Proper technique for how to breathe when running might be the last thing on our mind mid-run, but it can make all the difference to our performance and enjoyment. We get expert advice on the best breathing techniques for running...
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We might have thought about breathing when we first started running. Usually that’s in a ‘how on earth do I manage to breathe and run at the same time’ kind of way. But once we get over that hurdle, we often forget all about breathing, focusing instead on conquering our first 5K or learning how to run faster.
However, how we breathe when we run can be fundamental to both running performance and enjoyment. We asked running expert Anna Harding to tell us how to breathe while running, and answer every question you might have about improving your breathing.
The expert guide to how to breathe while running
The science of breathing while running
When you’re running, you should use ‘diaphragmatic breathing’. In other words, breaths from deep down towards your belly, rather than shallow chest breathing. Why? Well, it’s better for efficient and maximal oxygen uptake, which is all to do with your VO2 Max. You might have seen this measurement on your fitness watch or tracker and wondered what the number means.
VO2 Max measures how much oxygen in millilitres you breathe in while exercising as hard as you can. The more oxygen you take in, the more energy your body can use.
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle beneath the lungs. Diaphragmatic breathing is much more efficient for runners because it works by engaging the diaphragm to create more space in your chest cavity, therefore allowing your lungs to expand fully to take in more oxygen.
How to breathe as a beginner runner
If you’re still in that place when you’re struggling to breathe when you run, forget all of the above for now! Having to stop running because we’re fighting for breath is really common when we start running for the first time. This is because we reach our ‘ventilatory threshold’, which is the point at which you can’t breathe deeply or quickly enough to fulfil you body’s demand for oxygen.
A beginner 5K training plan will usually help you to breathe more easily as you run, as it includes walk/running intervals that will help you get fitter and strengthen your cardiovascular system.
If you’re asthmatic or it feels really difficult though, it’s worth speaking with a medical professional, who can make sure there are no underlying causes.
Breathing exercises to help you breathe better as a runner
Once you can get enough oxygen in while you run, you can start thinking about your breathing form. A good way to measure this is if you can hold a (slightly breathless) conversation with a friend while running.
As we mentioned, the key to this will be diaphragmatic breathing. It’s a great idea to practise this at home before your run. This will make it easier to do while you’re running.
Lie on the floor and place one hand on your belly and another on your chest. Practise breathing deeply into your belly. You should feel the hand on your belly move upwards. Then push the breath out of your stomach by pulling your stomach inwards as you exhale. You can try this both with breathing through your nose and then through your mouth, as you may do both while running.
If you notice that only the hand on your chest is moving, you might not be doing full diaphragmatic breathing. Keep practising, focusing on that bottom hand, until it’s also rising and falling with the breath.
Correct posture for breathing while running
Your posture is a key part of being able to improve your breathing while running. Runners tend to hunch their shoulders forward, particularly as they get tired.
An exercise for you to try: hunch over, and then take as a big a breath as you can. Now imagine a string pulling your head up to the sky while you pull your shoulder blades back, then take another deep breath. Which was easier?
When you’re running, practise keeping your head up and your shoulders back. This can improve your breathing drastically. It might feel alien at first, or even difficult! Regular full body strength training can help you to build the muscles that will make this easier. In the mean time, focus on doing it for short intervals as you run, seeing if you can increase the length of those intervals each week until you’re able to do it for your whole run.
How to breathe for running performance
Finding and settling into a rhythm with your breathing on a run can help the overall control of your breath. This can in turn improve your running performance.
An easy way to get into this rhythm is counting, or if you run wearing headphones, put a song on that matches your breathing to the beat, or every other beat.
Have a go at working with these numbers on your next run:
- Easy runs at low intensity: 3:3
Three steps while breathing in and three steps while breathing out - Maximum and high-intensity runs: 1:1
One breath for each step, which can be used during the final burst at the end of a race or any harder interval work.
These rates should only be used as a rule of thumb, as they may not suit every runner. The best way is to try out a few different breathing rhythms and find the one that feels most comfortable to you.
Regardless of your breathing rate and running intensity, the most important thing is to focus on deep, diaphragmatic breathing so you can work on increasing the length of time you breathe in and breathe out.
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FAQs about how to breathe while running
Should I breathe through my nose or my mouth while running?
This is a really common question. While we generally breathe in and out through our noses, we often breathe through our mouth more when exercise intensity ramps up.
Only breathing through our mouth when we run can cause us to breathe in more pollution, as discussed more below, and can impact our ability to exhale carbon dioxide efficiently.
Inhaling and exhaling using both your nose and mouth combined will keep your breathing steady and allow you to get rid of carbon dioxide more quickly. It also helps engage your diaphragm for maximum oxygen intake.
Should I change my breathing when running in polluted areas?
As runners, we love being outside. But the outdoors can throw up a few issues that make breathing more difficult when we run. For instance, air quality in urban areas can have a negative effect on our running and our health in general. In some cities around the world, including in London, there are health warnings not to exercise outdoors that are issued on days when air pollution is particularly high.
If you’re running at a hard intensity and breathing only through your mouth, you’re bypassing the protective nature of the hairs in your nose. They act as a filter to dust, pollen, and bacteria. Breathing through our mouth means more junk from the poor air will end up in your lungs.
You can avoid air pollution causing issues when you run by monitoring the air quality at a certain time on a certain day by using the internet or an app. Time your workouts around peak travel times and lower the intensity of your workout if you’re particularly worried, so that you can breathe only through your nose.
Can breathing properly while running prevent stitch?
There is a limited amount of research in the science behind a stitch, which means there still isn’t a definitive answer as to what causes the pain. What we do know though, is that side stitches often occur when the diaphragm muscle starts cramping. Considering how the diaphragm muscle plays a significant role in our breathing, it stands to reason that our breathing may be a likely cause of side stitches.
Warming up your diaphragm before taking off at your usual pace can reduce the chances of developing this annoying side stitch. First, start by practising your deep belly breathing technique to relax your diaphragm muscle. Start your run slowly and focus on maintaining your breathing technique. Gradually increase your speed to give your diaphragm time to adjust to harder breathing.
Does breathing while running help prevent injury?
There have been some fascinating studies on the impact your breathing rhythm can have on your running, including how it can actually decrease your risk of injury.
A study by Dennis Bramble PhD, and David Carrier PhD, of the University of Utah, explains that the greatest impact stress of running occurs when your footstrike coincides with the beginning of an exhalation. This means that if you begin to exhale every time your left foot hits the ground, the left side of your body will continually suffer the greatest running stress.
This is because when you exhale, your diaphragm and the muscles associated with the diaphragm relax, creating less stability in your core. Less stability at the time of greatest impact makes a perfect storm for injury.
This goes back to getting into a rhythm with your breathing, which is also called cadence breathing. If you’re like most runners, you have a natural tendency to have an even number of foot strikes for each inhale and exhale. For example, you’ll inhale every two steps and exhale every two steps. The theory goes that this kind of even breathing pattern can lead to injuries because the exhale is always on the same foot.
Can cross-training help me get better at breathing while running?
Yes, absolutely! Activities such as yoga or swimming, which often appear as cross-training options in training plans, are particularly useful for this.
When it comes to swimming, being aware of your breathing plays a huge part because your face is in the water, so you’re forced to focus on when you can take breaths. You have to exhale while your face is in the water, so when you turn to breathe, your lungs are mostly empty and ready to accept a fresh breath of air. It’s a constant rhythm.
In yoga, ‘pranayama’ is a main component and is the practice of breath regulation. In Sanskrit, ‘prana’ means life energy and ‘yama’ means control. Therefore the practice of pranayama helps us focus on controlled breathing, which can be very useful when running.
Can a RMT help me improve my breathing while running?
First up, an RMT (otherwise known as a respiratory muscle trainer) is a little device that you use to train your breathing. You might have heard of Airofit Pro, which is a well-known breathing trainer device in the running world.
These devices aim to strengthen your intercostal muscles and diaphragm. There are various small-scale studies that show a performance benefit to using them regularly – though they do not increase your VO2 max.
A recent study also found that runners raced better when they used an RMT before their run.
