We worry about a lot of things in triathlon.  Triathletes are guilty of more analysis paralysis than a team of space shuttle engineers. We study technique, food intake and heart rate on a daily basis spending thousands in search of perfection. Why? All in the hope that the cocktail of our prodding, primping, sculpting and flogging will result in ones respective bag of human flesh being propelled across the earths surface quicker than the next guy.

There’s one thing common to all life forms and what path they take. This is breathing. You don’t breathe you die. Yes thanks for the profound part I hear you chortle- I know about taxes and death too! However there’s the more complex side to breathing than just feeding O2 into the lungs for a physiological benefit.  Its the role that breathing plays in the whole psychological and spiritual wellbeing of an individual. All of these are interrelated yet so poorly understood.

Breathing in animate objects results in some of the most complex chemical equations you’ll find. Yes carrying oxygen through lung tissues and into the bloodstream is fairly straightforward one. However think about all the millions of subsequent chemical reactions that rely on breathing to feed them. There are some things we give passing thought to like adrenalin and endorphins. Westerners tend to be very attuned to anything that provides a physical “high” What we often ignore is the most powerful organ of them all, the Brain, is acutely affected by what happens in the breathing process.

You just pulled up at the service centre. Your car is misfiring. The engine runs the right temperature and provides plenty of power. It steers ok and the fuel economy seems pretty good. What’s the problem? Your car seems to just shudder every now and again and fails to run smoothly. Alfonso the friendly mechanic bends his middle over the engine compartment and retrieves a small plastic bag. Its blocking the air intake and changing the rate of flow into the carburettor. Problem gone.

Just like your car engine cant survive with irregular breathing nor can your body. But how many of us actually train that capability?

Swim squad is about the closest we all get to it. The dreaded squiggle on the coach’s whiteboard reads

“Hypoxic 8×50 Breathe on 3/5/7/9″

We all struggle through the drill forcing ourselves to hold breath whilst hurriedly flogging our arms over to speed up the path to the next air intake. Even the drill itself tends to become reactive with the rhythm of the stroke compromised to attain the breathing goal. As for cycling and running. How many of you actually count breaths  or time the intake and release of air whilst performing these exercises. Yes I hear you say; I control it on my effort sets or control it as I climb. But is it an integral part of your training?

I believe that all good athletes should play the drums. Why? When drummers start out learning their craft they spend hours learning simple rhythms of each percussion tool separately- base, snare, high hat, cymbols,etc. As the speed up drummers have to learn SYNCOPATION. Here’s an example of an outline for a syncopated snare drum……

Syncopated Snare

Count:   1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&-

Hi-Hat (Right Hand)            :   x x x x x x x x

Snare (Left Hand)            :   . . O . . . O . O

Bass (Right Foot)            :   O . . . O . . .

Don’t ask me how the heck you play this but the essence of it is to demonstrate that three different rhythms can subsist within the one count. Each hand and foot is required to operate independently of one another. However in my experience most of us struggle to syncopate between just the hands and feet (i.e. hands doing one rhythm the feet another) ask yourself the following question…

Can you swim 50metres using a steady 35 strokes per lap whilst changing from a 2 beat to 4 beat to 8 beat kick and back again?

If not the reason is you can’t syncopate. Most of us when attempting the above might get to the 2^nd or 3^rd change of rhythm and then we “fall into” the rhythm that the arms are drumming. This explains why it’s easiest for most people to swim a 2 beat kick because the legs go up and down at the same time as the arms.

This doesn’t especially matter with running because the legs swing in a direct opposite reaction to the arms I hear you say. Nor is it relevant for biking because the arms only provide support. However there’s the distinct rhythm of breathing that crucial to all. So at a minimum we are practicing a 2-way rhythm every time we run or bike.

So why does this matter?

Well let’s say you can comfortably run 5minutes per kilometre.

Every 10 strides you take a breath and exhale.  There’s a 10/2 rhythm going on……. …pitter,patter,pitter,patter,pitter,patter,pitter, ,patter,pitter,patter

…breatheeeeeeeinn,breatheouttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Lets say you speed up to 4 minutes per km- the rhythm is likely to be something like

…pitter,patter,pitter,patter,pitter,patter,pitter, ,patter,pitter,patter

…breathein,breatheout,breathein,breathout,breathin,breathein,…etc

It’s only correct that the body needs to breathe more to increase the amount of oxygen being supplied. However as the pace increases the more the rhythm of breathing tends to “fall in” with the feet.

The human body’s instinct is to hunt for the easiest way to draw air.  If our breathing becomes rushed this can cause us to tire more quickly and heart rate to increase faster than someone who can better control the air intake.

So why not train this skill?

Try running 12 strides holding the same breath. Then 14. Then 16. This can only strengthen your lungs. Now try to maintain the same breathing rhythm whilst you increase your pace. SYCOPATE.

The might even start using it in the Marine Core:

“I don’t know what I been told

4 minute kays are mighty bold

Picked my cadence up real great

Speed is moving up like freight

Knees are pumping up and down

Breathing on a count of 8″

It never ceases to amaze me for all the wealth of information there is written about endurance sports how little is dedicated to the art of breathing and its control. Ironman in particular is all about AEROBIC endurance. I.e. He who can perform a superior workload whilst working with air. Yet instead we spend thousands of hours worrying about muscle strength, body position,intensity,heart rate,nutrition, etc

The easterners seem to place a higher value on the art of breathing as evidenced by the martial arts. Tai Chi in particular is famous for its breathing drills and fine control of body parts. I’m sure there is the odd Japanese Triathlon coach reading this and falling asleep over his Asahi. But the role of breath training goes way beyond just syncopating different body parts. The eastern cultures have long recognised the relationship between breathing and the mind and “soul” if you will. Changing the rate of breathing can relax the body or prepare it for extreme efforts.

So next time you get out there have a think about the lost art of breathing grasshopper

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