Breathing in water

[TheBritishTwit]

Hi Guys

 

So I did a sprint Tri (Rockman Tri at Heia safari park) last year and loved it, even though it was the really short on, and have decided to start training for more Tri's however while swimming in the pool I have noticed that I can only swim 3 or 4 laps (aka 75 - 100 m) before I feel dead and completely out of air.

 

I know there isn't a quick fix to this but I was wondering is there is a chance that you may know a training technique or a Breathing technique I can use to improve my breathing or lack there of while swimming...

 

I would like to do the Ironman 70.3 next year Jan and a few tri's during this year so this will be training for then

 

Thanks for the help in advance.

[Disylizzy]

1.  Never hold your breathe.

2.  Always breath in through your mouth and out through your nose.

 

you can practice with a kickboard.  It'll take some time, but once you get it right you'll wonder why you always struggled.

[NordicElf]

When your head is in the water, breathe all your air out by the time you breathe again, that way, you're ready to take air in, you're not busy trying to blow air out before you can take it in. so if you're breathing every 3rd stroke or 4th, whatever, time your out breath so that it's all out by your 3rd/4th stroke. And the above advice. 

[shaper]

Consider a swim coach to at least get the basics, there probably one at your pool you can speak to, 

 

many articles and videos online to help you understand the basics http://www.swimsmooth.com/breathing.html

 

Practice side to side drill in the pool, even if you have to stop and stand and then push off and try again.  Will help you with your side to side rotation when swimming and how to breath when your rotate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5RqScQWpko.

 

The drill will also teach you to stay streamline, to keep your head down and to breath in behind the bow wave as you rotate... and learn to breath both sides every 3 to 4 strokes.  Open water swimming you do not know which way possible wind waves will be, so if you can learn to breath either side, you can avoid taking gulps of water by only breathing on the side protected from the wind and waves

[Robrider]

This resource was good for me.

 

http://www.swimsmooth.com/

[Blackheart]

I had exactly the same issue when I started training for my first Xterra.

Cycling: No problem as that is my core sport.

Running: Ok - I could do 5min ks almost immediately, got that down to a 42min 10k pretty easily.

Swimming: 2 lengths of a 50m pool and I was finished..

 

I signed up for a total immersion workshop and that sorted all my problems out.

Worth looking at.

 

Note: It didn't make me fast in the water, it made me comfortable.

[henningvr]

1.  Never hold your breathe.

2.  Always breath in through your mouth and out through your nose.

 

you can practice with a kickboard.  It'll take some time, but once you get it right you'll wonder why you always struggled.

^^^ that, and then pace yourself. Find the sweet spot, aka rhythm. Breathing is a timing thing. Breathing out through your nose when your head is in the water, breathing in through your mouth when your head is out of the water (talking about freestyle and breast stroke specifically). Once you find your weet spot / rhythm things will click and you'll be doing it without even thinking about it.

[Davey_Jones]

You might be starting out too fast and pushing your heart rate too high to quick.  Start out doing your laps super slow to warm up then slowly increase your pace.  You'll soon be breaking that 1km mark with ease.

[Jigghead]

All of the above, breathe in as much as you can per breath, but don't breathe for too long. Try to breathe on alternative sides (left & right, I usually do every third stroke). This will help with ensuring balanced exertion distribution. Breathe out the nose and the whole breathe before inhaling again.

 

Something important that uses a lot of energy and will leave you poked early on in a swim:

 

When taking a breath, ensure that you are rotating your head only and not your whole body, not even your shoulders, in the direction you are breathing. You'll be amazed at how much energy you expend breathing with your whole body! You also hinder your streamlined form when breathing in this way. You'll use a lot more energy getting yourself streamlined again, usually just in time to take another breath and start all over again. The extra drag you create, even momentarily, will 'sink' most swimmers over the course of a long swim.

 

Finally, time. Be patient, it'll come with consistent training and once it does, it'll be one of the best quick workouts you'll have at your disposal!!!

 

Good luck.

[Vanzyl]

1.  Never hold your breathe.

2.  Always breath in through your mouth and out through your nose.

 

you can practice with a kickboard.  It'll take some time, but once you get it right you'll wonder why you always struggled.

Disagree with you. Agree with the breathinin mouth and out nose but one should hold breath to some extent, this helps your body learn to conserve oxygen , take in air every third stroke , this will increase your lung capacity...training for your lungs!

[Disylizzy]

Disagree with you. Agree with the breathinin mouth and out nose but one should hold breath to some extent, this helps your body learn to conserve oxygen , take in air every third stroke , this will increase your lung capacity...training for your lungs!

 

During hypoxic breathing, you're still exhaling, just very slowly.  The minute you hold your breathe, then the carbon dioxide builds up in your muscles and fatigues you far quicker.  In my younger/fitter days was able to swim 50+m under water doing it like that.

[Davey_Jones]

When taking a breath, ensure that you are rotating your head only and not your whole body, not even your shoulders, in the direction you are breathing. You'll be amazed at how much energy you expend breathing with your whole body! You also hinder your streamlined form when breathing in this way. You'll use a lot more energy getting yourself streamlined again, usually just in time to take another breath and start all over again. The extra drag you create, even momentarily, will 'sink' most swimmers over the course of a long swim.

 

Not entirely sure I agree with that.  If you swimming with your heap looking down and only turn your head you probably wont be able to get your mouth out the water enough to breath. Your shoulders will naturally rotate as you breathing while doing your recovery stroke. Maybe this is what you mean leading with your head not shoulders?

[Boerklong]

Im with Dizzylizzy on this one. Once you start holding your breath you are creating problems for yourself.

If it was a sprint then holding your breath for 25m-50m would be okay, but not on longer swims.

[Vanzyl]

Almost all competitive swimmers are taught to breath every third stroke which means you hold your breath till third stroke, and to the other reply one must rotate your neck and not shoulders because you cause resistance from the water when rotating shoulders....every swimmer is taught to rotate your neck, there will be shoulder rotation but only minimal.

[breaker]

Not entirely sure I agree with that.  If you swimming with your heap looking down and only turn your head you probably wont be able to get your mouth out the water enough to breath. Your shoulders will naturally rotate as you breathing while doing your recovery stroke. Maybe this is what you mean leading with your head not shoulders?

 

Not if your Regan from the exorcist

My 2c, I was in the same spot about 3 months ago, joined swim squads and then heard about this exhaling under water thing  . All I can say is, its bloody hard and not something you should try in a race situation unless you have practiced it.

Another thing that someone mention is don't exhale completely underwater. My problem was that as I came to the end of exhaling, then some weird reflex in me tried to take a small breath.... while I was underwater. Not a nice feeling.

Good luck

[Disylizzy]

Almost all competitive swimmers are taught to breath every third stroke which means you hold your breath till third stroke, and to the other reply one must rotate your neck and not shoulders because you cause resistance from the water when rotating shoulders....every swimmer is taught to rotate your neck, there will be shoulder rotation but only minimal.

 

Please tell me where you get your facts from, I would really like to know because you only have about a third of the information.  

 

When you swim, you never stop breathing, aka holding your breathe.  With your statement, when you take a breathe, you would have to exhale and breathe in at the same time, which is practically impossible if you're swimming for time.

 

As for rotation, you rotate from your hips.  So your shoulders are always streamlined within the water.