A way to improve your running? Diaphragmatic breathing

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Most runners know that to get better they need to train the major muscle groups that are activated during a run: the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves.

But few think about training the muscles that allow them to breathe, especially the diaphragm, said Kristen Konkol, an associate professor of exercise science at Syracuse University. And that could put the runners at a disadvantage.

When runners don’t use their diaphragms efficiently during exercise, they limit the depth to which they can inhale, which in turn limits the amount of oxygen absorbed and delivered to the muscles. This ultimately affects how those muscles function during exercise, said Nicole Hagobian, a running coach and professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University.

While there isn’t much research into how diaphragmatic (or “belly”) breathing directly improves running, the experts we spoke to agree that, at least in theory, it can help increase your oxygen intake during exercise. .

Here’s what we know about how diaphragmatic breathing can help your running, 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 breathe in, it contracts and flattens, creating a suction-like force (sort of like a syringe) that pulls air into your lungs, said Dr. 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 by lifting the chest and expanding the upper and middle regions of the lungs when we inhale, Dr. Wu said.

Some people don’t use their diaphragms to their full potential, he said, which leads them to rely too much on these other muscles. When this happens, they don’t get air deep into their lungs, which limits the amount of 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 your chest, according to Dr. Konkol.

One way to do this is to lie on your back with your hands on your stomach and inhale deeply through your nose, consciously trying to force the air into your belly. As you do this, your hands on your stomach should come up. As you exhale, your hands and belly should retract, Dr. Konkol said.

Dr. Hagobian teaches runners the technique by placing one hand on their stomach and one on their chest and then taking quick, shallow breaths to demonstrate how the hand on their chest moves much more than the hand on their stomach. She then takes a deep diaphragmatic breath, noting how the hand on her belly is now the one that moves the most while the hand on her chest is mostly still.

To get comfortable with this type of breathing and make it feel more natural, Dr. Konkol recommended practicing the technique for 15-20 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,” he said.

Only a few small studies have directly examined how diaphragmatic breathing affects exercise. In a study published in 2018, for example, researchers found that participants with fatigued diaphragms couldn’t exercise as intensely as usual. And a 2004 study found that using certain breathing techniques to train various muscles involved in breathing, including the diaphragm, helped cystic fibrosis patients take deeper breaths and exercise harder on a stationary bike. A 2006 study found similar results in healthy adults.

How to use diaphragmatic breathing during a run

Joe Shayne, a long-distance running coach with TeamWRK, a running organization in Brooklyn, said it can be challenging to learn a whole new way to breathe. And pressuring yourself to get it right can make you tense up and make breathing deeply more difficult.

Then he recommended practicing diaphragmatic breathing while you are calm and relaxed.

She suggested practicing diaphragmatic breathing first while lying down, sitting, or standing, and then trying to incorporate it into walks. Once diaphragmatic breathing starts to feel easy and natural during your walks, you can transition to using it for longer or more vigorous walks, then jogging and finally more intense runs, Mr. Shayne said.

The technique gets harder to maintain as the length or intensity of the exercise increases, she said.

After mastering the technique, Dr. Hagobian and Mr. Shayne recommended finding a breathing pattern that works for you during runs. For example, Mr. Shayne likes to exhale every four steps. Dr. 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 at faster paces.

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

As you get better at taking full diaphragmatic breaths, you should see subtle but noticeable changes in your runs, Dr. Konkol said.

You should need fewer breaths per minute, and you may feel more energetic, all because you’re getting better at providing your body with the oxygen it needs.

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