Proper breathing techniques during exercise can fully oxygenate the muscles and clear the body of built up carbon dioxide giving you an all around better performance. Too much CO2 will unnecessarily increase heart rate and lactic acid production and decrease endurance. Good breathing techniques have benefits like preventing dizziness and side cramping, increased fat burn and improved physical performance.
RUNNING
Maintaining correct running form and tempo can be challenging enough for runners but huffing and puffing your way along a run can make it so much harder on your body! There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for proper breathing technique while running, however, many runners find it most comfortable to breath a 2:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio. This means you inhale for two foot strikes and exhale for two foot strikes. Getting your breaths in sync with your running cadence will help maintain a lower heart rate while running faster and provide you the energy you need to the go strong all the way through the finish line.
Breathing through your mouth provides a path for the least resistance and is more efficient for oxygen intake. But some would argue that the nose helps to warm up the air entering your body while decreasing allergens and may also provide a calming effect on the body.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Running isn’t the only way to get in a good cardio work out. If you’ve ever had a full weight training session at the gym you know that you can maintain a good aerobic heart rate for the entire work out. Each training session can benefit greatly from proper training technique. Exhaling on the effort phase (or exertion) of a lift is the way to go. Contracting the breathing muscles will help brace the load during lifts and provide and maintain lumbar stability. A good example to use is the bench press. Exhale slowly and continually while pressing the bar then inhale at the top of the lift or on the return. Remember to keep the core muscles engaged to protect the spine.
HIGH-INTENSITY SPORTS AND EXERCISE
When mixing aerobic activity with a stop-go pattern and possibly some body contact there is a lot to consider in your breathing technique. When bracing for impact or a load take a deep breath and brace your core muscles. This helps balance and strength while also protecting the spine. Each breath should come from the diaphragm, not the chest. Your rib cage should expand in all directions when utilizing the diaphragm muscle not just top to bottom or back to front. When in a recovery or break period take deep calm breaths to more efficiently stabilize the heart rate and be ready to jump back into action.
Maximize your potential for success by listening to your lungs and trying some of these stabilizing and stamina building techniques whether running laps, bulking up at the gym or enduring through the fourth quarter of the game.
