How to Breathe While Running: 6 Breathing Techniques

Though breathing is an autonomic activity that we don’t usually need to think about, establishing an efficient breathing cadence while running can help you increase your endurance, decrease your likelihood of injury, and help push past a plateau in your training. Here are five different types of breathing techniques you can use while you run.

1. 1. Rhythmic breathing: As a runner, your body absorbs a great deal of stress when your exhalations coincide with your foot strikes. Using a rhythmic breath while running helps you distribute this stress evenly across both sides of your body. This practice involves timing your inhalations and exhalations with the cadence of your steps so that your exhales alternate between right and left foot strikes. A natural rhythm of breath for runners is to inhale for two footstrikes and exhale for two foot strikes. However, this means that your exhalations will always be on the same side of your body, causing uneven strain and possibly increasing your risk of injury. If you breathe rhythmically in an odd ratio—like inhaling for two strides and exhaling for one, or inhaling for three and exhaling for two—each exhale will coincide with an alternating right or left foot strike. This kind of variability can increase your endurance and decrease your risk of injury.
2. 2. Diaphragmatic breathing: Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing or abdominal breathing, is a breathing technique that involves engaging the diaphragm, a dominant respiratory muscle near the lower ribs and intercostal muscles, to breathe more efficiently. The diaphragm contracts and moves down during this type of breathing, giving the lungs additional space to expand to take in more air. This deep belly breathing technique, which increases lung capacity and elasticity, can help slow your breathing rate and heart rate during strenuous exercise.
3. 3. Box breathing: Box breathing, also known as square breathing or four-square breathing, is a four-part breathing exercise that can restore calmness and wellbeing to the mind and body when under stress. This deep-breathing technique involves inhaling deep into the belly, holding the breath at the top of the inhalation for at least four counts, exhaling, then holding the breath at the bottom of the exhalation for four counts.
4. 4. Nose and mouth breathing: Whether you breathe through your nose or your mouth during a run is mostly a matter of personal preference. The most important thing is that your breathing is comfortable and efficient, which is why many runners will reflexively settle into a combination of nose and mouth breathing. This involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
5. 5. Nasal breathing: Breathing through the nose is better for easy runs or moderate jogs rather than sprints (though many experienced athletes will have their own preferred methods of breathing). With nasal breathing, you only inhale and exhale through the nostrils without involving any mouth breathing.
6. 6. Mouth breathing: Mouth breathing involves only inhaling and exhaling through the mouth. Breathing through your mouth throughout your run can increase stress because it may feel like hyperventilation. However, breathing through your mouth can be very effective for high-intensity running. Often, people will switch to mouth breathing during a sprint or an uphill run.

How you breathe while you run can depend on a few different factors such as weather, asthma, fitness level, or the intensity of your run. If you’re a beginner runner or simply want to learn how to get enough oxygen during your exercise, here is an overview of how to practice efficient breathing while running.

1. 1. Warm up your lungs. A proper dynamic warm-up can get your heart pumping and your blood flowing, which can help prepare your respiratory system and loosen up your muscles to make it easier to expand your lungs and diaphragm. Try some chest-opening exercises before you run, which can expand your diaphragm and make your belly breathing more efficient.
2. 2. Maintain your running form. Good posture and proper running form can build core strength and relieve core pressure, making it easier for you to breathe while you run. Maintain a neutral head and neck position while keeping your eyes forward. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement as if you were holding an egg under your chin. Your posture should be tall while maintaining a slight forward lean. Your shoulders should remain level and relaxed.
3. 3. Breathe through your nose and mouth. Nose breathing or mouth breathing alone may not make efficient use of your lung capacity, leaving you with less oxygen as you exercise. Inhaling through both your nose and mouth can help you achieve maximum oxygen intake. Breathe in through your nose and mouth in a rhythmic pattern as you run, timing your breathing rhythms with alternating steps. Exhale through the mouth to help quickly expel carbon dioxide.
4. 4. Practice belly breathing. It may seem like deep breaths will slow you down, but this isn’t the case. Chest breathing actually leads to shallower breaths that deprive your body and muscles of much-needed oxygen during strenuous exercise. Instead, train yourself to breathe through your diaphragm. Practice belly breathing by lying on the ground with one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Inhale through your nose and push your belly out as your lungs fill up with air. At the same time, push down on your diaphragm to prevent your chest from rising. You can exhale gently through your mouth, and repeat the process for a few minutes. Once you’re used to this feeling, incorporate it into your next run and notice the difference you feel.

If you have any medical conditions that may affect your breathing, consult with your running coach or a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your exercise routine.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for twenty-four to forty-eight hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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