Any tips on training to improve lung capacity and function? Mine is pretty bad.. I haven't had it measured, but I know sometimes I run out of breath in the middle of held notes while doing my daily 'car singing' to and from work, lol.

So.. How does one go about improving lung capacity through exercise?

Also.. How long does this process take to start seeing noticeable results?

I sometimes think I may have a wee bit of exercise-induced asthma, but it's never given me an attack or anything and I don't wheeze, so I think it's just weak and (until lately) under-utilized lungs. Hoping to perk them up!

I have severe asthma (since I was 6 months old) and I don't wheeze, I cough. I have developed COPD as well (last 2 years). You really should ask your doctor to do a spirometry test. They can do it in the office in 5 minutes.

Exercise, strength and cardio, will help with your lungs. Just start slowly and gradually increase it. Yoga is also excellent for this. It will take a few months to notice a change.

Hmm.. I do get exercise-induced coughing. I was on a light inhaler when I was in middle school for when we would do things like 'run the mile' (it was the white one, but the name escapes me at the moment).. Maybe it's light exercise-induced asthma? My husband was recently diagnosed with asthma after a long, persistent cough. Maybe it is worth checking out then.. I'm really hesitant to take drugs (especially steroids like inhalers), but it might help my fitness improve if I can have deeper lung function.

Here's a link to some Breathing Exercises to Increase Lung Capacity

Swimming is good at helping to build lung capacity, too.

This is also pretty related to your heart rate thread. It is all part of the same circle.

I noticed a significant difference after a few weeks of regular biking, with continued improvement as I went. I went hiking recently for the first time in months and was astounded at how much better my lungs felt.

I get runner's cough when I run in the -20c in the winter time, the group I ran with at the time we would all get it...

Any exercise that makes you breathe deep would help IMO... Yoga breathing is excellent it trains you to breathe deep instead of shallow like most of us do without even thinking about it...

I was going to add....singing, for the most part, is more a function of abdominal strength and control than lung function. Holding a long note is about diaphragmatic control and is all core.

Yep, working out will help. I think that when you are sendentary even your lungs get a bit lazy. It will improve with time. I agree with ennay too. Singing is more about your diaphragm and breath control. I breath really hard when I work out, but it gets better the more I do it.

Mild exercise induced asthma (EIA) is almost always treated with albuterol, a bronchodilator. It's not a steroid, and there's no risk of dependence. Track your symptoms (wheezing, coughing, metallic taste in mouth), environmental factors (cold, humidity, poor air quality, exercise, infection, allergies) and follow-up with your doctor. Even if you don't notice wheezing, if you have EIA you're probably getting less oxygen while working out than you should. An inhaler will make a huge difference. And while you say now that you've never had an asthma attack, if you have EIA, there is the risk that you could have an attack. (And if you're like me, it will be in a foreign country.)