Airofit PRO
uk.airofit.com
£329

Well, this one was new to me. The Airofit PRO is an innovative exercise product that seeks to target a neglected part of our training regime: our breathing. ‘But we do cardio!’, I hear you cry out. That was my thought too, and it’s true, but the Airofit hasn’t been created as a replacement to other exercise, but as a supplement to it that further boosts performance. By targeting your breathing specifically with this exercise, you can apparently push your performance ability to a new level that affects everything you do. With the tag-line of ‘Stay a breath ahead’, the small device provides targeted, tracked training for your breathing in a manner that only takes a few minutes a day but builds up to make a big difference.

At first, I thought the Airofit was designed to be used at the same time as your other exercise, but in actuality, it is a separate training activity – but one that only takes 5-10 minutes a day. It has several functions: firstly, the device measures your breathing capacity and strength, which then allows the Airofit PRO to cater its 17 built-in training programmes to your specific needs. I thought this was a nice touch right off the bat, because unlike weights or the treadmill, I wouldn’t know where to begin in predicting what levels and exercise patterns I should set myself with this. Not only does it have these programmed-in training sessions, it allows you to interact with its ‘Virtual Breathing Coach’ via the app. This data feedback, and the device’s ability to monitor your progress and be tailored accordingly, allows you to intelligently train your respiratory strength, accessible lung capacity, anaerobic threshold, and other areas of your breathing.

So how does it work? This device basically adds resistance to your breathing, forcing your muscles to develop their strength, much like other muscles. This then equips them to work better when under strain such as other exercise. The app has been created by experts in the field, which gives me assurance that you can trust it – after all, when it comes to your breathing, you want to be safe!

The benefits of using the Airofit are supposedly numerous: increasing your lung capacity reduces your breathing rate, which means you spend less energy on breathing. That means you have more energy for everything else! An improved breathing rate also keeps your heartrate lower during physical activity and exercise. When exercise, you can go faster, higher, harder – with more energy in your lungs with each breath, you can put more oomph behind everything you do, with greater ease. Finally, it makes you more able to relax and fall asleep at night, and even reduces your snoring!

We were only able to test this device over a short period of time, whereas ideally, this is a long-term addition to your exercise regime. However, I could definitely feel that I was getting a work-out, but didn’t feel like I was pushing my lungs to do anything they couldn’t handle. This is easy to use, scales sensibly, and I can already feel that my lungs have been put through their paces. Now more than ever, respiratory health is on people’s minds, and this is a fantastic pro-active way to get ahead and make your lungs as strong and healthy as they can be.

Pros:
Improves & strengthens breathing

measures lung function
17 unique training sessions Personalized programs
Real-time guidance
Progress tracking
Advanced training sessions
Bluetooth connectivity