Exhaling while running & swimming

Exhaling is good.  So is inhaling.  Other than making sure I am doing that, I just try to relax as much as possible at whatever pace I am doing.  If focusing on your breathing helps you relax, then it's probably a good thing.  Other than that, I don't worry much about it and never count my steps while I breath in or out. 

And I breath whenever it's comfortable when I swim too.  I find it best not to overthink things.

to the poster above -- I swam when I was growing up and couldn't run to save my life when soccer season came around and remember exactly what you describe.

My personal theory is that running will help your swimming, but not vice versa.  Swimming isn't a weight-bearing exercise and swim-kicking uses different muscles than running, so even if you're a great swimmer, you're not going to automatically be a great runner and in fact it's a hard transition to make. Just because the right muscles aren't developed and you're not able to rely on your arms as much, etc. That's been my personal experience.

With the breathing cramps, a friend who did X-country in college taught me this and it's worked for me: just make sure you inhale and exhale for the same count. So, for example, exhale for 2 steps and inhale for 2 steps. Somehow it seems like the cramping is related to not exhaling enough.

Good luck!!

In reference to swimming I have read (don't recall exactly where) that a slow exhale followed by a forceful final exhale will create a slightly negative pressure in your lungs enabling a fuller inhale.  I started paying attention to this on my swims and that is pretty much exactly what I do.  After reading your post I starting thinking that perhaps the point about eliminating the carbon dioxide absorption could also be a benefit.

Yup, sometimes when I get a side stitch, if I "breathe into it", it goes away.

There really is something to be said for knowing how to control your inhalation/exhalation from your diaphragm (aka belly breathing). I've found that it helps immensely with swimming and not feeling that "gasping for air" sensation, as well as with running. I was a trained singer and so we learned how to do all that stuff, and it really does transfer over well.

The inadequacy in your breathing technique during exercise may be resulting from your exhale phase. During exercise your body’s demand for oxygen increases with a corresponding increased production of carbon dioxide. If your exhale phase of breathing does not excrete this carbon dioxide sufficiently it can build up in your lungs.

When your lungs experience a build up of carbon dioxide then the space for receiving oxygen becomes limited. What tends to happen is a labored inhale in your attempt to deliver more oxygen under the exercise demand. You fall into a vicious cycle of no room for the high demand with a breathing technique focused on the inhale phase. As a result, you feel out of breath.

The solution, and so many new to the world of exercising fail to appreciate, is the need to free up space in your lungs for the exercise induced demand for oxygen. One of the most important habits to form during your exercise period is to deliberately and slowly exhale

Other links of interest:

http://www.cptips.com/respmus.htm

http://www.cptips.com/respart.htm

http://www.breathplay.com/

http://www.breathplay.com/PAGES/tools.php

http://www.breathplay.com/PAGES/articles_details.php?article_id=25

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081014230435AAVTqrV


http://www.womentowomen.com/fatigueandstress/deepbreathing.aspx

http://www.answers.com/topic/breathing-during-exercise

http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/breathing-during-exercise





http://www.somaxsports.com/breathing.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_carbon_dioxide_levels_regulate_breathing_movements


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shallow_breathing

http://books.google.com/books?id=D-Jped3ou1kC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=not+exhaling+enough+carbon+dioxide&source=bl&ots=4F4f4rDujJ&sig=tb4VWBDODAh6sCK354V6-MyZsUU&hl=en&ei=agvcSfjqKJ7CmQeZqsGaDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA28,M1

http://www.thehappyguy.com/stress-breath.html

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080820121724AAwfM1T


http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:mSDQynvswxcJ:www.lesturnerals.org/pdf/ResourceGuide/Section8-RespiratoryCare.PDF+not+exhaling+enough+built+up+carbon+dioxide&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I don't worry about the number, I focus on how much effort goes into it.   If it's a struggle to breathe, I'm pushing too hard for training purposes (and most racing purposes).  Your breathing should be controlled and easy.  Counting breaths would be akin to monitoring HR; everyone is different, and the same person will have variations from day to day.

Let me preface this with "I'm not a doctor but an engineer".  So I look at things from a physics perspective, not a medical one   However I have a real life experiment that shows some surprising results.

I recently changed how I breathe during runs (and to a lesser extent cycling).  I used to never give it much thought.  I just breathed in and out.  When I began to get fatigued I'd breathe more often.  My runs sucked.  I was averaging 9:30-10 min/mile on most longer runs.  I just never felt good.

I then read just a portion of an article.  It stated that the density of alveoli in the lungs is greater towards the bottom of the lungs and the ends of the bronchus.  Breathing shallows does not allow you to get the O2 to the alveoli.  (I have no idea is this is medically sound as my research has not confirmed it but it sounded good enough to get me to try it... read on...)

Belly breathing is one way to fix this.  For years I had attempted to belly breathe by forcing my stomach and diaphragm out when inhaling.  It is a very foreign sensation and takes a lot of concentration.  After a mile or two I was mentally exhausted and would usually revert back to my old ways.

This article went on to says that belly breathing is indeed very difficult, however you can achieve the same effect by exhaling more.  When you "empty" your lungs you are forced to inhale more deeply.  Makes perfect sense, right?

So I gave it a shot.  Let me first say that it takes some time to master.  You don't exhale to the point that you are gasping but you do forcefully exhale.  The best way I can describe it is trying to blow out a candle.  I also provide a bit of backpressure by shaping your lips such that you are forcing the air thru a (slightly) narrower opening than having a fully open mouth.

(Side note, I later found out that mountain climber use a technique called “alpine breathing” where they exhale thru a partially closed mouth.  Apparently this backpressure forces for O2 that is currently in the lungs into the alveoli.  Important when 02 is not as plentiful up at altitude.)  I am wondering if my backpressure breathing is doing something similar.

Anyway, like I said it takes some time to figure out how to do it without 1)screwing up your breathing and 2)not looking like an idiot running and blowing out candles...

However the results have been pretty surprising.  My lungs are no longer my weak link.  I have dropped my average running pace to 8:30-45 for shorter runs and 9s for longer runs.  I think I can go even faster but I have hit the leg limit now (I have a pinched never that is now the limiter).

I shared my findings with my wife and a friend who did his first HIM last week.  Both of them tried the technique and both of them have seen improvements.

The change was "almost" overnight.  Almost, as it does take a few times to find that right technique but for me it has had made HUGE improvements.

Ultimately, since O2 availability in the lungs is not a limiter in exercise, changing breathing patterns to increase the amount of O2 (or decrease the amount of CO2) will not likely result in any performance change.  However, having something to focus on while running (be it form, breathing, pace, cadence, whatever) can help "distract" you from what you are doing and result in the activity feeling easier.

Shane