Running and jogging are activities that elevate your body's need for oxygen. Your body gets this oxygen through the breathing process. The faster you run, the more oxygen your body needs. By regulating the breathing process, you can improve your running performance and gain other benefits. According to Stew Smith, a Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the benefits of breathing correctly while exercising include helping to prevent dizziness, improving athletic performance and increasing the burning of fat. With all of these benefits, learning to breathe while running is a worthwhile endeavor.
Step 1
Warm up before running. You should you stretch your muscles prior to running and prepar them for higher oxygen demands by jogging in place or performing jumping jacks.
Step 2
Start running. Establish a cadence by tracking your feet as they strike the ground in a left-right-left pattern. A constant pace helps ensure the time between your steps is equal.
Step 3
Breathe deeply in and deeply out in a 3-to-2 ratio in beat with your footsteps. Breathe in for three steps and breathe out for the next two steps. Maintain this pattern. The 3-to-2 ratio helps ensure that the body's muscles are fully oxygenated and that the body gets rid of carbon dioxide, both of which enhance athletic performance.
Step 4
Slow down if you cannot maintain the 3-to-2 ratio. This breathing technique may require you to adjust your pace until you grow accustomed to regulating you breathing.
Step 5
Continue running at the desired pace if you can maintain the 3-to-2 breathing ratio. Make adjustments to speed as needed because fatigue can make your body work harder.
Step 6
Complete the running course. Walk a few minutes to allow the body time to cool down.
Tips and Warnings
- Keep track of your heart rate during running. Regulating your breathing during running improves athletic endurance and performance, and proper techniques can lower your heart rate, compared to a runner who doesn't breathe properly during exercise.
- Breathing that is short and hurried, such as occurs when you increase your running pace, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in your body, thereby decreasing athletic endurance. If you do not maintain a pace that can accommodate the 3-to-2 ratio of breathing, you risk running at less than top efficiency.
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