I don't know how many times I have heard exercise instructors say "breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth". Is it true that is what a runner should do? A runner going flat out? I beg to differ, somewhat.
(a) breathing in. At a fast pace, we need to get as much air as possible into our lungs, and very quickly. It seems to me that breathing in using both the mouth and the nose together would be what we need to do.
(b) breathing out. This is the most important part of of breathing! We need to expel as much air from the lungs as possible. This could be done from the mouth alone because as we expel air we relax the vocal cords, which helps us accelerate and should be quite noisy, and which may take a step or two longer than the in-breath. The more air we can expel, the more we will be able to inhale. Breathing out for longer gets rid of more air and prolongs the power we can produce.
(c) stomach or chest breathing? Both, but many should focus on moving their diaphragm as they inhale and as they exhale, i.e. "stomach" breathing. The most inefficient way to breathe is quietly breathing in through the nose and engaging only the chest. Let's all train insane or else stay forever the same. Let's develop a style which facilitates full, natural running and breathing. This means un-selfconciousness. A trait shared by all speedygeese, I am certain. I want to hear you breathing as you get fitter and faster. Mouth and nose, go for it.
An irrelevant cartoon
(a) breathing in. At a fast pace, we need to get as much air as possible into our lungs, and very quickly. It seems to me that breathing in using both the mouth and the nose together would be what we need to do.
(b) breathing out. This is the most important part of of breathing! We need to expel as much air from the lungs as possible. This could be done from the mouth alone because as we expel air we relax the vocal cords, which helps us accelerate and should be quite noisy, and which may take a step or two longer than the in-breath. The more air we can expel, the more we will be able to inhale. Breathing out for longer gets rid of more air and prolongs the power we can produce.
(c) stomach or chest breathing? Both, but many should focus on moving their diaphragm as they inhale and as they exhale, i.e. "stomach" breathing. The most inefficient way to breathe is quietly breathing in through the nose and engaging only the chest. Let's all train insane or else stay forever the same. Let's develop a style which facilitates full, natural running and breathing. This means un-selfconciousness. A trait shared by all speedygeese, I am certain. I want to hear you breathing as you get fitter and faster. Mouth and nose, go for it.
An irrelevant cartoon
