Improve Your Running with Proper Breathing

There seems to be a great confusion these days over the proper way to breathe while running or jogging.

According to the text Physiology of sport and exercise by Wilmore and Costill the need to breathe increases in direct proportion to the intensity of work. A mild workload as walking quickly prompted expansion of the lungs and deeper breathing. As work becomes more difficult, the rate of breathing also increases.

With the exception of conditions such as asthma, breathing should not limit your ability to drive or perform exercise, even during hard efforts. The amount of air into the lungs is not the problem, it is the body's inability to extract and use enough oxygen to meet the increased demand that causes you to become breathless (inspired air contains about 20 percent oxygen while expired air has about 16 percent).

Many beginning runners have been misled into believing that the right way to breathe is to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. While it is true that the air is drier and cooler when it is inhaled through the mouth, this should not be a problem unless you're prone to exercise-induced asthma.

We call this nose breathing technique self-induced asthma when inhaled through the nose severely limits the amount of air that can be delivered to the lungs. We have a suspicion breathing this way have a negative impact on operating performance similar to asthma, particularly as speed increases.

Runners should be inhaling and exhaling through both nose and mouth to a set pattern or rhythm. According to Jack Daniels, a respected trainer and author of Daniels Running Formula, most elite runners breathe to a 2-2 rhythm. They breathe in two steps and out in two steps. At an easy pace they can switch to a 3-3 rhythm.

2-2 breathing rhythm

Left foot-begin exhale Right foot-continue exhale Left foot-begin inhale Right foot-continue breathing

One problem with this approach is the habit of always inhaling or exhaling at the same footfall, which some experts and coaches believe can lead to side stitches. If you're one of those unfortunate runners prone to side aches, try periodically change as footfall you exhale, or even change your breathing rhythm to exhale on alternating right and left footfalls. It gets a little tricky because you will need to adapt an uneven 3-2 or 4-3 breathing pattern (breathing out for more counts than breathing).

3-2 breathing rhythm

Left foot-begin inhale Right foot-continue inhale Left foot-begin exhale Right foot-continue exhale Left foot - continue exhale Right foot-begin inhale

According to DePaul University Track Coach Bill Leach, uneven breathing cycles are effective because pressure in the lungs is lower than the atmosphere, causing air to rush in quickly. Take a little extra time to exhale, since leaving residual carbon dioxide in the lungs can hinder the delivery of oxygen at the next inhale.

It will help if you train your breathing pattern while walking before you start driving. Carry technique over to easy jogging and finally during hard race pace running.

Before long your new breathing pattern becomes second nature during races and hard training.