Do You Really Know How to Breathe?

Once again, I haven't lost my mind.  I know everyone knows how to breathe but are you doing it correctly?  Many of us have become lazy with our breathing techniques and we are not utilizing the full capacity of our lungs.  This becomes extremely important during exercise.

During exercise the body's demand for oxygen increases and therefore we must increase our breathing to fulfill the body's need.  This is accomplished by coordinating surrounding muscles.  You can train these muscles just as you train your biceps and glutes.  Also, as you increase your fitness level, your heart adapts by pumping the same amount of blood with less force and less often (fewer heartbeats).  In the same manner, by training your respiratory (breathing) muscles, you have the ability to slow down your breathing and be more efficient with getting oxygen in your lungs and out to the working muscles.

Studies have shown how athletes who train their respiratory muscles have improved overall performance.  Would you like to improve your performance in the gym?  While you may (or may not) be a professional (or recreational) athlete, practicing proper breathing techniques is extremely important.  Just like any other muscle, if the respiratory muscles (diaphragm and intercostals) aren't exercised they will atrophy or get smaller.  As we grow older, we tend to have shallower breathing and thus using less of our lungs to breathe.  Unfortunately as this shallow breathing continues into later stages of life, it becomes more difficult to "re-train" our respiratory muscles for deep breathing.
If you have ever taken a yoga or pilates class you probably have heard how important the breath is during activity.  How many times have you tried to lift a heavy weight in the gym and have focused on your breathing to get you through the lift?  Proper breathing techniques not only allow you to take in oxygen and disperse it to working muscles, but also it helps to center your focus on the activity at hand.  Focused breathing also helps to maximize your energy intake while keeping your mind clear.

So how can you train your respiratory muscles?  The simple answer...breathe.  The extended answer...breathe to the full extent of your lungs, diaphragm, and intercostals.  Try this the next time you have a moment to think about your breathing. 

• Inhale - 2 counts
• Hold your breath - 2 counts
• Exhale - 4 counts

This may feel awkward at first but keep working at it.  When you inhale, don't just take a breath from the shallow part of your lungs...breathe deeply from the belly.  Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.  Take a normal breath.  Did the hand on your chest rise or did the hand on your belly rise?  Deep breathing should come from your belly.  Expand your ribcage to the side while you take a deep breath and allow your belly to rise.  Again, practice this because it will feel strange if you are used to shallow breathing.

Once you have become comfortable with this pattern of breathing, try adding it to your activity.  Replace the "counts" with steps, or pedal strokes, or swimming strokes.  After mastering that, try to increase your counts with the same ratio as above.  For example...inhale 4 counts, hold your breath 4 counts, and exhale 8 counts.

This type of breathing will soon become second nature and you will no longer have to think about how to breathe.  You will become more focused on the activity at hand, whether it's a sporting event, working out in the gym, or concentrating on a task at home.  Performance will improve as your mind lets go of the stress of what happened earlier in the day or problems you are having at work and your body focuses on the next breath.

"For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth."

~ Sanskrit Proverb