Breathing Workout

In one of her previous blogs, Mari Holden provided readers an excellent indoor training workout. In addition to working your legs and heart, consider improving the strength of your lungs. Although we all breathe naturally no matter what we are doing, there are ways a person can actually exercise the intercostal muscles involved with respiration and increase lung capacity and improve the quality of the breath.

Pranayama is the yoga of breathing. For centuries, various pranayama breathing techniques have helped people to cure themselves of respiratory ailments, such as asthma. If you suffer from exercise induced asthma, occasionally find yourself gasping for air during a ride, have a tendency to hold your breath, or notice it takes a long time to recover after a long climb the following exercises are precisely what you need.

Breath as the foundation for focus
Lay on your mat, head resting on a yoga block, knees bent, feet flat, and place your left hand on your diaphragm. Spread the fingers of your right hand apart then bring your middle and ring fingers together. Use your thumb to block your right nostril and inhale through the left. Place your middle/ring fingers on the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril, then block it with the thumb and exhale through the left. Inhale through the left nostril then block it with the middle/ring fingers and exhale right. Repeat pattern for 10-20 breath cycles.

Directing the breath
Lay on the mat as previously directed. Place right hand on chest and leave the left hand on the diaphragm. Think of the Thoracic cavity as having a bottom, middle, and top. We’ll call the bottom of the lungs area #1, the middle #2, and the base of the throat area #3. Inhale through the nose and fill the lungs 1-2-3, then exhale through a relaxed, open mouth 3-2-1. Repeat several times and return to normal breathing for a few cycles.
Next, switch the exhalation pattern to 1-2-3, beginning the exhalation from the bottom of the lungs and finish at the base of the throat. Breath this way for several minutes, then release the breath back to its normal rhythm.
Return to the 1-2-3/3-2-1 pattern of breathing and match the duration of the inhalation to the exhalation. After several cycles, integrate a one second pause between the inhalation and the exhalation. Do not freeze and choke off the breath. Think of the pause as being light and relaxed. Release the breath after 5 cycles.
Now eliminate the pause between the inhalation and exhalation and instead make the exhalation last one second longer than the inhalation. There is no pause between exhale and inhale, just more time allowed for the exhalation. As you begin to inhale try not to gulp for air - regulate the intake and keep it as smooth as possible. Release the breath after several cycles and return to your normal breathing pattern.

On the bike
With your bike mounted to a trainer, find your position on the bike by pedaling for a few minutes. Come to a stop without adjusting your posture and begin to direct the breath in the 1-2-3/3-2-1 pattern. After several repetitions, begin pedaling and try to stay with the breathing pattern. Pedal at the highest cadence that will allow you to continue breathing with control. After a few minutes have passed, pedal a little bit faster and observe what happens to your breathing. See if you can reclaim the control even when you are pedaling at a more strenuous pace. If you cannot get back to the controlled breath, slow down the cadence, get the breath back, then speed up the cadence again.

Breath-focused interval workout
• 5-10 minutes warm up, with 1-2-3/3-2-1 breathing pattern
• Five 100-120rpm one-minute intervals with 1-2 minute rest period in between each interval using the 1-2-3/1-2-3 breathing pattern
• 5-10 minute cool down spin and incorporate the longer exhalation breath pattern, releasing the breath to normal periodically during the spin

Jenny