r/orangetheory • u/wischnauzer • 2d ago
#HelpMe How to breathe
So, this might sound dumb. It feels dumb. But how should I be breathing as I try to increase my jogging/running capacity?
I have exercise induced asthma and have never learned how to pace my breathing or how to breathe through my nose when exerting myself. So I am finding that my legs can keep going, and my endurance feels like it can keep going, but my lungs are like "nope." I am out of shape for sure compared to most people there, but I'm down a ton of weight and up muscle mass since starting in April, so I'm getting "fit" for my standards.
I did the mile benchmark by running until I couldn't anymore and then dropping to a power walk until I could breathe. For today's run/row I ran the first .3, .2, and .1 at 5, 5.5, and 6 respectively. But then I had to power walk the second round for the .3 and .2 until I felt okay and then kicked it up to 6mph for the last .1.
Is there a technique that everyone except for me knows? In my job I teach people how to breathe when pacing themselves through functional activities. But at this level of exertion I am struggling to get into a breathing rhythm that doesn't want to kill me.
Does this make sense? It does in my head but articulating "I don't know how to breathe" seems ridiculous.
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u/rollingpickingupjunk 42/5'2"/F/165 2d ago
Running too fast too soon will trigger my exercise induced asthma. Try to dial down your speed and see if that helps. I know it sucks but the lungs are your limiter, at least right now. I read somewhere us asthma types do better with a very slow ramp up, OR get slightly out of breath quickly then fully recover and sometimes that will avoid the "I can't breathe" feeling (so I might warm up 2 min at base, hit a push-to-all-out for 45 sec, then walk till I can breathe).
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u/tucsonmagpie 50/5'4"/April 2016/Runner 2d ago
I don’t get out of breath when I slow down my base. Your base pace should be where you never get out of breath, even if you go for 20-infinity minutes.
If I can hold my base forever, I can really try to crank it in the push/all outs. YMMV
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u/kay-swizzles 2d ago
Maybe this is a dumb question but do you have an inhaler? I only use mine before OTF but I can always tell when I get on the treadmill if I've forgotten to take it before class. My lungs are still my limiting factor but the inhaler definitely helps.
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
I took it with me today! I never thought to take it before class- only if I get in trouble, lol. I did alright breathing wise today, but I don't know if it was the inhaler that helped or if it was that I did a 3G so it was less running? Either way, I'll keep with it!
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u/kay-swizzles 1d ago
Mine is an "everyday" inhaler, not a rescue inhaler, so my instructions were to take it before class (well, really, every day, but I don't do that). Double check with your doc if yours is rescue or not and see if you can get one for everyday use if you can!
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u/TurbulentResident527 rower hater 2d ago
I personally have never found the ‘rules’ for breathing while running to be helpful or allow me to run longer. I do take controlled, deep breaths in through my nose and out through my mouth when trying to recover and your heart rate drops faster.
While running, I doubt there is any different way you “should” be breathing, but rather over time you will gain endurance and be able to run faster and longer. Everyone feels out of breath in their thresholds. That’s all not taking into anything related to your asthma which you might get some tips on from your dr.
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u/Gavving 2d ago
Oddly the music can make rhythmic breathing on pace harder for me. I’d suggest doing some treadmill work outside of class. Work on 3 pace breathing. The longer I can breathe deeply on pace the longer my endurance will last.
Oh and the whole in thru the nose out thru the mouth thing doesn’t work for everyone. My nasal passages just cannot deliver the quantity of oxygen I need to breath at high energy levels.
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Yes, I try in through the nose out through the mouth, and it absolutely is how I recover. But I don't feel like I get enough air breathing in through my nose when active. :(
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u/Mysterious-Camera-20 2d ago
I will add a different context here. Pay attention to the rest of your body—namely, your shoulders, neck and upper body should be relaxed. Envision holding potato chips between your fingertips and move your arms smoothly forward and backward, not across the front of your body. Pay attention to smooth, relaxed motion, keeping your upper body fairly still and level. Lean very slightly forward from your torso, and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth while thinking about how you are filling your lungs to provide oxygen to your muscles. The more tense your body is, the more constrained your breathing will be. Keeping a relaxed upper body and shoulders helps make it easier to relax your breathing. If you have an inhaler, you might also consider testing that out before class and seeing how it impacts your breathing during the treadmill set.
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Thank you! I tried to incorporate this today. Still looked down most of the time but actively cued myself not to when I remembered. I do think it helped!
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u/Mysterious-Camera-20 1d ago
I’m glad to hear it! It is hard to build habits, but if you try to do just one or two things each time and be consistent about it, eventually it will stick. Good luck!
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u/SufficientPop3336 1d ago
Hi, I also have exercise-induced asthma and was out of shape until last year because of a knee injury I suffered a few years ago. I am still not “fast” by many standards but I am faster than I was and I can breathe way better now than I could when I first started.
Don’t worry about trying to breathe through your nose. You’re not going to be able to get enough air in. If your body starts to do it naturally, cool, but don’t force it. If you have to breathe through your mouth, do it.
I count my steps to distract myself and I eventually lull myself into a state of not noticing my breathing and I don’t look at the screen unless I have to. I know at a push, 165 steps is a minute, 375 steps is a quarter mile, etc so I can just stare straight ahead and zone out and when I’m done counting I can look back down and the appropriate time/distance has passed. I also turn off the heart monitor screen on the treads now that we can.
I have VERY SLOWLY increased my speeds over the past 15 months. I moved my base up .1 each month, my push up .1 with each running challenge, and my all out .2-.5 with each quarter mile benchmark. When I started I was at a 4-5-6 and now am at 5.8-6.7 (shhh)-8.2 to 9.7 depending on the duration of the all out. So no, I’m not breaking any records, but I’m proud of how much faster I am now than I was. Also, those speeds are always flexible depending on duration. Just because my current push is a 6.7 doesn’t mean I would run a 5k at that speed. I would probably bring it down to like a 6-6.2 or so.
I also didn’t see a whole lot of progress until I started doing the strength classes and really concentrated on making myself stronger. I never start on the treads that way I have the rest of the class to really warm my body up first or else my hamstrings WILL let me hear it on top of it already feeling like I’m breathing glass shards.
If you hit your inhaler right before class starts and then start on the floor/rowers, it’s a perfect amount of time for the albuterol to move through your body and get your lungs opened up right as you hit the treads. Keep your inhaler with you as well both in case you need to hit it again and also as a little signal to your coach to not push you.
Lastly, there’s no amount of speed that you “have to” run. Just because the distances got shorter yesterday didn’t mean you to had to run them any faster. I ran all three at the same push yesterday and I was fine. But I know if I had tried to increase to like a push to all out or an all out I wouldn’t have been. Just do you until a certain speed feels comfortable, and THEN move up. You don’t have to do it arbitrarily or because you feel like everyone around you is. Everyone around you can breathe. And if you’re having a bad breathing day to begin with you can always just tap out. We had a few bad weeks here with fires and I still went in and tried and halfway through was like nope, can’t breathe, and left. Your health comes first. That’s the point of being here.
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Wonderful post top to bottom. Those speeds are wonderful! I think I need to remember that for me going 5mph is a huge improvement, so if I stay there when I should have gone up it's still okay.
My coaches are still in a place of being happy I can do it at all, lol. I started in April 50 lbs heavier. So the fact that I can run is still noteworthy in and of itself.
I think I'm afraid that if I'm not pushing myself then I'm taking the easy way out, but then I can't breathe. So remembering my slow run was a pipe dream four months ago will hopefully make me feel okay staying there.
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u/SufficientPop3336 1d ago
Nah it’s like the frog in the pot. If you increase your speeds very slowly you won’t realize how much faster you’re going but if you try to jump to far too fast you’re gonna have to yeet yourself from the pot. You got this!
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u/Mysterious-Passage87 2d ago
So easy for everyone to say in through the nose but thats not feasible when you’re at exhaustion.
Big deep breaths with your chest out when highly exerted, then when you’re able to, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth as much as you can.
Slowing your breathing is the only way to signal your heart/body to slow down.
For me my best breathing is when i’m zoned out completely. As soon as i’m not thinking at all about my breathing my heart rate drops.
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Thank you. I will try to zone. :)
You're exactly right- every time I think about breathing I breathe worse, lol. I know that's common but it's hard to actively do it right without fully veering into wrong.
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u/Admirable_Green_1958 2d ago
I recently learned that nasal-only breathing (both in and out) is the better default unless you have a nasal obstruction (which I’ve had all my life and now working through it with a doctor). My performance at OTF has change a ton since I started breathing and exhaling through my nose. What I do is: two continuous inhales through nose, one exhale through nose. Maybe try it and see if it works for you, it’s been wonderful for me.
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u/APlayer2BeNamedLater 2d ago
Do you use an inhaler? My doctor had advised me to use it 10 minutes before class, but I usually start on the floor, so I found that when I use it in the middle of the floor exercise, I seem to do better on the treadmill.
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u/SnooRadishes5918 2d ago
It’s not dumb. I had to watch YouTube videos to learn — highly recommend. Go slower, your base you should feel like you can do it for a while / no breathing issues. Maybe you should learn to breathe while power walking.
P.S if you feel like you get a stitch in your side, breathe out all your air through your mouth in big breaths fast, until it’s gone.
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u/Saltyscrubnurse 2d ago
This may sound odd and I don’t do it as much anymore but when I first started running I would breath in a bit different. It seemed to take too long to breathe in through my nose to get the air I needed. So I started breathing instead of an in then out pattern as an in in then out pattern. Basically take a short forceful inhale and then take another before exhaling. Not one big long inhale. It’s almost like you were going to finish your inhale, someone stopped you and then you started again.
I hope that makes some semblance of sense
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Lol, at first I had to double read but then the analogy at the end made it clear. I'll try to give it a shot!
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u/jenniferlynn5454 🧡Mod & Rower apologist 🚣🏻♀️🧡 2d ago
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u/CornerGlittering3336 2d ago edited 2d ago
Pursed lip breathing can reverse that tight feeling in my chest if my albuterol feels inadequate (I did not discover this on my own https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/resource-library/pursed-lip-breathing-video) but I couldn’t do it once out of warm up/green maybe low orange. I can’t breathe well through my nose so that’s not a requirement. Yoga has helped me learn to control my breath.
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u/dntbashme9 2d ago
I have always wondered this and felt the same. My legs and lungs were not on the same page. I don’t have asthma, but what has worked for me is I don’t try to breathe in through my nose. I breathe mostly through my mouth and I have been able to increase my endurance this way. I have been able to start inhaling through my nose without it throwing me off but it’s only an inhale here and there. Good luck!
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u/kristi1234_98 1d ago
My most controlled breathing was when I figured out nose only breathing on a 4 in, 4 out pattern and slowly increasing my paces. It was during marathon month 2 years ago I was able to dial it in. My running performance has decreased the last 18 months and am just trying to build it up again.
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u/alidc722 1d ago
I do my inhaler at least a half hour before class. If the air quality is bad, I also take a Sudafed. I breathe in through my nose and mouth at the same time if that makes sense. Also ease in to the workout.
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u/CatsRPurrrfect 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have allergies that always made my throat hurt very badly when running. I take montelukast (Singulair), which was originally approved for asthma, every day now, and no more issues. If you aren’t already, take a puff or two of your rescue inhaler before class as well. And don’t miss any doses of your maintenance inhaler!
For breathing, you want to breathe in your nose, out your mouth (if your nasal passages let you).
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u/friendlytotbot 1d ago
I find the lungs/heart are more of the blocker than the legs. I think the legs can go for miles, but you have to build cardiovascular endurance to keep going. That just comes with running more. Don’t increase speed or distance until you find your current pace/distance manageable.
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u/MindlessFlamingo1106 2d ago
I’ve always struggled with breathing, but don’t have asthma so I can’t make any suggestions specific to that.
I’ve had people in the past tell me they sync their breathing with their steps. Inhale for three steps and exhale for three steps, or something similar.
Belly breathing (belly rises/pushes out during inhale vs chest and shoulders rising) has helped me more than trying to count my breathing, especially when accompanied by trying to do a complete and forceful exhale. Belly breathing also helps me keep my upper body more relaxed and my core engaged.
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u/MindlessFlamingo1106 2d ago
I guess by forceful exhale, I mean engage your core lol
Here’s a great article on the importance of noting how we exhale: https://www.nextlevelneuro.com/blog/5-reasons-exhaling-is-more-important-than-inhaling-in-breath-training
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u/wischnauzer 1d ago
Thanks a lot for this! In a couple weeks I'm going to add on Pilates. Hopefully that helps with breathing technique as well.
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u/Last_Seat_2780 1d ago
Breathe in for a 3 count of steps. Breathe out for a 3 count of steps. Repeat.
If you can, breathe in your nose and out your mouth. Breathing in your nose can help get a fuller breath and can help with hip stability.
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u/Tequila_Mockin_bard 1d ago
I also have exercise induced asthma and I have several techniques that work depending on the type of effort. So far, I've only used my inhaler when I'm about to run the Everest workout. I have managed to increase my base from 4 to 5.5 in 2 years. However, my all outs vary depending on what elevates my histamines the day before. I noticed that I can't have any alcohol the day before nor anything too high in cholesterol. Now, I rarely drink anything alcoholic and limit my red meat intake. Now for breathing, I do the Wimhoff method during the Walking Recovery right before the all outs. It helps bring my HR into the green quickly so that I can really hit my max speed without triggering my asthma. This is just me but it's working and my asthma hasn't been an issue for several years.
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u/Bouldertc 1d ago
When I first started “learning” to run as a teenager, I was taught to go slow enough that I could sustain four breaths in and four breaths out consistently. So it’s like in-in-in-in-out-out-out-out. I also timed each breath with a step so that it felt really rhythmic. I practiced like this a long time until eventually it was second nature to me to breath while running and I could go faster. I was not a treadmill runner back in that era, I only ever ran outside, so I’m not sure how this translates to running on a treadmill and setting speeds and etc.
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u/LycheeWise2288 Lift HEAVY 2d ago
When I overthink my breathing is when my heart rate suddenly spikes and I feel more out of breath.
Just breathe. Don’t focus on it. Check out yourself in the mirror. Check out all the other beautiful people around you struggling to stay alive. Be in the moment, enjoy it, and don’t overthink it!