Can you follow Laura's 4:4 breathing advice?

[Antypode]

She said to breathe in through your nose for four steps, then out through your mouth for four steps.

I don't get close to that. Breathing through my nose isn't enough (while running that is, it's fine on the couch 🙂), and four-in-four-out is far too slow.

Sometimes I manage three & three for a while, but most of the time it's two & two.

Am I breathing twice as fast as it should be, or are my steps at half the correct rate?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

There is advice on breathing in the guide to the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Do what comes naturally.

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

It is possible to hyper (over) ventilate by breathing too much. The bodies natural instinct is to breathe harder and faster when physical demand is placed upon it. What is really needed is slower more calm breathing where the oxygen and carbon dioxide have some time to do their thing When breathing rhythmically, a lot does depend on what your running cadence is (steps per minute) . Somebody who has a low cadence will breathe differently than someone who has a higher cadence. Experiment with it and breathe through your mouth if that is what you have to do. Just don't stress over it - but do try to get a rhythmic pattern of breathing going.

[Buddy34 Graduate]

I think you've got to do what works for you. I can breath in through the nose at the beginning of the run but further in I can't so I just breath in and out through the mouth 😊

[MarkyD Graduate]

That's one of the bits of advice that I ignore from Laura. Breathing is something that should just happen naturally. If you need to think about breathing, just slow down. You don't have to think about breathing when you are walking, so why do you need to think about breathing when you are doing "just a gentle jog"?

[Hidden]

Hi. When Laura talked about breathing she suddenly threw me completely off my stride and out of my natural breathing pattern. Up to that point I’d been fine. I couldn’t follow her advice because I couldn’t do it, then I began thinking I’d been doing it all wrong. What I didn’t realise, was that I’d been doing it right because I hadn’t been thinking about it. I had inadvertently fallen into a good natural rhythm for me and chances are you will do the same. The trick is to not allow your breaths to be too quick or shallow. If they’re not, you should find you’re ok. Don’t over-think the breathing. Go back to what comes naturally.

[MrsPerch Graduate]

I do follow this advice. I was breathing faster when I first started, but found this technique helps me run for longer, relax more, and recover better during any walk breaks.

[Dowat Graduate]

I didn’t get the hang of it I’m afraid, tried several times. Very much a mouth breather too. Guess whatever is working for you is fine. The advice that I do adhere to is being able to have a conversation. It means talking aloud to myself every so often to check!!