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Introduction To Your Lungs & Breathing During Exercise.

How the lungs work:

  • On average a person’s lungs move about 0,5 litres of air with each relaxed breath but can increase up to 3 litres during vigorous exercise.
  • During inhalation : air travels through the nose and or mouth, then the pharynx , larynx, trachea, bronchi and into smaller tubes called the bronchioles and then 600 million small sacs called the alveoli. These alveolus are surrounded by tiny capillaries where red blood cells drop off CO2 (carbon dioxide) and pick up O2 (Oxygen). This is called gas exchange.
  • During exercise CO2 and hydrogen ions increase and lead to a drop in blood PH. This triggers an increased breathing rate. The driving force behind almost all respiration is the need to remove CO2 and not to take in O2.
    • Exercise increases respiratory system efficiency but does not significantly increase lung capacity.

    The outcomes of bad breathing:

    The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle beneath the lungs, which when inhaling, it flattens, moving downward, pressing against the abdominal organs so that the lungs can expand. Many adults do not engage the diaphragm properly mainly due to bad posture ,muscle weakness, stress and other factors leading to the person breathing shallowly… rather moving the upper chest and ribcage more. This type of breathing can cause more discomfort in the chest, and back muscles, weaken the pelvic floor and lower back and disruption of the shoulders and spine.

    Tips for the right way to breath during exercise:

    1) Practice diaphragmatic breathing : During your day and exercise:
    Place your hands on the lower ribcage so you can feel them rise and fall during inhalation and exhalation. The majority of breathing should be felt here, not the upper chest.

    2) During cardio you generally breathe in and out through the nose, or when intensity increases, through the mouth.

    3) If you experience side stitches while running, try exhaling on the left foot fall (not the right).

    4) If you feel like you can’t catch your breath: stand tall with hands behind your head to open the lungs and allow for deeper inhalations. Do not bend over with hands on your knees ( this doesn’t allow for lungs to expand as you are hunched over)

    5) To gauge intensity: use the talk test. Easy to moderate intensity: you can hold a conversation. High intensity: You cannot talk much.

    6) The gold standard of breathing during strength training is to inhale on relaxation and exhale on exertion.

    7) If you tend to hold your breath during exercise, count each repetition out load.

    8) When you perform your cool down and stretching, perform deep, slow inhalations and exhalations. This will help calm the body and aid in recovery.

    Author

    Andrew Everest

    Andrew is a keen fitness enthusiast and dedicates his time to helping people get to their physical and mental goals.