Sprinters exert a great burst of energy over a short distance running at their maximal speed. Sports medicine expert Dr. Donald Chu states that incorporating breathing techniques into training is one of the core areas for coaching sprinters. Learning specific breathing methods can maximize the body's oxygen levels and help to relieve muscle tension that detracts from performance.
Strengthen Your Diaphragm
Running coach Mindy Solkin says that runners tend to focus on strengthening the heart and legs but forget about the lungs. Solkin points out that at the end of speed interval training, breathing tends to become more rapid and shallow if the diaphragm and lungs are not part of a training program. This view is supported by lung specialist and runner Dr. Everett Murphy, who also suggests that runners should exercise to tone and strengthen the diaphragm muscle. This improves a runner's ability to breathe more fully, which in turn prevents the leg-muscle fatigue associated with lack of oxygen.
Use Your Belly
Most people, including runners, naturally use chest breathing. However, this style of breathing doesn't maximize oxygen intake. Breathing into your belly is more effective. Pilates and martial arts, such as Tai Chi and Qigong, all teach a belly-breathing technique. Technically, in belly-breathing you push your diaphragm down into your abdomen, which allows your lungs to expand more than with chest breathing. Solkin admits that chest breathing is "a hard habit to break" and that it is difficult to put alternative breathing techniques into practice during training. Instead, Solkin suggests that runners learn a belly-breathing technique at a separate time and integrate it with running once the technique has become second nature.
Keep Your Mouth Open
Breathing through your nostrils is another natural breathing habit. However, Professor Alison McConnell of Brunel University and author of "Breathe Right, Perform Better," states that runners should breathe through the mouth. As she points out, the mouth is much bigger than the nostrils and allows a greater exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide during running. Also, breathing through your mouth keeps your facial muscles relaxed, which is another factor in being able to inhale more deeply.
Synchronize Your Breathing Pattern
Synchronizing your breathing with your foot strike is another factor in successful sprinting. Professor McConnell says that when the foot hits the ground, gravity and momentum pull the diaphragm muscle downward. Sprinters can capitalize on this by inhaling on the foot strike. However, she points out that a runner can't inhale deeply on every foot strike as this would cause over-breathing. She suggests that runners take "sips" of air on each strike instead. Budd Coates, author of "Running on Air," suggests a rhythmic breathing technique in which the runner synchronizes exhalations with alternate foot strikes.
- Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images