Whats The Optimal Way To Breathe When Training Cardio? Fascinating article, if youre a runner/biker: When we exercise, the volume of air pumped by the lungs can be as much as 16 times higher the amount pumped at rest. Oxygen consumption can increase from 250 ml to 5000 ml per minute and breathing frequency can rise from 12-16 to 40-50 breaths each minute. So its no surprise that we runners obsess a little over breathing. But is there a best way to breathe? And can training your breathing improve performance or reduce injury risk? The key objective during exercise is to exchange as much air – oxygen and carbon dioxide – as possible, says Professor Alison McConnell, a respiratory physiologist at Brunel University and author of Breathe Strong, Perform Better. And that means breathing through the mouth. The mouth offers the path of least resistance, she explains. The idea that you should try to breathe only through your nostrils, which have a high resistance, during exertion is nonsense. Which presumably makes those little sticking plasters you put across your nose bridge, to open the nostrils more a waste of time? The scientific literature doesnt support any performance benefit from the use of nasal dilators, she says.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 23:00:00 +0000