Objective of the study was to determine the degree of respiratory muscle fatigue in relation to fitness level, and to determine the relationship between inspiratory muscle strength and exercise respiratory indices. Methods and structure of the study. Elite rowers (n=10) and untrained healthy university students (n=28) performed progressive maximal tests. Respiratory indices were measured, including maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) at rest and 3 min after exercise in both groups. In the literature, PImax is considered as an indicator of respiratory muscle strength. Results and conclusion. In the group of rowers, significantly higher resting PImax (167±30 cmH2O) was observed compared to the group of students (117±29 cmH2O). However, after exercise, the percentage difference between resting and exercise pressures did not significantly differentiate between the groups. In both elite rowers and non-athlete students, respiratory muscle fatigue was recorded in about 60% of cases. There were no significant correlations between resting PImax and pulmonary ventilation, VO2max, or oxygen equivalent; only in the group of students, respiratory muscle strength correlated significantly and positively with BMI. The present study confirmed that even a high level of fitness does not prevent respiratory muscle fatigue induced by a progressive maximal effort.
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