How to and how NOT to breathe

I was at a local 5K/10K last weekend watching a few hundred finishers on the course. When I watch runners I can't help but to pick apart their gait issues (or, in some cases, their blessed gait). For whatever reason, what I saw was a LOT of breathing issues.

I don't mean asthma or COPD, but people who--despite running at or near their top speed--were not moving their abdomen at all. As an example of how to do it right, think about video you've seen of Lance Armstrong during any of his Tour de France wins. As he climbs up some awful grade, his belly moves in and out so much with each breath that he appears.....overweight. But during those races I doubt his body fat percentage is greater than 5%. He is doing an amazing job of letting the primary muscles of respiration (diaphragm, internal and external costals) do the job of inspiration. Granted, he is a professional athlete and genetically blessed, etc.

I made similar observations during the finish of the 5k/10k. The top 10% of runners came through with their chests relaxed, shoulders (upper traps) down and relaxed and their stomachs moving nicely in and out with each breath. A strong majority of the remaining 90%, however, looked like their shoulders were glued to their ears.

Diaphragmatic breathing (aka belly breathing) is a breathing technique historically practiced by yogis and more recently in the treatment of symptoms of asthma and COPD.

In the past, I haven't considered counseling athletes and weekend warriors on diaphragmatic breathing. And the fastest among us don't seem to need the advice. In fact, the patients to whom I usually recommend diaphragmatic breathing have been patients with neck complaints. During times of stress, whether physical or emotional, we seem to "turn on" the accessory muscles of inspiration---upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoids, scalenes, serratus posterior superior, et al. A lesson in belly breathing could help all of us.

No matter what your "sport" is---running, engineering, weights, accounting, paddling, typing, golf, parenting, cycling, etc---practice the techniques of diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation. Unless, of course, you WANT to become a "neck patient".