I Can't Breathe!

A final conditioning piece on someone’s program yesterday was a 2000 meter row, using nose breathing only. This really ups the skill and awareness required. 

Having to nasal breathe only really slows down your pace. You can’t get away with being in a poor position, you feel it immediately - it gets more difficult to breathe.  The idea is that the easier it is to get a good, deep breath in, the better position you're in to produce force and be safe.

The nose tells us if we get a good breath because its use requires solid breathing mechanics. You have to use the right muscles and expand in the right spots. It’s difficult, without question. Mostly because we don’t do it very often and slumping in poor posture over time makes it a more difficult skill. 

Slowing down and nasal breathing also positively affects your aerobic system. It’s a build in pace car to make sure your moving at a sustainable rate and that you can maintain proper form. The more time you can spend doing that, the bigger the engine you’ll have. 

It’s quite difficult and can be frustrating. Sometimes gifting you a feeling like you can’t breathe at all. Learning to slow down while exercising and breath through your nose is a worthwhile project. 

Justin Miner

@portsmouthcoach