Proper breathing while running affects the quality of training. The consequences of poor breathing techniques, such as faster fatigue, a stinging feeling in your stomach and gasping for air after a few minutes' run, can discourage you from running for a long time. And all you need to do is learn how to breathe to make your run more efficient and less tiring.

Adequate breathing while runningis just as important as running. Learn how to breathe while running.

How to breathe while running? A few words about the breathing mechanism

During training, the volume of inhaled and exhaled air can be up to 15 times greater than that during rest, so as the intensity of muscle work increases, the oxygen uptake by the body also increases. It is assumed that during 1 minute of rest, about 6 liters of air enter the lungs, and during exercise, this value increases rapidly (it can even exceed 100 liters).

Breathing is about supplying cells with oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Air enters the alveoli, where oxygen is bound by hemoglobin (the red blood pigment, oxygen transporter). This is how oxyhemoglobin (oxygenated hemoglobin) is formed, which is transported along with the blood to the cells of the body. There, under the influence of the dissociation of oxyhemoglobin, it breaks down into oxygen and hemoglobin. Oxygen is supplied to the cells and carbon dioxide is carried by the blood to the lungs and excreted from the body.

How to breathe while running? Exercise the diaphragm

By starting a run, you learn new movements. It is very important to spend the same amount of time learning how to breathe properly. Why? By incorporating new workouts into your daily routine, you focus on proper exercise technique to the point where you may forget to breathe. If you take the time to learn how to breathe, the correct technique will become habitual, and it will be easier to coordinate these few elements as you run. You need to know that shallow and irregular breathing will not get you enough oxygen. Work on supporting the breathing process with the diaphragm and not the chest itself. Breathing through the chest causes your shoulders to strain, leading to unnecessary energy loss. How can you exercise your diaphragm?

Diaphragm exercises:

1.Lie on your back. Place one hand on the chest, the other at the bottom of the ribs, on the diaphragm. Try to breathe in such a way that your diaphragm is rising, not your chest. Make about 10-15 breaths in and out.

2. Lie on your stomach, then bring your palms with the palm of your hand to the floor, bent at the elbows on both sides of your chest. Inhale, raise your head, then chest, and upper abdomen. Make sure that you inhale the diaphragm, not the chest itself. On the exhale, lower the body to the ground. Repeat the exercise 10-15 times.

3. Stand on your feet. Place your palms on your sides at the bottom of your ribs, with your thumbs pointing backwards. Take a deep breath as you move your ribs sideways. Count to 2-3 and let it out. With each passing time, try to take deeper and deeper breaths, so that the ribs extend more and more outward. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

After a while, when diaphragm breathing becomes a habit, you can start jogging. It seems that breathing is not as important as running, and you can jog without focusing on your breathing, but if you don't want to bend in half after a few minutes of running, focus on proper breathing technique first.

Your breathing rate might look like this: breathe in for every 3 steps you run, and breathe out for every 2 steps. If you run slower, adjust to a pace of 3-2 or 3-3. If you run faster, breathe in for every 2 steps and breathe out for the next 2 (or 1). Check that you are sticking to this plan from time to time. It will become a habit after a while. Of course, you can adjust your breathing pace according to the number of steps you take and your own pace. The deeper you inhale, the more oxygen you take in, and thus - the more fuel your body needs to generate energy.

How to breathe while running?

There are many theories about how you should breathe while running. One of them assumes that while running you should only inhale air with your nose or inhale with your nose and exhale with your mouth. However, by breathing with your mouth and nose at the same time, you are able to take in more air and deliver it to your lungs.

Breathing only through the nose is better for training of lower intensity, such as yoga, where the amount of oxygen delivered to the lungs does not have to be so high.

The amount of oxygen required for function increases with increasing load and exertion. The area of ​​the nose is too small for a large amount of air to be delivered quickly through this route. The exchange of air through the nose and mouth is much faster. So take deeper breaths, working your diaphragm harder.

Duringkeep your body straight during training. When you slouch, you reduce the mobility of your chest and make it harder to breathe. In addition, remember to start each workout with a calmer warm-up, which will slowly bring you into a state of increased oxygen consumption.

How to breathe while running in winter?

The feeling of temperature depends on many factors, such as air humidity, wind speed, rainfall, etc. The air inhaled through the nose is warmer than the air that is delivered to the lungs through the mouth, but even in winter we should breathe using the nose and mouth. If the cold air is very unpleasant for you, you can warm it up by wearing a balaclava, a fleece scarf or a headband covering the mouth and nose.

Bibliography:

1. J. Górski, Physiology of exercise and physical training, PZWL Medical Publishing, pp. 23, 27, 31, 192.

2. W. Starosta, The importance of the rhythm of movements and breathing in teaching and improving the technique of movements, in: Scientific journals of the University of Szczecin. Works of the Institute of Physical Culture, No. 28, 2012, pp. 74-75.

Category:

Running