Breathing Techniques for Running

The Simplest Way to Improve Your Run

Strengthening respiratory muscles and focusing on your inhalations and exhalations while running can boost stamina and help keep your head in the zone on race day
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

Strengthen Inspiratory Muscles

Inspiratory Muscle Therapy (IMT) is used to strengthen the muscles needed in inhalation for people with asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but it’s now being marketed as a way to enhance athletic performance in endurance sports like running, swimming, and cycling. IMT is performed using a handheld device that delivers resistance when you inhale through it, requiring greater use of breathing muscles when you suck air in.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Indiana University found that IMT significantly reduces the amount of oxygen that breathing muscles require during exercise, which researchers suggest could make more oxygen available to other muscles, like the legs.

During the 6-week study, 16 male cyclists ages 18 to 40 were assigned to two groups. Half of the men took 30 fast, forceful breaths from the IMT device twice a day, while the other half did not. At the end of the study, inspiratory muscles of the men who had used the breathing device required 1% less oxygen during low-intensity exercise and 3 to 4% less oxygen during high-intensity exercise.

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