Rhythmic breathing is basically breathing in and out to the "beat" of your feet on the pavement. attendly.com/how-to-conquer... It's pretty simple really - although some articles can complicate it unnecessarily. It is just like dancing - where you take the weight on each foot in time with the music - if you try to do a Quickstep to the music of a Walz, then you aren't going to be a very good dancer.
I followed a lady at parkrun the other day - and I so much wanted to ask her to stop and then run with me for a while. She had over-exerted herself and I could hear that her random and spasmodic gasps for breath were in no way related to the rhythm of her running legs.
Written by
Bazza1234
Graduate
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I do breathe rhythmically, but not the four in four out that I've heard recommended. For me it's three in three out, which is what your article mentions. I breathe rhythmically when I walk fast too - always have done.
Yes - I use 4/4 for slow easy running, 3/3 for faster tempo running including parkrun and 2/2 for the final 500 metres run to the line at parkrun Never use 1/1 - I would be hyperventilating at that
Thank you for the link Bazza, I'm going to try this later (W5R2 tonight). I find that I struggle with my breathing for the first few minutes but then it sorts itself out although I've never consciously tried any techniques! Grief, you can tell Im a total rookie can't you! 😂
Yes, I try to use a 3:3 for most normal runs.. It does take some practice to match your breathing with your steps. Sometimes I feel like I'm breathing more than I need, but presume more oxygen in the bank isn't a bad thing!!
I have read (and have some little experience with ) that if you overbreathe, you raise your heartrate excessively. Hence why Yogi's attempt to breathe very slowly and calmly when meditating? Maybe you should try some slower breathing - 4/4??? I was also reading yesterday of somebody who recommends a "pause" between intake and exhaust of breath - eg in, in, in, pause, pause,pause, out out out over 9 steps.
I do when on the road and it's flat, or climbing uphill. Breathe, 2 3 4 ☺ When on the uneven, up hill down dale trail then I don't. When the trail evens out it will be rhythmic again ☺
I've done 3:2 as my standard for a long time now, with occasional 2:2 on hills. Except last night when it felt awful. So I tried 4:3, 3:3 and 2:2 at different points and they all felt as bad! I'll go back to 3:2 next time and see how it goes...
I would love to master this, my asthma has been really bad lately and when I push myself I have to stay calm or I get very wheezy.... thanks for sharing
Breathing was a real issue in the beginning for me as I wasn't sure what I was doing. I read about rhythmic breathing and it has been a life-saver (probably literally)! 3 in and 3 out for me - I think it keeps me calmer. When I am struggling to complete a run, I focus entirely on my breathing and I am sure it helps me through.
Ha ha - I read this and was instantly transported back to the early days of C25K when Laura was trying to tell me to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth (I think). I had so much else to concentrate on at the time that I got myself into a right mess! In the end I decided that my body had been breathing all on its own for a long time and could probably carry on without any interference from me
I think I'm probably a little more disciplined about it now, although I still can't do the in-through-the-nose bit. I don't get enough air that way. I've never actually tried to count breaths and steps so I shall think about this tomorrow when I'm next out.
The thing I do find useful is to breathe out if I'm struggling for breath - then the next breath in is a deeper breath and it sets the rhythm back again properly. It sounds contradictory, but when you gasp for breath, as the poor lady at your parkrun was doing, you tend only to take air into the top of your lungs. If you whoosh all the old stored stuff out, there's space for nice fresh air to come in and oxygenate you
Thanks, Bazza1234 , I'll be counting tomorrow, running up my hill!
I have done this since the early days of C25K when Michael Johnson came in with his tip of pacing to breathing - I do 4/4 on easy and 3/3 or 3/2 2/2 on faster runs. I try to take deep breaths as well so that I am filling the whole of my lungs rather than just the upper lobes which happens in quick, shallow breathing - it helps get the oxygen in & ultimately helps your running
I do, but not what you might expect....I breath in very quickly, then out to 4 steps.... it comes from swimming where you snatch a breath when your head is above the water, then breath it but slowly over the next four strokes.
This has been interesting I breathe rhythmically (through my mouth at all times!) but I haven't counted. I'm going to have a count next time.
BUT ... Do any of you have Parrell's "Happy" on your running iPod? That song is the perfect tempo for me to run in time to plus there's a sort of rhythmic "symbol" sound throughout the track that I breathe to in perfect time. Try it! (Though it may be too slow for you, I'm not a fast runner).
- much too slow for me !! I'm talking about cadence - not pace. I measure it to be 160BPM - I run a slow easy pace at around 180BPM and go up to 200 BPM when I am sprinting
What a good article, simple instructions and diagrams - that is what I like! I haven't really tried proper rhythmic breathing (mostly just huff and puff!) but after reading this and comments on this post I think I should give it a go. Do folk change the rhythm depending on the terrain, incline and hence pace?
The running cadence (BPM) should remain about the same for all conditions - although most people will use a slightly slower cadence when running slowly than when they run faster. But the breathing "rhythm" eg 3/3 or 4/4 will change depending on circumstances which alter demand for oxygen
Since you posted this article and the other one ('running on air' - well think that was you!), I have been giving rhythmic breathing a go. Today I did 10k and focused on 2 out, 3 in. I managed to get into the rhythm quite easily - even with Laura counting 1-2-3-4 steps (stamina podcast)! I also tried to think about breathing from the stomach. Interestingly I did a PB (1:06) so impressed with myself. thanks for all your useful tips and interesting articles
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Never use 1/1 - I would be hyperventilating at that 
...xx
Bad breathing and very slow running
Tip for breathing when running 
Breathing whilst running - how to do it?
What's Wrong With the Way I'm Breathing?
Don’t phone me when I’m running!!!
