Should you breathe in time with your pedalling?

Bhima

In the gym, when doing weights, I breathe in time to the weight lifting motion and i'm just wondering weather it is important to do so on a bike too?

I tend to pedal at 90 RPM and I find breathing in time at that pace is difficult and irritating because it seems to go against my natural breathing patterns.

I can do it, although because i'm breathing faster than I normally would, it feels really unnatural because i'm not filling my lungs as much as usual.

Is it best to breathe in time and not use your full lung capacity or is there more benefit in using all of your lungs to get as much air in as possible, even if it's not related to the rhythm of your pedalling?

softlad

this is a joke, right..?

Bhima

Nope!

I searched this place and couldn't find anything.

I feel it is a legitimate question because breathing is a very important part of training/performance so if i'm doing it in a less efficient way that I could be, I want to know.

softlad

you probably couldn't find anything because it is not an issue worth considering. Breathe as often - and as deeply as you need to in order to maintain your output.

Even better, just allow your autonomic nervous system to control your breathing for you and get on with pushing the pedals...

eh

Breathing really isn't that important at all. In fact I rarely breath during a 10TT, maybe once at the start and if I'm feeling a bit tired once just after the turn.

Bhima

softlad wrote:

Even better, just allow your autonomic nervous system to control your breathing for you and get on with pushing the pedals...

I've tried just letting my body get on with it but it didn't work.

If I don't consciously make an effort to breathe, I tend to not breathe very much at all, which stops my muscles working at their max. So, sometimes, as I approach a climb, I really make an effort to breathe a LOT and really deeply - sometimes I can get so distracted on keeping a constant pedalling rhythm that I forget about everything else! I believe that breathing can make a massive difference if you're sprinting or going up hills. When I get tired, it's usually because I have not been breathing properly.

pinkbikini

I find a sharp intake of breath sortly before immersing my entire bike in a solvent bath is helpful, followed by a sharp exhale when I realise how much damage I've done

Seriously, concentrate on your cadence and power, breathing will take care of itself.

pinkbikini

On a more serious note, some pro riders seem to spend time with their tongues lolling out of their mouths - I guess in some vain hope to get more oxygen in?

softlad

pinkbikini wrote:

On a more serious note, some pro riders seem to spend time with their tongues lolling out of their mouths - I guess in some vain hope to get more oxygen in?

it opens up the airway a bit - I do it a lot round this area..

cougie

Yesterdays post was about cleaning your whole bike in a bath of cleaning solution, today is breathing at 90 breaths per minute ?

I await tomorrow with anticipation !

cougie

Yesterdays post was about dunking your whole bike in a bath of cleaning solution, today is breathing at 90 breaths per minute ?

I await tomorrow with anticipation !

Bhima

cougie wrote:

I await tomorrow with anticipation !

It's a thread about those new revolutionary low-drag square wheels.

Robsbc

Effective Breathing Integrates the Mindbody and Optimizes Performance :-

http://www.bicyclingbliss.com/chapter4.html

ellieb

I found that breathing in time with the pedal stroke was a great aid to consistent oxygen intake. Then I frewheeled down a 1/2 mile long hill & passed out half way down.

cee

i think i do get the point of this.....

when i started riding, i just let my body decide when/what/how to breathe.

I noticed at some point that my breathing was actually quite shallow, and I was running out of puff.

I made a concious effort to breathe fully and deeply with every breathe and did notice a big difference in how much effort I could put in and for how long.

I do not think about it in terms of in time with pedal strokes, ore just ensuring that each breathe is full and deep.

mclarent

I've certainly read about getting into a rhythm on hill climbs, including your breathing, possibly in Arnie Baker's book Smart Cycling?

There are points (usually involving hills) where I focus on deeper breathing, usually when I notice that my breathing is overly fast or shallow. I can bring my heart rate down 1-2% by doing this. Other things that have the same effect are making sure I expell fully all the air from my lungs with a little jerk? cough? (apparently some C02 is left at the bottom of your lungs, reducing the amount of oxygen you can get in, knocks 1% off my HR), and breathing through the nose works, (again 1-2%, but doesn't work at high breathing rates cos I usually almost suffocate if I try it!!)

Can't say that I've actually noticed any increase in power / endurance from any different breathing style, but I would imagine it relaxes me more, which probably helps my form and helps with power / endurance.

synchronicity

I know cycling is a minimal impact form of excercise...

But they've done studies that reveal that joggers who breathed in time with their step experience more injuries. Can't remember where I read it now.... but basically, they tend to always exhale while pounding on the same foot, which leads to asymmetric body injuries.