SHUT YOUR MOUTH... AND BREATHE LIKE AN ATHLETE

NO MATTER WHAT YOU EAT, HOW MANY HOURS YOUR RIDE, HOW MUCH YOU WEIGH... none of it matters if you're not breathing properly.  Lured in with a blurb like that I purchased Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art on the spot...

... and read it in a day.

Things I've experienced over the years started making sense, and I can't wait to get out and try a new way to train tomorrow.

For example, I've always been fascinated by my ability to quickly drop my heart rate from 50s to 30s just by changing the way I breathe, but never known what it meant or what it could be used for...

... I got a hint with this book.

Or... why do we wheeze after a really hard ride and feel asthmatic?  Or worse Covidish?  Got an answer to that, too...

... and what to do about it.

Fast forward 20 years and my oldest Trevor is taking cycling seriously.  His coach tells him to train breathing only through his nose.  His rapid progress from a 5 to a 2 in one year was astounding. 

Was it the breathing technique?

Who knows... all I can tell you is I tried to breathe like that and failed.

However, I'm reinvigorated to give it a whirl after reading Breath all day today because of statements like this:

Breathing less offered huge benefits.  If athletes kept at it for several weeks, their muscles adapted to more lactate accumulation, which allowed their bodies to pull more energy during heavy states of heavy aerobic stress, and as a result, train harder and longer.

Is the book worth reading?  Definitely.  It's a fascinating journey, well told and easy to understand.  

Too anecdotal?  Maybe, but I didn't care.  And I bet you won't either... there are a lot of easy to incorporate techniques, starting with shutting your mouth.

That said, if you're out on a ride you're eventually gonna need to open that mouth for some nutrition.

https://pedalindustries.com/collections/stinger

Looking for a great stocking stuffer?

These taste great and ship free... and will get you a lot of entries in the $3000 ENVE™ Wheel Giveaway.

https://pedalindustries.com/collections/stinger

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163
Stretch and HyperVolt
8 hrs
https://www.strava.com/activities/4497817143