Are you a chest breather or a belly breather? If you are a chest breather, you should change into a belly breather to become a better runner. Here is a quick test on how you breathe lying on the floor. First, put your hand on your abdomen. If your hand rises and falls when inhaling and exhaling, you are a belly breather. But you are close to a chest breather if your chest moves up and down. That means you might not know how to breathe deeply and fully, yet.
Occasionally, although your legs do not feel fatigue, you stop running. This is mainly because you do not supply the necessary and adequate oxygen to working muscles. Like infants using their diaphragm to breathe deeply, if runners know how to breathe properly, they will become a better runner in the near future.
How to breathe deeply and fully
- Focus on expanding your belly as you breathe.
- Breathe with your mouth relaxed and slightly open when running
- Avoid irregular breathing patterns
- Breathe in for two footfalls and then out for two footfalls which is a standard pattern