Are you new to running? You probably haven’t given much thought to how to improve your breathing while running. After all, who needs to be thought how to breathe? However, once you enter into the running world, learning how to breathe properly makes running easier and enjoyable.
Proper running breathwork, helps to improve performance and keeps you from running out of breath. Besides that, your heart rate responds to breath. For instance, when we inhale, the heart slows down, and the body registers an increased level of carbon dioxide. This causes the nervous system to call for an uptick in breath rate to clear carbon dioxide, hence an exhale of breath occurs.
Breathing is known as an automatic process, but there is such a thing as proper breathing techniques when it comes to running. Here are 4 types of breathing techniques for running you should try.
1.Rhythmic Breathing
Using rhythmic breathing while running helps distribute stress evenly across both sides of your body, as your body absorbs a great deal of stress when your exhalation coincides with your foot strikes.
Rhythmic breathing involves matching steps to breathe. It’s a mindful running skill and a running breathing technique. It’s also known as locomotor-respiratory coupling (LRC).
Try breathing rhythmically in an odd ratio, such as, inhaling for two strides and exhaling for one, each exhale will coincide with an alternating right or left foot strike. This kind of variability help with increasing endurance and reducing the risk of injury
Image via : Runner’s World
2. Nose and mouth breathing
It’s almost a personal preference whether you breathe through your nose or your mouth during a run. But the most important thing is that your breathing is comfortable and efficient, which is why many runners will reflexively settle into a combination of nose and mouth breathing.
For instance, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth is one of the most common techniques used by runners.
3. Box breathing
This breathing technique also known as square breathing, is a four-part breathing exercise that helps restore calmness and well-being to the mind and body when under stress conditions.
It involves inhaling deep into the belly, holding the breath at the top of the inhalation for at least four counts, exhaling, then holding the breath at the bottom of the exhalation for four counts.
Image via : Masterclass
4. Diaphragmatic breathing
A belly breathing or abdominal breathing technique involves engaging the diaphragm, one of the most dominant respiratory muscles near the lower ribs and intercostal muscle, to help one breathe more efficiently.
The diaphragm contracts and moves down during this breathing exercise, giving the lungs more space to expand to take in more air. This deep belly breathing technique helps to increase lung capacity and elasticity which helps to slow down breathing rate and heart rate during an intense exercise.
So, what are you waiting for? Go out and run! Trust your body’s ability to breathe through the effort. Try and work on these various breathing techniques during your runs.
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