Ever wonder if there’s a way to improve your treadmill game at places like Anytime Fitness or Crunch Fitness? It turns out the way you breathe may be key to making sure you perform better on or off the treadmill.
According to marathon experts, there’s a proper way to breathe during running.
The Importance of Mouth Breathing
Although the term “mouth breather” is not the nicest thing to hear from anyone, it’s a different situation altogether in the world of running and endurance sports. Breathing through the mouth while doing cardio-intensive exercise is better than breathing through the nose.
The mouth allows a more efficient pathway for air and provides the necessary volume of oxygen required by the body. While cells burn energy, they require oxygen to complete this process. The availability of oxygen dictates the status of your recovery after a workout.
If the body doesn’t have enough oxygen when working out, the cells will produce lactic acid from glucose. Lactic acid is what causes soreness in muscles. By breathing in through your mouth, you’re making recovery faster by avoiding lactic acid buildup in your muscles.
Inhaling and Exhaling At The Right Time
Another factor that affects your runs will be the cadence of your breathing. The focus here is the abdominal muscles. When you exhale, your abdominal muscles relax. In this state, your body doesn’t absorb shock well.
If you exhale every time your left foot lands, the muscles and the organs on the left side of your body suffer the most damage. According to the physics of running, each of your steps has the force equivalent of at least two times your body weight.
The trick is to make sure one foot lands on the ground before exhaling. It sounds difficult at first but when you get the hang of it, your body will thank you later. Making sure to exhale on alternate foot landing distributes the load, preventing one side of the body from being damaged.
It’s almost akin to wearing a shoulder bag. Physiotherapists recommend alternating carrying shoulder bags, or better yet, getting a backpack. Yes, we know, it’s not fashionable.
“Stomach” Breathing
There’s also the issue of how to breathe properly. You can test how you breathe when you’re not doing strenuous physical activity. Lie down and inhale as deep as you can.
If your stomach is not rising, then you’re not using your diaphragm. The diaphragm pulls the lungs downward, allowing your body to get more oxygen effectively.
You want to use the same technique when jogging. This way, your metabolism can keep up with the oxygen demand. Your body relies on a good oxygen-glucose burning ratio, otherwise, you’ll end up using more calories (which is not entirely bad). Eventually, you will get tired first before you can train your muscles.
In conclusion, a combination of mouth, rhythmic, and diaphragmatic breathing is all you need to perform better in your runs. Who knows? You just might end up successfully finishing your first marathon since your highschool Phys Ed classes.