Breathing Made Easy
Some of the simple things are often missed out when it comes to training to get fit for rugby or any sport. Breathing is something we do all day every day and so we take it for granted. But there is an art to breathing correctly and getting the most out of each breath. For example if you are asked to take a big breath you do so in such a way that you probably hold your stomach in. But why would you hold your stomach in when really it should be sticking out because of the volume of air inside the lungs. Likewise when you breathe out your stomach and chest should go in as you release the used air as you exhale but so many people push their stomachs outwards. The action of breathing brings air in through the lungs which then goes into the blood and gets transported around the body to help exercise. As you exhale carbon dioxide is removed from the body as a waste product and room is made for new oxygenated air to come in. Good breathing technique will help lower blood pressure, purify the blood, increase metabolism, improve digestion, promote rapid recovery after exercise, help you to relax and most importantly of all have non-stop endurance for adventure.
During exercise most people resort to shallow, short fast breaths, because they are breathing just using the top part of the chest. Excessive panting will be a waste of energy and it won’t deliver enough oxygen to your lungs. This rapid shallow breathing may cause what the experts call a flight-or-flight response. Your heart rate will increase as the heart has to pump faster to use what little oxygen it has been given and this puts bigger stress on the body which will leave you with no choice but to slow down and it will make recovery from your training session take longer. Your mind will think you are exercising at a high intensity when in fact if you were able to breathe correctly you would soon find out that the intensity is not that hard after all. Using just the top of the lungs with this short shallow chest breathing doesn’t make use of the bottom half of your lungs where the most efficient exchange of oxygen takes place. It is important to exhale fully before you take another breath in because if you don’t you simply won’t have enough room for the new oxygen to come in.
Breathing out correctly is like emptying your rubbish bin to make room for more rubbish. You would empty the whole bin before you started to fill it up again. You need to empty your lungs completely before you take another breath in. Stop smoking if you haven´t already.
Make time in your week to do some simple breathing exercises to help you get the most from each breath. Firstly make sure you make some simple changes whilst training. Keep your posture as upright as possible. If your shoulders are rounded and slumped you will not be able to inhale as much oxygen as you need because your diaphragm will be prevented from rising up. So relax your shoulders but keep your chest up and make sure your ears, shoulders and hips are all in one line to maintain good posture. Then as you inhale relax your abdominal muscles so your diaphragm can rise up and then contract your abdominal muscles as you exhale to help exhale completely.
Exercise 1
This is commonly known as abdominal breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe in look at your hands and make sure the hand on your stomach is rising higher than your hand on your chest. When the hand on your stomach is rising higher than your hand on the chest you know you are making good use of the space at the bottom of the lungs. Next take a deep breath in through your nose and then slowly breathe out through your mouth. When you think you have fully breathed out contract your stomach muscles to help completely empty your lungs. The process of breathing out should take twice as long as breathing in. Once you have mastered the technique repeat the technique for 3-4 minutes at a time. Practice the technique when you are resting and relaxed, then start to incorporate it into your training sessions. You will soon find that your training level of intensity can increase and so your rugby fitness or any other sport will improve immeasurably.
Exercise 2
This is commonly known as bellows breathing and you should try using this just before the start of the endurance life events, as it conditions the body to overcome the shock of a sudden demand for more oxygen by making the muscles involved in heavy breathing ready for action. This technique should be practised at first in the comfort of a chair as it can have the effect of hyperventilation and in some cases people may pass out. Breathe in fast through your nose and mouth and then breathe out fast through your mouth using all the correct muscles. It is especially important to use your abdominal muscles to make sure each time you breathe out you completely empty the lungs. Keep repeating the exercise but if you are new to it only do it for 10 seconds to start with and then build up the time of the exercise by 5 seconds each time you do it. The fast breathing will also release energizing chemicals to your brain.
Add these two breathing exercises to your training plan twice a week and you will see the benefits within a few weeks. Poor breathing technique will inhibit your ability to progress and perform at your full physical potential.
Some of the simple things are often missed out when it comes to training to get fit for rugby or any sport. Breathing is something we do all day every day and so we take it for granted. But there is an art to breathing correctly and getting the most out of each breath. For example if you are asked to take a big breath you do so in such a way that you probably hold your stomach in. But why would you hold your stomach in when really it should be sticking out because of the volume of air inside the lungs. Likewise when you breathe out your stomach and chest should go in as you release the used air as you exhale but so many people push their stomachs outwards. The action of breathing brings air in through the lungs which then goes into the blood and gets transported around the body to help exercise. As you exhale carbon dioxide is removed from the body as a waste product and room is made for new oxygenated air to come in. Good breathing technique will help lower blood pressure, purify the blood, increase metabolism, improve digestion, promote rapid recovery after exercise, help you to relax and most importantly of all have non-stop endurance for adventure.
During exercise most people resort to shallow, short fast breaths, because they are breathing just using the top part of the chest. Excessive panting will be a waste of energy and it won’t deliver enough oxygen to your lungs. This rapid shallow breathing may cause what the experts call a flight-or-flight response. Your heart rate will increase as the heart has to pump faster to use what little oxygen it has been given and this puts bigger stress on the body which will leave you with no choice but to slow down and it will make recovery from your training session take longer. Your mind will think you are exercising at a high intensity when in fact if you were able to breathe correctly you would soon find out that the intensity is not that hard after all. Using just the top of the lungs with this short shallow chest breathing doesn’t make use of the bottom half of your lungs where the most efficient exchange of oxygen takes place. It is important to exhale fully before you take another breath in because if you don’t you simply won’t have enough room for the new oxygen to come in.
Breathing out correctly is like emptying your rubbish bin to make room for more rubbish. You would empty the whole bin before you started to fill it up again. You need to empty your lungs completely before you take another breath in. Stop smoking if you haven´t already.
Make time in your week to do some simple breathing exercises to help you get the most from each breath. Firstly make sure you make some simple changes whilst training. Keep your posture as upright as possible. If your shoulders are rounded and slumped you will not be able to inhale as much oxygen as you need because your diaphragm will be prevented from rising up. So relax your shoulders but keep your chest up and make sure your ears, shoulders and hips are all in one line to maintain good posture. Then as you inhale relax your abdominal muscles so your diaphragm can rise up and then contract your abdominal muscles as you exhale to help exhale completely.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
This is commonly known as bellows breathing and you should try using this just before the start of the endurance life events, as it conditions the body to overcome the shock of a sudden demand for more oxygen by making the muscles involved in heavy breathing ready for action. This technique should be practised at first in the comfort of a chair as it can have the effect of hyperventilation and in some cases people may pass out. Breathe in fast through your nose and mouth and then breathe out fast through your mouth using all the correct muscles. It is especially important to use your abdominal muscles to make sure each time you breathe out you completely empty the lungs. Keep repeating the exercise but if you are new to it only do it for 10 seconds to start with and then build up the time of the exercise by 5 seconds each time you do it. The fast breathing will also release energizing chemicals to your brain.
Add these two breathing exercises to your training plan twice a week and you will see the benefits within a few weeks. Poor breathing technique will inhibit your ability to progress and perform at your full physical potential.
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