Running better starts with breathing – 04/19/2023 – Balance

Most runners know that in order to improve, they need to train the main muscle groups that are activated during running – quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves.

But few think to train the muscles that allow them to breathe — specifically the diaphragm, says Kristen Konkol, an associate professor of exercise science at Syracuse University. And that could be putting runners at a disadvantage.

When runners aren’t using their diaphragms efficiently during exercise, they limit how deep they can inhale, which in turn limits the amount of oxygen that is absorbed and delivered to the muscles. This ultimately affects how these muscles function during exercise, says Nicole Hagobian, a running coach and professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University.

While there isn’t 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 increase your oxygen supply during exercise.

Here’s what we know about how diaphragmatic breathing can help your run, and strategies for doing it right.

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 force (like a syringe) that draws air into your lungs, says Tianshi David Wu, assistant professor of pulmonology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Other muscles in the chest, neck, and shoulders also work to bring in more air, pulling the chest up and expanding the upper and middle regions of the lungs when we inhale, Wu says.

Some people don’t use their diaphragms to their full potential, he points out, which makes them rely too heavily on those other muscles. When this happens, they don’t get air deep into their lungs, which limits the amount of oxygen they can take in.

How does diaphragmatic breathing work?

Diaphragmatic breathing involves consciously using your diaphragm to breathe deeply, trying to inhale into your stomach rather than your chest, according to Konkol.

One way to do this is to lie on your back with your hands on your stomach and take a deep breath in through your nose, consciously trying to force air into your belly. When doing this, the hands on your stomach should go up. As you exhale, your hands and belly should pull back, Konkol points out.

Hagobian teaches runners the technique by placing one hand on his stomach and the other on his chest, then taking quick, shallow breaths to demonstrate how the hand on the chest moves much more than the hand on the belly. She then takes a deep breath from her diaphragm, showing how the hand on her belly moves the most, while the hand on her chest is almost still.

To get the hang of this type of breathing and make it more natural, Konkol recommends practicing the technique for 15 to 20 minutes every day or every other day for a few weeks. “The same way we train our legs, we have to train our lungs,” she says.

Only a few small studies have directly looked at how diaphragmatic breathing affects exercise. In a study published in 2018, for example, researchers found that participants with tired diaphragms weren’t able to exercise as intensely as they used to. And a 2004 paper found that using certain breathing techniques to train various muscles involved in breathing, including the diaphragm, helped patients with cystic fibrosis breathe more deeply and exercise more intensely on a stationary bike. A 2006 study found similar results in healthy adults.

How to Use Diaphragmatic Breathing While Running

Joe Shayne, long-distance running coach for TeamWRK, a running organization in Brooklyn, New York, says it can be difficult to learn a whole new way to breathe. And pushing yourself to do it right can tense you up and make it harder to take deep breaths.

So he recommends practicing diaphragmatic breathing while you’re calm and relaxed.

He suggests practicing the technique first while you’re lying down, sitting, or standing, and then trying to incorporate it into your walks. Once diaphragmatic breathing starts to feel easy and natural on your walks, you can use it on longer or more vigorous walks, then on runs, and eventually on more intense runs, says Shayne.

The technique becomes more difficult to maintain as the duration or intensity of the exercise increases, he indicates.

Once you’ve mastered it, Hagobian and Shayne recommend finding a breathing pattern that works for you on the run. For example, Shayne likes to exhale every four steps. Hagobian, on the other hand, prefers to start by inhaling for three steps and exhaling for two steps, and then inhaling for two steps and exhaling for one step in faster steps.

Having a rhythm “helps you focus on your breathing technique and keeps it from becoming erratic,” says Hagobian.

As you improve full diaphragmatic breathing, you should see subtle but noticeable changes in your runs, says Konkol.

You should require fewer breaths per minute and may feel more energized – all because you are improving your body’s supply of needed oxygen.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves