Inspiratory Muscle Training in Wheelchair Basketball Players: Effects on Physical Performance and Cardiopulmonary Variables

The respiratory system has been touted as a limiting factor of physical performance during high intense physical exercises. This limitation is related, among other things, with the fatigue of respiratory muscles. The fatigue of these muscles during physical exercise generates many physiological reflex activation culminating in reduced blood flow to the limb muscles, resulting in decrease in muscle performance. Researchers showed that the inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is able to generate improved of athlete's physical performance. However, when it comes to wheelchair athletes there are still divergent views on the effects of IMT on the physical performance. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the effects of IMT on the physical performance and cardiorespiratory variables of wheelchair basketball players. For this purpose, the investigators will select 40 wheelchair basketball players of both genders. The participants will be allocated blindly and randomly into two groups that differ by the proposed interventions. In IMT Group, the participants will be submitted to a IMT program with inicial load of 50% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP); the SHAM Group will be submitted to a simulated IMT with load of 15% of MIP. All participants will pass through the same evaluation procedures before and after the interventions, so that the investagators can evaluate the benefits generated by the IMT on the physical performance and cardiorespiratory variables of wheelchair basketball players.