When we usually think of running, we often focus on things like speed, endurance, pace, hydration and on, but what most of us fail to include is thinking about how we breathe when running.
Novice runners typically complain of severe pain in their lungs or sides, which may be one of the biggest causes in deterring them to stick with running. Since breathing is a bodily function that we often do without thinking about, it makes perfect sense that we can forget about it when running.
Especially when running, efficient breathing is required to ensure the body’s tissues get enough oxygen and continue working properly to prevent respiratory muscle spasms. Studies have shown that rhythmic and improved breathing is essential for runners. Focusing on your respiratory system and improving the amount of oxygen you get to your muscles when running can help improve your endurance.
Understanding Your Respiratory System
The most significant respiratory muscles include the diaphragm and external intercostals (between each rib), but there are other muscles that play an important role.
When you run, these muscles are working harder than usual, and require more frequent contraction-relaxation turnovers. This increased workload increases the rate of fatigue, making the associated musculature more prone to overuse injuries, including strain, spasm, and trigger point formation.
As novice runners learn to breathe more efficiently and their endurance improves, the prevalence of the pain they can often complain about when starting out should decrease.
Benefits of Improved Breathing Technique for Runners
As mentioned above, runners often think about training their legs and their heart but often forget about training their lungs.
It’s fairly simple. Better breathing equates to your muscles getting more oxygen, which translates to improved endurance.
Best Breathing Tips and Techniques For Runners
- Use your mouth for inhaling and exhaling to increase oxygen intake (since your mouth is bigger than your nostrils)
- Focus on deep breathing, making sure to engage your diaphragm (to breathe from the belly: inhale by filling your belly like a balloon, while exhaling your belly should deflate the balloon)
- Improve your running posture to make belly breathing easier
- Remember to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed as you run
- Try to minimize hilly runs when you first start
- Exhale equally on your dominant and non-dominant leg as best you can
- Always be sure to stay hydrated and warm up properly
If you are experiencing pain in your sides when you run, contact your local SetPT therapist to ask if your pain is related to your breathing technique, or if it needs to be further evaluated by a physician. Don’t forget, we are always here to help with any questions you might have about your breathing technique or how to improve your speed and endurance when running.
