Perfect Breathing: Joe Kita Gives Performance Breathing a Try

Noted health and fitness writer Joe Kita continues his month-long exploration of the efficacy of mindful breathing on his blog site at Core Performance. His One Small Change column finds him investigating little changes he can make in his life.

For the month of July, Joe's been practicing conscious breathing, using core information from our book, "Perfect Breathing." This week he tried Performance Breathing, to try and improve his athletic performance.

Writes Joe, "In our single-minded pursuit of fitness, it seems we’ve forgotten that muscles need oxygen to perform optimally, and we get that nourishment through breath. Because he suffered with asthma, marathon great Alberto Salazar had to be particularly conscious of his respiration. He learned that by breathing more efficiently, he could “grow” his cardiovascular system so it could process and utilize more oxygen."

He continues, "Based on research and discussions with athletes like Salazar, Lee and his partner, Don Campbell, devised a drill called Performance Breathing. It’s best for any endurance sport that involves a repetitive motion (running, cycling, swimming…). It’s designed to help you find that sweet spot where the energy coming in balances the energy being expended, and you feel that tireless high so many athletes strive for. Here’s how to do it:

Inhale through the nose for 2 seconds
Hold for 2 seconds
Exhale through the nose for 4 seconds

"The important part is to synchronize this breath with your activity. For instance, if you’re walking or running, inhale for 2 steps, hold for 2 steps, then exhale for 4 steps. Similarly, if you’re cycling, inhale for 2 pedal strokes, hold for 2 pedal strokes, then exhale for 4 pedal strokes."

His conclusion? "I tried Performance Breathing during a 20-mile bike ride over rolling terrain, and it was challenging to maintain. In cycling, your cadence changes so frequently that it’s difficult to find a consistent breathing pattern that doesn’t eventually leave you gasping. But I’m confident that with practice it will come, because I’ve had a similar experience in ashtanga yoga, where the breath must be controlled through a series of flowing poses. Although it seemed impossible at first, I can do it easily now."

Read the full post, and his others on mindful breathing here