When starting out as a runner, the idea of enhancing breathing may not cross your mind as you presume it comes naturally. However, as you delve deeper into the sport, you become motivated to optimize your performance and explore the best techniques, causing you to ponder ways to enhance breathing while running.
Learning some breathing techniques could actually be advantageous for numerous runners. Being knowledgeable about how to enhance your breathing during running will not just give your performance a lift, but also decrease prevalent injuries that frequently afflict runners.
To make sure every run is great, follow these tips for better breathing while running and gain control over your breathing:
Learning some breathing techniques can actually be advantageous for the majority of runners. Knowing the right way to breathe during your runs can not just enhance your performance, but also diminish typical injuries that runners frequently encounter.
Become a Belly Breather
Are you the kind of person who tends to inhale shallowly when experiencing fatigue? Chest breathing is a common practice among many people, but it isn’t the most effective approach to optimize oxygen consumption.
The technique of diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, can help you maximize your oxygen intake during running. By utilizing your diaphragm, your chest cavity expands and enables your lungs to fully expand, thereby increasing your oxygen consumption.
By practicing deep breathing, ample amounts of oxygenated blood will be delivered to your muscles, helping to ward off exhaustion for an extended period. Additionally, more and more research indicates that deep breathing has a soothing effect, which can boost concentration and resilience.
To practice deep belly breathing easily, lie down on the floor and place one hand on your belly and another on your chest. Observe which area rises first when you take a normal breath. Start by breathing deeply into your belly and then move the breath up into your chest when you exhale.
Inhale and Exhale Through Both Your Nose and Mouth
If you solely breathe through your mouth, it can result in hyperventilation, whereas only breathing through your nose may not give you adequate oxygen during your jog. For optimal breathing while running, it is recommended to utilize both your mouth and nose simultaneously while inhaling and exhaling.
By inhaling through both the nostrils and the mouth, you can maintain a consistent breathing rhythm and involve your diaphragm in order to get the most oxygen possible. Additionally, this approach enables you to eliminate carbon dioxide from your body promptly.
Try to breathe through both your mouth and nose throughout the day, even though our natural tendency is to solely breathe through our noses. After you have mastered this technique, you can proceed to the next recommendation, which is to learn optimal breathing patterns while engaging in cardio exercises in order to increase speed and reduce the likelihood of injury.
Time Your Breathing with Your Cadence
Is it common for you to experience repeated injuries on a specific side of your body? Mastering the correct breathing rhythm that corresponds with your running pace could possibly mitigate these persistent injuries and enhance your running capability.
Cadence breathing, also known as rhythmic breathing, entails the count of steps taken during inhalation and exhalation. Typically, runners exhibit a proclivity to maintain an equivalent number of foot strikes for both inhale and exhale.
If you have a 2:2 breathing pattern, you breathe in every two strides and breathe out every two strides, which can result in injuries since the exhale is consistently synchronized with one foot.
Instead of that, attempt to concentrate on a breathing sequence that switches between each side. For example, a 2:1 breathing sequence in which you inhale for two strides and exhale for one. This alternating sequence will boost your core steadiness and prevent injuries.
Warm Up Your Respiratory System
Experiencing stabbing side pain, known as side stitches, during runs is a common occurrence, with 70 percent of runners reporting this discomfort according to a study.
Despite uncertainty regarding the exact cause of side stitches, it is clear that they result from cramping of the diaphragm muscle, which plays an integral role in breathing. It is reasonable to assume that improper breathing can lead to side stitches. The fact that new runners experience them more frequently reinforces this hypothesis.
Reducing the likelihood of experiencing a bothersome side stitch can be achieved by warming up your diaphragm prior to embarking on your usual speed. Begin by utilizing the deep belly breathing method to calm down your diaphragm muscle.
Afterward, commence at a leisurely pace and concentrate on sustaining your breathing method. Step by step, intensify your velocity to allot your diaphragm sufficient time to acclimatize to strenuous respiration. This will invigorate the whole body and enable you to evade cramps while running. Ensure that you equip yourself with a dependable running belt to stash your paraphernalia on your succeeding jog.
What is the rhythmic breathing technique?
Maintaining a rhythmic breathing pattern has helped me prevent injuries. However, before delving into the reasons behind this, it is important to acknowledge the physical strains of running. Each time your foot lands, the impact is equivalent to two to three times your weight. Furthermore, Bramble and Carrier’s studies indicate that this impact is greatest at the start of an exhale.
The reason for this is that the relaxation of your diaphragm and its associated muscles during exhalation reduces the stability of your core, creating a hazardous environment for injury during moments of significant impact.
If you consistently land on one foot at the start of exhaling while you run, it will worsen the issue. This foot will constantly absorb the most force, resulting in it becoming more fatigued and susceptible to harm. On the other hand, rhythmic breathing coordinates with foot strikes to ensure both feet take turns bearing the brunt of the impact while exhaling. Alternating between right and left feet ensures the stress of running is distributed evenly throughout your body.
To illustrate, imagine carrying a backpack filled with books and placing it on your right shoulder. As a result, your body would have to overcompensate and place more strain on one side. However, if you were to wear the same heavy backpack on both shoulders, the weight distribution would be even. This would allow your body to handle the stress with greater ease and maintain a healthy back.
It is logical to assume that if a certain side of the body repeatedly experiences more impact stress, that side will eventually become weakened and prone to injury. By utilizing the rhythmic breathing technique, both sides of the body can get a brief respite from the intense impact stress caused by running. However, rhythmic breathing encompasses much more than merely maintaining a consistent pattern of inhales and exhales with your footstrikes to avoid harm. It also encourages concentration on your breathing patterns, which can serve as a basis for your training and racing.
The benefits of rhythmic breathing
The practice of focusing on breathing has been deeply rooted in Eastern philosophy for quite a while. A seasoned scholar of Taoism and other Eastern schools of thought, Dennis Lewis conducts breathing workshops and teachings in various settings such as The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health as well as the Esalen Institute. In his literary work, The Tao of Natural Breathing, Lewis expounds upon a Taoist conviction which states that breathing comprehensively allows us to lead a complete life, harnessing our innate vitality to the fullest in all the senses, emotions, thoughts, and actions we engage in.
Yoga, a practice in Hinduism, includes teachings on pranayama, which is breath work. Prana refers to the breath as a vital force, where breathing actively draws the life-giving force into the body. This type of breathing is known as diaphragmatic or belly breathing, where the diaphragm contracts fully during inhalation to allow maximum volume in the chest cavity for complete lung expansion and air intake. By practicing rhythmic breathing, we are able to control and focus the breathing process, ultimately bringing the life force into the body. Running rhythmically provides us with the same breath work benefits, allowing us to maximize our breathing capacity and realize our vitality, as the Taoist philosophy suggests.
Breathing in a rhythmic manner fosters a sense of profound balance. Individuals who practice various styles of yoga, martial arts, relaxation, and meditation employ breathing techniques to unify their mind, body, and spirit. In martial arts, this internal connection and equilibrium enables better command over the physical body with heightened accuracy and immediacy.
By practicing rhythmic breathing while running, you can achieve a similar outcome. Begin by concentrating your mind on matching your breath with the best footstrike pattern to attain a state of centeredness. Once this is achieved, your mind-body connection is strengthened, enabling you to better measure the exertion of running. This heightened sense of awareness allows you to perceive your running and maintain accurate control.
The practice of yoga emphasizes the importance of regulating your breathing to attain control over your physical self and attain peace of mind. The moment we attempt to synchronize our running pace with a specific time on a watch, we disrupt this link between our mind and body. This creates a gap, allowing stress and tension to seep into our consciousness and obstruct the smooth course of our running, leading to decreased satisfaction and achievement.
Focused breathing with a regular rhythm has a calming effect, and paying attention to your breath directs your attention towards tranquility. This technique helps keep the body relaxed and reduces any stress that may hinder performance. If you experience any tension or discomfort, you can mentally release it while exhaling.
By employing rhythmic breathing, one can effortlessly transition into a moderate or lengthy run and maintain a comfortable breath and consistent pace. This synchronization of breathing and cadence create a harmonious union that feels natural, almost like becoming one with the surroundings.
