Most runners know that in order to get better, they
need to train the major muscle groups that are activated during a run — the
quads, the glutes, the hamstrings, the calves.
اضافة اعلان
But few think about training the muscles that allow them to
breathe — specifically the diaphragm, said Kristen Konkol, an associate
teaching professor of exercise science at Syracuse University. And that may be
putting runners at a disadvantage.
When runners are not efficiently using their diaphragms
during exercise, they are limiting how deeply they can inhale, which in turn
limits how much oxygen is absorbed and delivered to their muscles. That
ultimately affects how well those muscles function during exercise, said Nicole
Hagobian, a running coach and professor of kinesiology at California
Polytechnic State University.
Although there is not a lot of research on how diaphragmatic
(or “belly”) breathing directly improves running, the experts we spoke with
agreed that at least, in theory, it can help to increase your oxygen supply during
exercise.
When runners are not efficiently using their diaphragms during exercise, they are limiting how deeply they can inhale, which in turn limits how much oxygen is absorbed and delivered to their muscles.
Here is what we know about how diaphragmatic breathing can
help your run and strategies for doing it properly.
What is the diaphragm and how does it help?The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that sits under
the lungs and looks like an upside down “U”. When you inhale, it contracts and
flattens, creating a suction-like force (sort of like a syringe) that pulls air
into the lungs, said Dr Tianshi David Wu, an assistant professor of pulmonology
at the Baylor College of Medicine.
Other muscles in the chest, neck, and shoulders also work to
bring in more air by pulling the chest up and expanding the upper and middle
regions of the lungs when we inhale, Wu said.
Some people do not use their diaphragms to their fullest
potential, he said, which causes them to over-rely on these other muscles. When
this happens, they do not get air deep into the lungs, which limits how much
oxygen they can absorb.
How does diaphragmatic breathing work?Diaphragmatic breathing involves consciously using your
diaphragm to take deep breaths by trying to inhale into your stomach, rather
than into your chest, according to Konkol.
One way you can do it is to lie on your back with your hands
on your stomach and take deep breaths in through your nose, consciously trying
to force the air into your belly. As you do this, the hands on your stomach
should rise. As you exhale, your hands and belly should recede, Konkol said.
Diaphragmatic breathing involves consciously using your diaphragm to take deep breaths by trying to inhale into your stomach, rather than into your chest
Hagobian teaches runners the technique by placing one hand
on her belly and one on her chest and then taking quick, shallow breaths to
demonstrate how the hand on her chest moves much more than the hand on her
belly. She then takes a deep, diaphragmatic breath, pointing out how the hand
on her belly is now the one moving more while the hand on her chest is mostly
still.
To get the hang of this kind of breathing and to make it
more second nature, Konkol recommended practicing the technique for 15 to 20
minutes every day or every other day for a couple of weeks. “Similar to how we
train our legs, we have to train our lungs,” she said.
Only a few small studies have directly looked into how
diaphragmatic breathing affects exercise. In a study published in 2018, for instance,
researchers found that participants with fatigued diaphragms could not exercise
as intensely as usual. And a 2004 study found that using certain breathing
techniques to train various muscles involved in respiration, including the
diaphragm, helped cystic fibrosis patients take deeper breaths and work out
more intensely on an exercise bike. A 2006 study found similar results in
healthy adults.
How to use diaphragmatic breathing during a runJoe Shayne, a long-distance running coach with TeamWRK, a running
organization in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, said that it can be
difficult to learn an entirely new way of breathing. And pressuring yourself to
do it right can cause you to tense up and make breathing deeply harder.
So he recommended practicing diaphragmatic breathing while
you are calm and relaxed.
He suggested practicing diaphragmatic breathing first while
you are either lying down, sitting, or standing, and then trying to incorporate
it into walks. Once diaphragmatic breathing starts to feel easy and natural on
your walks, you can graduate to using it on longer or more vigorous walks, then
to jogs and eventually to more intense runs, Shayne said.
Having a rhythm “helps you focus on your breathing technique and keeps it from becoming erratic”.
The technique becomes more challenging to maintain as the
length or intensity of the exercise increases, he said.
After you have the technique down, Hagobian and Shayne
recommended figuring out a breathing pattern that works for you on runs. For
example, Shayne likes to exhale every four steps. Hagobian, on the other hand,
prefers to start by breathing in for three steps and out for two steps, and
then breathing in for two steps and out for one step at faster paces.
Having a rhythm “helps you focus on your breathing technique
and keeps it from becoming erratic,” Hagobian said.
As you get better at taking full diaphragmatic breaths, you
should see subtle but noticeable changes to your runs, Konkol said.
You should require fewer breaths per minute and you may feel
more energized — all because you are getting better at supplying your body with
the necessary oxygen.
Read more Health
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
