Running
Breathing exercises for runners to boost performance
A great way to build stamina is through breathing exercises. Whether you’re a beginner running or training for a competition, these five will help take you further.
Knowing how to breathe properly while out on a run will help you go the distance, pushing you further the more you practise and master the skill. And this is exactly what you want to do when preparing for an upcoming running event.
You can even take these exercises to prepare and use for the next Wings for Life World Run on May 5 2024 to stay ahead of the Catcher Car. The event takes place annually, and all of its proceeds go towards finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. If you can’t make it to one of the course locations, you can still take part in the run no matter where you are. All you have to do is download the Wings for Life World Run App and you’ll be off the starting line at the same time as everyone else around the world!
To help get you prepared – no matter the run – we put together this list of best breathing exercises that will let you keep going for longer.
Kristian Blummenfelt has the stamina to go incredible distances
© Emil Sollie / Red Bull Content Pool
The relationship between running speed and oxygen intake is known as your ‘running economy.’ The more efficiently you can convert oxygen into forward motion, the better. As your muscles' workload increases, more carbon dioxide is produced within your system. If there’s no oxygen to flush it out, there will be a build-up of lactic acid, which can cause cramps, muscle pains and shortness of breath.
5 breathing exercises for runners
Below, we take you through five controlled breathing exercises that are as important for muscle oxygenation as interval training. They will also help you strengthen your mental toughness and help you hit your personal bests in terms of distance and time.
01
Patterned breathing
Put breathing exercises into practice for the Wings for Life World Run
© Julien Blanc for Wings for Life World Run
Patterned breathing exercises help you tone your diaphragm and gain more control over your breathing. When you get good at this exercise, you will be able to take deeper breaths and improve your running economy.
How to start using patterned breathing:
- Step 1: Start by walking and base your breathing on your strides. For example, inhale for two steps, and exhale for the same amount — this is called the 2:2 breathing pattern.
- Step 2: Keep this pattern up for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 3: Once you feel comfortable, speed up your pace and start running while still breathing based on your strides.
These exercises can vary in formation, depending on your desired goal and pace. Use a 2:2 breathing pattern for short sprints or races and a 3:3 or 4:4 for longer training or races. Ultimately, paced breathing can help you run with more power and efficiency even as you start to fatigue.
02
Belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing
Tom Evans tackles the Wings for Life World Run Flagship Run
© Matthias Heschl for Wings for Life World Run
This type of deep abdominal breathing strengthens your diaphragm (the muscles that control your breathing). This exercise is particularly helpful if you have shallow breath, which causes tension in the shoulders resulting in cramps and backache. Since this type of breathing allows you to take in more air, there is a reduced likelihood of experiencing stitches.
Here’s how you practice belly breathing in three simple steps:
- Step 1: Breathe in through your nose and fill your stomach with oxygen.
- Step 2: When your belly has expanded, push your diaphragm down and out.
- Step 3: When you exhale, make sure to lengthen your breath so they are longer than when you inhale.
To begin with, try doing this exercise lying on the floor. Once you get the hang of it, implement it while you're running by slowing down your pace and following the steps above.
03
Equal breathing
Breathing exercises can help you come race day – even if that's a marathon
© Esben Zøllner Olesen / Red Bull Content Pool
This technique focuses on making your inhales and your exhales the same length. It makes your breathing slow and steady, which helps immensely with pacing yourself. Although it seems easy, this is one of the more difficult exercises since it’s all about discipline and control.
Here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: Breathe in and out through your nose.
- Step 2: Make sure each inhale and exhale are of equal duration.
- A great trick is to choose a word or a short phrase to repeat while inhaling and exhaling.
Although this exercise is the hardest to master, it is the easiest to implement while you are running as it doesn’t require any physical manipulation of your body. It’s useful because it ensures there is enough oxygen exchange in your system which will improve your stamina and help you to run further distances.
04
Alternating nostrils breathing (also known as Nadi Shodhana)
Alternate nostril breathing comes from yoga practices. It’s also known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama which means "subtle energy clearing breathing technique” in Sanskrit. This technique is known to lower stress and improve cardiovascular function.
This method is easy and you can do it in five simple steps:
- Step 1: Lift your right hand up and press your first and middle finger towards your palm and leave the other fingers extended. When you exhale, use your thumb to close your right nostril
- Step 2: Inhale through your left nostril and then close it with your pinky and ring finger and release your thumb from your right nostril.
- Step 3: Exhale out of your right nostril and inhale again.
- Step 4: Close your right nostril and then release your left nostril and inhale, then exhale.
- Step 5: Repeat this cycle for up to five minutes.
Again, until you get the hang of this method, sit down while you practice. Once you feel comfortable and know how to execute the cycle, try this exercise as a part of your pre-run stretches or jogging warm-up. It’ll help you to increase your lung capacity by strengthening your diaphragm, so it’ll take longer for you to feel out of breath.
05
Pursed lips breathing
Pursed lips breathing will reduce the impact on your lungs while running. It slows your breathing by keeping your airways open longer — this makes it easier for oxygen to enter your bloodstream and flush out the carbon dioxide build-up in your muscles.
Follow these three steps to try the exercise out:
- Step 1: Inhale through your nostrils.
- Step 2: Purse your lips as if you were pouting.
- Step 3: Breathe out as slowly as you can through your pursed lips. It should take twice as long for you to exhale.
This exercise is much easier than diaphragmatic breathing and has a similar effect on your system. You can easily implement while you are running as long as you are focused on your breathwork.
Breathing exercises and techniques for cold weather climates
While many of the breathing exercises outlined above can help no matter the weather climate, there are a few others that can give you a bit of a boost when running in colder weather.
Layers – and proper breathing – are key to winter running
© Adrian Pop for Wings for Life World Run
Knowing the different techniques will help keep your body warm, increase your oxygen intake and improve your overall lung function.
Alternate between inhaling and exhaling through your nose and mouth
If you have ever run in cold weather you know what it feels like to take a deep breath through your nose. But this can sometimes be a good thing versus inhaling through your mouth because it takes longer for the air to reach your lungs, helping to warm it up along the way.
Try to take steady inhales through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth. However, the downfall here is that it all depends on the intensity of your run. The harder you go, the more difficult it is to have enough oxygen when breathing in through your nose.
Alternating between inhaling and exhaling through your nose and mouth can be very helpful as you’re starting your run and warming your body up. Once you get a comfortable level and have acclimated to the temperature, you can switch to only breathing through your mouth.
Start slow and increase the distance as you go
Intense runs outside in the cold weather can have negative effects on your airways and make it even harder to breathe. Don’t just jump right into a full race pace your first time out – work your way up to a comfortable level and allow your body to adjust to the different elements.
Start by going for slower-paced, shorter runs and establish a base mileage and then you can steadily increase your distance. If it’s really cold, it can be better to focus on longer and easier runs to ensure your airways can keep up with the temperature instead of a high-intensity run.
Use Buteyko breathing
On top of other breathing exercises like alternate nostril breathing, deep breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, Buteyko breathing can be another technique to add to your bag — especially in cold weather. It involves minimising the total number of breaths you take each minute.
Winter trail running
© Keri Wallace
Focusing on this breathing technique can help limit the possibility of a respiratory infection and improve how efficient your breathing is. All you need to do is take a deep inhale through your nose and then continue to exhale back through your nose, not your mouth.
After you exhale, hold your breath for an extended amount of time (not too long, however) and then continue to repeat this process. You’ll find that after the first few times of doing the exercise you’re going to be more comfortable with the technique and then you can do it as long as it’s needed.
3 tips for how to properly breathe when running
Maximise oxygen while running to take on challenges like Red Bull Quicksand
© Victor Magdeyev / Red Bull Content Pool
Here are some general steps to maximise oxygen intake while running. These will help you control your breathing, regulate your pace and maximize your energy.
- Know when to breathe out of your nose vs your mouth. If you’re running at a slow pace, you can use nasal breathing or choose to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. But if you’re running at a faster pace, and are struggling to catch your breath, you might find it easier to breathe through your mouth.
- Stick to a rhythm, this allows you to take in more oxygen. Alternate your exhalations between your right and left foot, this will reduce the impact of your feet hitting the floor on your diaphragm. This impact can equal up to four times your body-weight. Using an alternating breathing technique will help reduce the chance of injury as both sides of your body are absorbing this weight.
- Finally, focus on your form. In order to maximise breathing depth, you need to maintain good posture while running. Keep your head up and in line with your spine, making sure your shoulders aren’t hunched.
Strengthen your breathing and hit your personal best
Overall, breathing exercises are a great way to build stamina — whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned sprinter or training for a competition. These techniques, combined with perfecting your stride, will help you gain control over your performance!
And that’s the beautiful thing about the Wings for Life World Run – runners of any skill level can take part and it doesn’t matter where you’re located. You can join one of the organised runs closest to your location or you can do the App Run, which is where you do your own race and use the app to track your progress and try to stay ahead of the catcher car.
The next Wings for Life World Run takes place on May 5, 2024, and all proceeds from the run go directly to help fund spinal cord research. You can learn more about the race and sign up by heading to Wings for Life World Run website.