Breathing techniques for cycling?

roadcyclist101 said:

Hey there

I'm wondering if anyone has paid much attention to their breathing when training and racing? I mean anyone know of any studies or anything. I'd find it hard to believe that its not important - but seems to get no attention. For example there's a breathing technique called buteyko (usually used for asthma treatment) that claims it can really improve sports performance and aid recovery too. Anyway, just wondering if anyone knows anything.....

Ric Stern, of of the resident coaches, has covered this many times. There's no advantage to working on breathing technique. It'll take care of itself. The problem isn't the breathing. It's the processing and absorption of oxygen. Working on breathing technique will do nothing to improve that. Do a search if you need a more elaborate explanation.

Doctor Morbius said:

Ric Stern, of of the resident coaches, has covered this many times. There's no advantage to working on breathing technique. It'll take care of itself. The problem isn't the breathing. It's the processing and absorption of oxygen. Working on breathing technique will do nothing to improve that. Do a search if you need a more elaborate explanation.

O ok - sorry, haven't seen anything about it before. Well the buteyko technique mostly seems to claim that its your breathing in general (off the bike) that can be made more efficient, and this makes your body run more efficiently and in that way helps recovery (more to do with CO2 levels rather than O2 anyway). Point taken about the limiting factors being the processing and absorption of oxygen when you're actally on the bike. Cheers

There is evidence respiratory training can enhance cycling performance: see

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0979.htm or http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6793/4/9/abstract
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/205/24/3937

The two full studies involved trained cyclists and triathletes. The studies showed improved exercise performance at 85% VO2 max, i.e, similar to 40 k TT performance.

-Bikeguy

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Seems there is some interest in this subject.

msummers

Yeah, I suppose my original post was aimed more at stuff I've been reading about breathing techniques like buteyko. I got mild asthma and have read stuff about asthma being linked to overbreathing - ie. overbreathing normally - not just while exercising. (ie. breathing through your mouth in your sleep - thats why lots of people wake up dehydrated). Breathing too much seems to lower the levels of CO_2 in the lungs - and reduced CO_2 levels means the body doesnt work like it should. Its very apparant for asthmatics - but its been suggested that 9/10 people overbreathe - ie. not just asthmatics.

Here's more about it :
http://www.buteyko.co.nz/buteyko/prog/sport.cfm

Anyway, it seemed to make sense to me - and seems like it could help recovery and performance - I was wondering if anyone else in cycling uses it - but I guess not.

I was not happy this summer with my breathing. Often felt uncomfortable. I find that this level of discomfort alters the concentration.

I think I had allergies anyway.