The Power of Breath

Cycling is an aerobic sport. This might be an obvious statement, but have you actually thought about what that means? Our body intakes oxygen while we ride to power our aerobic system, which creates ATP from glucose and fatty acids to fuel our working muscles. It is delivered via the blood and utilized in the mitochondria when creating ATP. This process is called The Krebs Cycle. This is happening at all zones, from z1 recovery to z6 anaerobic even! Yes, that's right, even the anaerobic system uses oxygen to function to a degree.

With so much focus on watt targets, heart rate zones, carb intake, etc, in training, how much thought have you ever given your breathing technique and efficiency? We know how vital it is to produce energy to pedal, so it makes sense to give extra attention to improving it!

I recently was riding with a friend, and during a near maximal effort up a 15+ minute climb, he pointed out my shallow breathing. It wasn't until that moment that I had ever realized this! My breaths were quick, short and all in my chest. While this was an important moment of awareness, I didn't simply correct my poor breathing right then and there. I spent the next few months doing breath work like any other sub discipline, i.e. strength training, mobility, etc. and still continue work to improve it!

What does poor breathing look like? As I previously mentioned, it will be chest dominant, and a quick rhythm (assuming a hard pace). Similar to how a dog pants when they're hot. Why does this negatively impact performance? With each shallow breath, your lungs aren't inhaling the maximal amount of oxygen of their capacity, thus not transporting as much oxygen to the aerobic system, leaving watts on the table. During the exhale, you won't be clearing the carbon dioxide as quickly, which is a by product of utilizing oxygen for energy. Both are important for performance.

How can you improve your breathing? Start by practicing the diaphragmatic breathing technique, also known as belly breathing. This is a more effective way to maximize oxygen intake. It works by contracting the diaphragm muscles downward, allowing the lungs to expand larger during the inhale. The belly will push outwards during this step, then relax moving back in and upward, pushing the air out of the lungs during the exhale. Have you ever caught a side angle of a World Tour racer on TV and noticed their belly's look large and more plump than you'd expect given their leanness? That's because they are using this method to maximize their breathing.

To practice this, while at rest, place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Slowly inhale and exhale. You should feel more movement in your belly than your chest. Some movement in the chest is fine but think of it like an umbrella, expanding on all sides in 360 degrees, and not just on your front side. Slowly inhale, pushing your belly outwards and expanding your chest, back and shoulders all together. Then exhale, relaxing everything to push the air out. Spend 5 minutes a day practicing this. Once you are more natural with the technique, start implementing on your zone 1 and zone 2 rides, progressing to higher intensities as you get better.

Another way to improve your respiratory system, is with dedicated breathing devices. I have been using the Airofit device and app. It is an apparatus that you breath in and out of with controls to change the resistance of the inhale and exhale. Their app has many guided exercises that work to improve strength and efficiency. Since using it I have improved my inhale and exhale strength and my vital lung capacity. I truly believe it has been worth the investment. If you aren't ready for that step yet, start with the diaphragmatic breathing exercise.

So by now, it should be obvious how valuable breathing is to cycling performance. Another benefit is the mental strength it can give you. During intense efforts it can feel like you are flailing and drowning. Since starting my breath work I feel drastically more in control during those efforts. Even just being aware of your breath can have a huge positive effect! To take it a step further, if you can control it, you will gain a new level of resilience in your hard training. One way I think about it is, if I can stay in control of my breathing, keeping it composed, steady, deep, then I can handle any type of pain in my legs as the lactic acid starts to accumulate. I don't have anything but my own experience to support this, but don't knock it until you try it! So much of cycling revolves around mental toughness, and this is a great tool to go into that toolbox.

To me, breath work is low hanging fruit for gains to cycling performance. It is something we do every time we ride, so it is very accessible to focus on. I am confident that if you try some dedicated practice, you will see an improvement in your riding!