How To Breathe While Running : It's a Secret 

thanks man, i'm kinda new to breathing

Thanks man just took my first breath

I am new to running. Every time I've tried to get into it I find that I get out of breath after ten minutes even though my legs feel completely fine. Yesterday I tried to run for the first time in almost a year and I focused on my breathing during my run. I was trying to breath similarly to how I breath during a meditation session. To my surprise I managed to run for half an hour and the reason I stopped was because my legs were tired. So definitely the breathing helped massively in my case!

I had a side stitch THIS week! Almost stopped and called my wife, but I just remembered what my Dad taught me when I was a kid. He said you have to hold it and breathe it out, don't stop. My Dad ran the Boston marathon in 2:42:30 at my age so I just grit my teeth, tried to stay on pace and breathe.

About a year ago I started practising breathing from my stomache while running. It sounded like an easy thing to do but it’s really not if you’re not used to it. Now after a year I can say that I’m exactly what you describe, a much more relaxed runner with better stamina etc. Another thing is that I have asthma and it has helped a lot with that too. It’s very easy to get a weasy chest when breathing with you shoulders/chest but stomach breathing prevents that in a much more efficient way. Starting breathing from the stomach is the most rewarding change I’ve ever done in my running and it’s good for everyday life as well. It takes a while to get the hang of it but it’s so worth the effort. Great video! Keep up the good work! Cheers

Recently taking up swimming has made a huge difference to my breathing on the runs and cycles. You are more used to waiting for a breath and therefore able to slow it down and take those deep breaths. Or maybe its just me :D

I’m currently running, 1 mile a day for the 31 days of May and your keeping me going. Thanks for the advice and videos.

I will follow this tip, in my runs I had already noticed that short breathing makes the whole thing inharmonious. When I recognize it and calm my breath, the whole process becomes better. Great videos, I like to follow you and of course Rachel :-)

I’m a national runner from the UK and I have seasonal asthma (winter) , an attack can start for me from anxiety created from the smallest things so focused breathing really helps and this video said pretty much all the techniques I use, well done, good video. 👍👊

Breathing becomes easier when you have built up a great base of mileage, run at an aerobic pace, which is (180 - age = max heart rate bpm to run aerobic). If your heart rate is higher then slow down and continue untill you get fitter. The heart does not recognise running it only understands the oxygen required to pump the blood around the body and by building the aerobic base your breathing gets easier because your heart rate reduces by beats per minute, then start to introduce speed work, you will then see the fitter you get the easier breathing becomes and when you race your body can cope with the pain of pushing for that pb. It's worked for me and I run a 5km at 17mins at age 55. 😉

The video starts at 3:20

If you have a strong aerobic ability breathing won't be hard. So build up a good base and just keep going. It's never easy getting started but if you keep going back and running day after day the body will adapt - it's a beautiful thing

As someone who's suffered through asthma most of my life, I've had to find ways to keep my breathing regular and not get out of breath when exercising. The key for me is staying relaxed, forcing myself to breath fully from the diaphragm and learning to regulate my tempo to keep my breathing in check. Been training for a half marathon recently, everything you said in your video is really good advice and the breathlessness people experience is one of the biggest turn-offs to running, so its a good lesson for people to learn :)

I've been implement your breathing technique for awhile, it makes me far more relax on higher heart rate. that's amazing, thank you.

As a young junior rower with asthma I came to really appreciate how important is to control your breathing. Now for running I use different patterns depending from the intensity; for zone 1 and 2 efforts I inhale counting 4 steps and exhale also every 4. In more tempo, zone 3 scenarios or when recovering from a hard interval I go for 2 in / 3 out and for all out efforts or races the ratio becomes 2 to 2. I learned that the trick is not to inhale as much oxygen as possible, but rather to flush away as much CO2 as possible. So when I am really struggling I exhale for longer than I inhale as to be sure the volume of gas I am expelling is higher. If I manage to breathe only through the nose it means I am working within my comfort zone.

90% filler 10% useful info

Your an inspiration dude! Crazy tempo!!

I love the channel. Could you by any chance do a video for younger/ developing triathletes and talk about you’re journey from young to going pro. Such a fan of the channel 😁😁

This is great, I never thought about breathing while running. Now I can finally run for more than a minute!

Thanks, I started getting back into running after a wrestling injury and could only do half a mile, I was never a good runner though. Now I do 4 miles consistently now. Planning on increasing my mileage. Keep it up man!

thanks for the video, i’m definitely gonna give it a go. I am a beginner runner, and i hadn’t even considered this topic (and hadnt come across any similar video) so i’m looking forward to trying it out on the next few runs.

Since I was a kid my dad instilled breathing techniques in my running. 4 count in 4 count out is my go to.

When I started running i was very slow and had a low cadence (160) and I found it very easy to breathe in with one step and breathe out with the other but now that I've gotten better and faster with a cadence of 171 I find myself struggling to breathe no matter what I try. Thanks for the advice ! I need all I can get .

Inhale for 3 steps, then exhale for 2. Breathe through the belly. These did the trick for me to increase my pace and endurance.

3:40

Thanks man! I was converting oxygen to CO2 before, now I'm Breathing!!!

focusing on my breathing definitely made me faster over long periods of time. My heart rate dropped ~10 bpm and I was able to keep things going for longer. Silly things like breathing rhythm matched to a consistent run cadence were huge for me. I've never tried focusing specifically on breaths coming from deep in the stomach though, so I'll have to try that out next and see how it goes.

Thanks R! Tried out the breathing from the gut... sounds easier than what it is but I guess it needs practice. Go Team Murray, go for gold! 💪🙌

I generally breathe in through my nose over about 4 strides, then out through my mouth. Definitely find it a help over a longer run.

I've been running for 47 years now. Today I did an easy 10 miles. Breathing I taught myself. Basically timing is important. When running when your dominant foot hits the ground breath in and when it once again hits the ground exhale. Slowly find a rhythm based on your foot fall. This doubles distance. Before sprinting take short, quick breathes and when you feel an energy build up take off. I typically do two ten mile runs back to back with a day off in between. Before my run I do 200 sit ups and 70 pushups. When I get home I do a quick 80 pushups and then cool down. After I cool down I do 300 sit ups and 10 leg lifts. I'm retired so I can work out for two hours a day. When I started running in 1979 it wasn't a well known sport. I don't run to compete except with myself.

I’m brand new to running and just started trail running about a month ago. I’m a very avid hiker so it’s a natural progression. I find myself doing very deep breathing and sometimes do that hand movement while running for a deep meditative breath and release. Idk why never do that in any other context but feels good while running. Look at free diving; they go very far on a single breath.

I usually just hold my breath until I get tunnel vision and my body fills with lactic acid. My activities only last 45-60 seconds and I’m completely exhausted and or being resuscitated next to the pool. I’m still waiting for the gains it’s been about 9 years on this method. All the science points to me doing the right thing. My pool has been through so many life guards though and recently the bloke that just quit told me he was sick of giving me mouth to mouth 3x a week. Do you think I haven’t made any gains because I’m getting someone else’s second hand oxygen regularly?

Months of very very easy running miles helps you become relaxed whilst running.

Thank you Richard for the great content you share really valuable info.!really enjoy the videos with you and your Mrs.have been doing triathlons for many years but did my first half ironman last summer in lisbon.hoping to complete a full ironman in the near future.i am working in addis ababa for 20days and find the high altitude running tough but very beneficial.after training here last summer i ran my fastest PB 10km.i found breathing through my stomach helped at high altitude.but depended on pace I was doing. Keep up the great work with videos and content bro.

Thanks Richard. Interesting topic. I’ve found that I focus on my breathing over the first .5-1 mile. After that I’ve got a nice rhythm and it helps the rest of my run. If I’m running a race (5-10k) I will check my breathing around a mile left to make sure I’ve still got that comfortable rhythm, otherwise I don’t think about it.

Breathing from the stomach is definitely best. It allows you to use all of your lungs. What was left out was answering the question : Do you breath through your nose, your mouth or both. The science says breath in and out through your nose. The reasons are that the air is filtered, warmed and infused with nitric oxide. This infusion causes an additional 2.5% of oxygen to be delivered to your muscles, organs and brain. All a plus. What some of us face is a restricted airway when breathing through the nose. Short of surgical correction a breath right strip may open up the airway enough to allow successful nose breathing. Triathletes will have to decide when to apply the strip. If one prepares with a small alcohol gauze pad, the nose can be wiped, cleaned and dried to facilitate the strip sticking for the duration of the bike and run with very little time used for application. I use a strip for every training run and race. Breath on!

Don't sweat it. It comes naturally too you overtime. I dont even think about it anymore

Great advice here, Richard. I'm asthmatic runner so this means a ton to me!

Agreed....100%...i was out of breath during my remaining 15k of marathon for an IM,...was wondering why im panting at such easy pace...then i took few conscious deep inhale into my lungs and got back "new life" to run smoother

I’m sure there’s a science behind it and you can definitely breath in certain ways to improve but for beginner to intermediate runners I would say breathing isn’t that important as it comes naturally. I am a beginner and I’ve been training for 3 months and tomorrow I am running my first 10Km. At the beginning I was also wondering how to breath but with slow and steady training my body adjusted and finds the correct way to breath without having to think too much about it! I say the key is persistence with training and it will all work out. Great video!

Out of 30 some races, I might have had 1 without a stitch in my side during high school xc. It was so frustrating but I discovered a few of the breathing tips you mentioned here after high school and they went away for the most part

Thanks man, am a 47 yr old male and facing low vo2 max of 27!! This triggered my full attention to improve my cardio endurance and fitness, will appreciate your advice

great video, working on core and posterior chain alongside focusing on running tall can really help as well when working on breathing with the stomach as it lowers the pressure on abdominal area and thus reduces the resistance for the diaphragm, when running tall breathing into your chest would also overextend your upper back and feel unpleasant, so as long as your shoulders are relaxed, you almost automatically breathe into your stomach, slightly tilting your pelvis forward and slightly pulling shoulderblades together could also help in this endeavor

Awesome Work 👍Keep it up 💯💯👍

Thanks Richard for your great videos , I love checking in to see your tips and seeing what you are up to . I’m a beginner . Only running for a few months now and trying to get my breathing under control.

it's the Bohr effect. allowing more CO2 to remain allows more Oxygen to be released into tissues. Fast mouth breathing has the paradoxical effect of ridding too much C)2 which the body actually needs to get the haemoglobin to release the O2 it's carrying.

As a former freediver I come to running with a little different perspective: 1. Breathing: breathing controls heart rate to a great extent (using controlled breathing, anyone can drop their heart rate: I can drop my heart rate by half, pros like Mandy Rae Cruickshank can do much much better), but when you're running that's of zero benefit. In diving you intentionally drop your heart rate to conserve O2, which in diving is a precious resource, but readily available when running: in contrast, freedivers use running to expand lung capacity but stop running months before a competition as running has the opposite physiological effect on circulation that a freediver is looking for, which brings us to. 2: Circulation: For blood to do it's job, you need 2 things: O2 and a correct PH level (controlled by carbonic acid aka aqueous CO2) in the blood: breathe too slowly and you aren't taking in all the O2 that's available to you, too quickly and the CO2 levels drop which results in a PH imbalance (this is why you pass out if you hyperventilate, or get light headed breathing too quickly when running: though saturated with O2, the blood is unable to release the O2 to the cells because the PH is too high as you've released too much of the CO2 in your blood). Conclusion: My school's running coaches always taught us to control our breathing, and I certainly won't say it's wrong, but it's no longer what I do: I found that if I needed to breath faster it was because my heart rate was too high, so controlling my breathing wasn't the answer (yes controlling your breathing does bring your heart rate down, but in my opinion it only masks what is happening physiologically). Instead of controlling my breathing, I found it was better it ease up a bit to get my heart rate back in the zone and let my breath rate follow (keep in mind I have a 4 minute breath hold, so you're idea of slowing your breathing may also be subjectively different than mine: for this reason I'm a follower of perceived exertion training: especially if I'm watching my heart rate I can adjust the BPM with my breathing...BPM is only one metric I use, but the more I watch it the more unreliable it becomes). But it's also a chicken and egg thing: as I've gotten faster, my heart rate has gone down and my breath rate as well. I'm no pro (RM is literally twice as fast as me 😂) but I've seen tremendous gains this year, which I take as a sign that I'm doing something right, after sitting out two seasons and a winter to switch to toe running I'm running 4 times the distance I was 2 years ago and consistently posting PB's. (PS I'm aware that not everyone needs to switch to toe running, that most of the fastest distance runners in the world are heel runners, but my knees just couldn't take the pounding and my success this year after 20 years fighting bad knees is proof that my decision was right for me 🙂)

Interesting video, thanks Richard! I hadn't thought about diaphragm / shoulder breathing. I often get strains in my trapezius after longer hard runs. Definitely going to try diaphragm breathing next run.

RU-vid algorithm brought me here, they knew I was trying to get in shape for soccer and be the amazing player I used to be. Thanks this will definitely help me to not be wheezing all during my games!

I recently started getting back into running. I decided to breathe only through my nose. I always keep my mouth closed. Even while doing and recovering from speed work. It was more difficult at first, but now I'm just used to it. In the beginning you may not enjoy the feeling of the extra carbon dioxide, but it keeps your blood vessels more open (dilated), plus the nitric oxide from your sinuses improve oxygenation as well. I'm not an expert on the science, but I believe there is something to it. I consider mouth breathing to be more panicked. I am actually quite overweight too. I weight 115kg (down from 130kg), and still have a lot more weight to lose, but if I can run while nose breathing, then anyone can.

This video is a breath of fresh air 👍

Thanks a lot Richard helped a lot to hear from another person who struggled with stitches. I get them too and they’re holding me back. Only thing missing is you could’ve done a tutorial on how to breathe, but great video

also might try doing some thoracic cage expansion, i recently have been doing that and i literally feel like im pulling a lot more air in then i was before, definitely help me run better.

Could you please make a video going over correct running form?

Yeah I actually did stomach breathing with controlled mouth breathing for a while and it really didn't help me that much I would always cough at the end of runs because I got so much dirt in my lungs and then I was like wait a minute... We breath through our noses naturally and it delivers fresh, moist, and filtered air to our lungs and when we mouth breath air just goes straight there. Also you've always been breathing through your chest then you hear doctors say breath through your stomach. I just say do what feel natural to you when you exercise. Also I've been running with my nose you will have to adapt but you know my endurance and increased by a lot I don't really feel tired when I run I just got back into running last week and for that first time it was awsome.

Very good advices! Thank you!

Thanks.. I would only add.. that it helps too, to flood the system with oxygen before we start, by performing pranayama or controlled and directed breaths as a form of stretching and inducing circulation

Thank you! I am an amateur, competitive runner, but I have never really focused on my breathing. I will try your deep breathing technique. 👍

I totally agree, breathing is a huge asset in my day to day. Thanks brother

Thanks for this tip's...

For a long time I was breathing wrong and first I thought, maybe I better fix this problem.. and then I thought .. I will Google breathing better while running.

Tried running with a nose clip on ho my days this was a shock to the system period

Hello. Can you give specific breathing pattern while running? Do you keep it same like 5 steps inhale 5 steps exhale or does it change and how?

Bro I know how to breathe and run.... watches entire vid taking notes

South Africa condolences mate

As an asthmatic runner, I have no choice but to concentrate on my breathing. If I don't keep it in check, I'm reaching for the inhaler with a full on asthma attack. I typically do 4 in 4 out for my easy running, 3/3 for tempo, 2/2 for hills. I've recently gone back to low HR base building and am breathing only through my nose except for hills, and I'm happy with my progress.

This knew breathing meta is gold hope they don't patch it

Great video, would be nice to see your toughts on swim workouts and building swimming endurance.

Great, thanks. I stopped drinking 7 months ago, reduced my smoking from 20 per day to 4 per day (and will quit very soon) and started running every morning since 2 weeks. So I am pretty new to it and my condition sucks. Running 5 KM without a break is my actually goal. So everything what can improve my running will help me. At least I am not overweight and bought myself very good running shoes. But I was a couch potato all my life (and alcohol addict also but sober now, as I said) . Will change that now. I am 38 and want to run a 10K before i am 39.

For me I think strengthening my core helped reduce or fixed my side cramps or stitches when I started running in my early teens.

Small breaths increase the quantity of CO2 that drives us to breathlessness. It’s the CO2 that remains in the 10cm of trachea (the dead space between the lungs and the mouth). Very good advices. Diaphragmatic breathing is highly recommended. Well said!

breathing while running is just like every thing else, an A technique is required to improve, thanks man I kind of keep forgetting to sleep from the diaphram, these things you shared, long video and worth it, at least the second half... thanks man

I tend to breathe through the nose to a count of steps to keep it consistent. Breathe in for four steps, out for four steps. Am I the only one?

I have been ridiculously sick, not covid, so currently trying to do what I can to get back to where I was 6 months ago, if possible . Subscribed.

Thank you so much for sharing such a high quality content from you professional perspective. Very accessible and valuable. Love your style ! Wishing you very sincerely all the best for 2021 !

Thanks ! .

Very good video Richard, thanks!

My breathing tips: 1. Relaxed shoulders but stand tall - expands potential volume of thoracic cavity therefore maximising total lung capacity. 2. Breathing through nose initially 3. Long slow exhale - this maximises venous return to the heart and actually slows down heart rate. Breath in for 2, out for 4... 4. If running a short race (eg. mile or less) then a sequence of ten or so quick deep breaths will actually help through activation of sympathetic nervous system and priming the lungs for maximal threshold effort. 5. Similarly, if you are wanting to increase heart rate during a run then 2 successive quick inhales followed by 1 long exhale can also help

This is awesome, thanks Richard. My HR always spikes when I run so defo seem techniques I'll take into my next run.

Great advice

Thanks for the informative video! Stay safe :) Any tips for systematic stomach ache while running?

Breathing is holding me back from going longer. I’m going to try these tips and see if I can go further. Thank you.

great video and useful tips my friend!

Skip to 5:40. Thank me later

I had this on my watchlist for several months and kept avoiding it because of the gimmicky title, but there's some solid advice here and I really wish I watched this several months ago instead of the day before my marathon - running Twin Cities marathon tomorrow :o

@Richard Murray ,Thanks for the late video ,watch quite late but still relevant for all time. how does the Right belly breathing works , is the focus on inhaling first from nose and then filling up Belly or focus on Belly first to fill up inhaling thru Noise .Strange question :)

I tried your technique and really found it helpful Thank you

I agree we never are relax while running but you are different creature 👽 🎽 my brain still is processing 10km run. I'm sure I'll never understand how?

You aren't alone on the stitches. ouch. I haven't gotten any for a long time, but when I was younger, absolutely.

4:50 The main reason for side stiches, is not breathing in through your nose, but through the open mouth. That's a fact. Running in cold air makes it worse. In hot sunny weather, this is not so important. Always remember, the lung loves warm air... For example, Novak Djokovitch, had a nose surgery in 2005, because he had breathing problems through his nose. They actually made it a bit wider. That shows, how important breathing in through the nose is, if you are at the very limit of your sport. It is an endurance trick.

You are the best timing

3:40 into the video and you've not given the viewers anything but a lot of framing, context and fluff. Not trying to sound ungrateful, you're getting into it, after that, just wanted to point out as a creator you could really boost your video with strategies Mr.Beast uses in his videos. All the best. Cheers!

This is shareable.thank you.

Thanks for the advice!!

Thanks Richard - really appreciate the tips. To have technical tips from someone in the top of world triathlon is huge. Thank you. Look forward to practicing in the morning (and beyond)!

Normally I die when I'm running. Each breath is as if it's my last ever. So much fun running is!

Thanks for your tips! I realy like running, and your posts! Buth in 20 min...my astma kicks in then i have like ... Max 10 min of energie left. So then i go back home, So my runs are no longer than 30 min...I run on a road of (harder) sand , that feels better to my knees cause i'am overweight. I start and end every run with a stretch and a few minutes walking. I regonize your tips , buth when i'am running sometimes i forget about some of them cause I'am having no toughts when running... That's one of the things i love about running. Just empty my head end enjoy beautyfull nature!

great vid! And you kinda look like Mark Webber especially with the red bull hat on lol.

Yeh I have

thanks