How to breathe properly while running?

Keeping yourself fit and healthy is very important. One of the best ways to do so is by performing cardio exercises and running is the perfect example. Being a new runner, you will probably focus more on speed, run up and total distance. But one of the most important things that you have to focus on is breathing when you are running. It is natural that being a beginner in running, you will not know - how to breathe properly while running. It is important to know the breathing techniques to run more efficiently. In fact, runners can get some great benefits by learning the right breathing techniques. Breathing in the right way can improve your running performance and also reduce the chance of any injuries.

How to breathe while running?

There are mainly two types of breathing technique that you can practice for running. One is nose breathing technique and another one is mouth breathing. It depends from one person to another when it comes to the best suitable technique. The main goal of breathing is to breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. But many runners debate over nose breathing vs. mouth breathing. While it is true that you can take more air through your mouth than your nose, nose breathing can help in filtering the air. So, we will discuss about the nose breathing as well as mouth breathing in details below.

Nose breathing

Nose breathing is a technique that everyone knows and it is also a natural process. While you are running at a pace that is easily sustainable, you can get enough oxygen through your nose only. You can simply breathe in through nose and exhale too from your nose. This can help you to keep a steady conversation going on too without the need of stopping and gasping for air through the mouth. Hence, nose breathing is perfectly fine when you are doing some light jogging.

Mouth breathing

As your pace as well as the intensity increases, your body will need more oxygen. Nose breathing is not enough in that case. You will need to breathe through your mouth to get more air and oxygen for meeting the needs of your while. Mouth breathing technique is similar to that of nose breathing but here you have to inhale as well as exhale through your mouth instead of nose. For example, when you are doing sprints, you will automatically shift to mouth breathing where you will inhale and exhale through mouth.

Which one to use?

This is a major concern for all the runners, especially the beginners. So, as said above, you have to breathe through nose while you are doing light jogging. When the pace and intensity starts increasing, you have to start breathing through your mouth. But in many cases, runner often combine nose and mouth breathing together for meeting the need of excess demand of oxygen for the body. You need to know some of the best breathing tips when running. Read the next section to know some tips and techniques.

Tips for breathing properly while running

Here are some of the best tips that can help you to breathe properly when you are running. Many beginners don't have an idea about the breathing techniques. You have to pay attention at the small technicalities.

Learn rhythmic breathing technique

The rhythmic breathing can play a vital role for the runners to keep them away from injuries. When you are running and one foot hits the ground, that force is equivalent to 2 to 3 times more than your body weight. You have to follow the 3:2 pattern of breathing which ensure that alternative foot gets that impact when you exhale. Rhythmic breathing technique can help you in coordinating the inhalation and exhalation with time when your foot touch the ground. This way the impact can be share equally by both the sides of your body.

Practice breathing exercises

The next important tip is to practice breathing exercises. Yes, breathing is a technique and practicing it can help you to get better at it. Also, this exercise can help you in enhancing the functionality of your lungs as well as it can help in improving the capacity. Breathing exercises involve numbered breathing, equal breathing, alternate nostril breathing etc.

Deep abdominal breathing

The deep abdominal breathing is also known as diaphragmatic breathing which can effectively help in strengthening your muscles supporting your breathing. This can help you taking in more air. This can also help in using the oxygen more efficiently. To practice this, you have to get your belly breathing when you are lying back. Inhale through your nose and keep the belly filled with air. Do this as much as your stomach can expand and push the diaphragm down as well as out. Try to lengthen your exhales and make sure that they are long than that of your inhalation.

Maintain a steady breathing during running

While it can be easy to practice breathing, you have to ensure that you are maintaining a steady breathing while you are running. It can be quite hard for you to maintain a steady breathing pattern but you have to exercise well for. If you establish breathing pattern of your own according to the needs of your body, then that can help you a lot. It will help you to focus on your breathing no matter what the pace of your running is.

Conclusion

With all these amazing breathing tips for runners and other essential information provided above, it can be really helpful for you. Breathing is an important part of your running and if you do not focus on it or take it casually, this can result into injuries too. Be you are beginner or an expert in running, breathing exercises and techniques are important. You need to follow the above mentioned techniques and tips so that it can help you to get the best result. The breathing technique takes time to get better and it will develop with time. Just have the patience.