW to usual or sport-specific warm-up probably improves immediate inspiratory muscle function and may provide a small average improvement in acute performance. The effect on dyspnea or perceived breathing effort remains uncertain.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261400752, identifier CRD420261400752.
SN - 1664-042X
ER -