breathing technique

[IanMiller]

Hi guys,

When I'm doing a race, I find myself getting confused as to my breathing. (Don't worry, I DO breathe!) I find it more natural to exhale as I pull back in the power section of the stroke, but that means I'm inhaling while I'm crunching up on the return slide to the start position. I just wonder that my lungs at that point must in some ways be cramped up, so am I not getting maximum oxygen? If I try it the other way round, it seems unnatural and with all my muscles flexed it seems to restrict filling your lungs cleanly.

So, what's the technique?

Ian

[Nosmo]

Do a search. There a lot of Threads about this.

[tap]

Ian, if you have a heart-rate monitor then you may want to try a couple of tests and see how your heart responds. Get your heart up near 80 to 85% MHR and then switch your breathing.

I recently did my first marathon and towards the end I was losing my concentration and ended switching up my breathing a number of times. Given that I had been normally breathing in on the drive and breathing out on the recovery, I was surprised to find that my heart rate drop by 5 beats per minute when my breathing changed to exhaling on the drive. I eventually returned my breathing to inhaling on the drive and my heart-rate jump back up 5 beats per minute.

Thinking about it for a little bit, inhaling while my body is trying to compress and exhaling while my body is trying to decompress does not make much sense.

Try a test and let me know if your body responds in a similar manner.

- Tom

[Snail Space]

I breath twice per stroke: exhaling just before both catch and finish.

I think that getting into a rhythm is probably more important than which particular pattern you use. I find that if my breathing and technique establish a smooth rhythm my rowing seems effortless, and just happens without me having to think about what I'm doing. On the other hand if my breathing becomes chaotic everything seems to take so much more effort and soon becomes tiring.

Cheers
Dave

[onealjn]

Tap,

I was with you until your parting shot. When do you consider your body to be compressing while rowing? Bio-mechanically, you decompress on the drive, hence the argument (as I understand it) for inhaling on the drive. In terms of body tension, the compression happens on the drive, hence the argument (as I understand it) for exhaling on the drive.

I am new to rowing, and the exhalation on the drive seems most "natural". But from other disciplines, I understand the "theory" behind using the bio-mechanics of the movement to facilitate breathing.

Everyone,

What I find to be interesting is the rate of breathing, if one breathes once per stroke. That rate of breathing does not seem "natural" for level and rate of exertion during rowing (at lower stroke rates naturally, e. g. 20 spm).

Is there any information on intentionally slowed respiration during exerting activities?

Thanks,

Jason

p. s. Lurked for a while here and have been amazed at the detailed and helpful nature of this board!

[tap]

I was with you until your parting shot. When do you consider your body to be compressing while rowing? Bio-mechanically, you decompress on the drive, hence the argument (as I understand it) for inhaling on the drive. In terms of body tension, the compression happens on the drive, hence the argument (as I understand it) for exhaling on the drive.

My body compresses during the drive (my muscles contract) and decompresses during recovery. From a medical site: Decompress: to remove pressure physically

In the past I have also taken a breath every other time and had my heart rate drop dramatically although it required me to take my deepest breath possible.