IMT combined with core stability adds 11% to VO2max in footballers
A 2026 RCT in J Strength Cond Res found 8 weeks of core-anchored inspiratory muscle training lifted VO2max by ~11% and MIP by ~18% in male footballers.
A 2026 randomised controlled trial published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that 8 weeks of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) anchored to core-stability exercises lifted maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) by roughly 18% and VO2max by approximately 11% in competitive male footballers, gains that outpaced standard IMT alone. The trial, by Gürses et al., assigned players to three groups and tracked six respiratory and five physical-performance outcomes, making it the most granular football-specific IMT dataset to date.
Why breathing muscles limit football performance
Inspiratory muscles, chiefly the diaphragm and external intercostals, account for up to 15% of total oxygen consumption during near-maximal exercise. When they fatigue, blood is redistributed away from working legs, cutting power output in the final 20 minutes of a match. Dempsey et al.'s foundational work in respiratory physiology established this metaboreflex decades ago, and football scientists have since quantified it: players cover roughly 30% less ground in the second half compared with the first when aerobic capacity is borderline.