Don't Forget to Breathe

Yesterday while running hills, I was reminded yet again why this part of OCR training is so important.  I ran carrying a 40-pound sandbell up and down the hill.  This introduced a number of difficulties that you may be familiar with already: grip strength, endurance, and core power.  What you may not be aware of are these two: proper breathing and posture.

We talked about posture last week.  I find it best to carry the sandbell right at my waistline.  That keeps the center of gravity low and puts nearly zero strain on my lumbar spine.  However, if my posture is not right, two things can go wrong.  First, the lumbar strain increases if I tend to bend forward at the waist.  The cure for that is to tuck the hips and straighten up.  Lean into the hill.  The other negative effect of this bend is it limits your breathing.

Breathing is critical for endurance, power, and recovery in between obstacles.  Many folks tend to inhibit their breathing in two common ways: poor posture and holding their breath.  So let's talk about proper breathing.

Suppose you just finished a tough obstacle or a major uphill run.  Your breathing is rapid and shallow.  Your muscles are screaming for relief.  What do you do?  Some folks call it "belly breathing" or "yoga breathing".  Breath in as deeply as possible through your nose.  This is important for two reasons: maximize your intake and maximize the oxygen intake.  You want to take in as much air as possible and from that air you want as much of that oxygen to get into your system as possible.  The tiny capillaries in your nasal passages are designed to allow that.  They do it better than your throat.  Inhale through the nose; exhale through the mouth.  Your exhale needs to be maximized too.  You need to get as much out as possible.  You do that not with your chest muscles but with your belly - that big diaphragm muscle.  Push out the stale, used air.  Force it out.  You should see your belly stick out as you breath in.  You should see it rapidly collapse as you breathe out.  Forced exhalation allows maximum lung capacity to take in fresh oxygen.

This method not only helps you recover more quickly, it helps you endure long runs.  After exertion, your breathing is rapid.  Notice how your breathing slows down as you belly breathe.  To maintain that rate and to keep the maximum oxygen flowing for endurance, keep on belly breathing as you run those long stretches.  In the beginning it is hard to do this because it takes concentration.  So focus on listening to yourself breathe (don't look down to see if your belly is expanding and contracting as it should.  That limits your intake!).  Hear that oxygen max into your lungs through your nose.  Hear it get forced out of your mouth.  Sometimes I do the exhale in three counts.  The first exhale is the maximum push.  Then I push a little more out on two and three.  These are timed with my steps.  One push per three steps.  Same thing with the long inhale draw - in through the nose for three steps.

Breathing is natural and necessary for survival.  So don't forget to breathe.  Don't hold your breath on those obstacles!  You need oxygen for burst performance here.  We usually hold our breath because of fear or poor training.  Don't hold your breath during maximum exertion.  Pace your breathing in sync with your movement instead.  Breath in when your body is most elongated.  Exhale when your body folds.

Take crunches for example.  Breathe in when your legs are extended and you are laying back.  Your lungs have the most space for the most air.  Exhale when you crunch.  This takes much concentration and practice to get the timing right.