Any athlete who has run the length of a football or soccer, legged out a triple in a baseball game or run the 400 meter sprint on a track can tell you how important healthy breathing is. If an athlete has developed his lung capacity properly, his breathing or oxygen intake will allow him to perform more economically resulting in better performance. Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas tell us in "Advanced Marathoning" that oxygen is the primary limiting factor in energy production for an athlete.
VO2 Max
Pfitzinger and Douglas go on to discuss the value of maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max in the breathing of an athlete. An athlete with a high VO2 max value is able to send large amounts of oxygen to their working muscles. This translates into allowing muscles to work with peak efficiency and resulting in peak performance by the athlete. One of the results of maximal oxygen usage is increased hemoglobin content in the blood, which carries the oxygen, and the amount of blood being sent to the athlete's muscles.
Performance Gains
One advantage for any athlete that plays or performs their sport with regularity is the performance gains from healthy breathing and increased lung capacity. In a study of elite swimmers, "Performance Gains Following Resistance Breathing Exercises" by Bill Misner, Phd., concluded that the exercise of swimming created greater chest volume, increased number of alveoli, or number of air sacs per volume lung tissue and therefore better performance. The report of the same study postulates that having an athlete perform the proper training exercises; in this case, anaerobic running workouts or resistance breathing exercises, can result in better breathing and better performance.
Exercise Iduced Asthma
No matter what your sport, your breathing and performance can be short-circuited by exercise induced asthma (EIA). According to the Mayo Clinic, any athlete with this affliction can still participate in sports without much problem as long as proper treatment and precautions are taken. Exercise induced asthma causes a tightening of the airways and extra mucus with the increased exertion of exercise and sports performance. The Mayo Clinic recommends that an athlete with EIA use an inhaler, both before and after working out, with medication that with open and clear his air passages for better breathing. Also, properly trained medical staff or athletic trainers should be on hand to handle any EIA problems.
Proper Breathing Technique
Belly breathing is a technique recommended by Dr. Tim Noakes, in "Lore of Running". Belly breathing is actually a bit of a misnomer as your diaphragm, not your belly is doing the work. The term comes from the appearance of your stomach moving in and out and the chest hardly moving with inhaling and exhaling. Belly breathing can help prevent a side stitch during sports performance. A stitch can be caused by lack of training, weak stomach muscles, running too fast, and even eating or drinking too much beforehand. Proper breathing technique leads to better performance.
Considerations
Consistent, proper training, overall health and control of any respiratory issues, medically or environmentally, such as EIA or air pollution, are mandatory in order to excel during sports. Great or poor maximal oxygen uptake or VO2 max, can be an inherited trait, and certain individual athletes will see only minor gains no matter how hard they train.
References
- Hammer Nutrition: Performance Gains Following Resistance Breathing Exercises
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise Induced Asthma
- "Advanced Marathoning"; Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas; 2001
