There are many people who are out of breath and unable to exert their feet before the middle of the course when riding the exercise bike. Why is this?
In fact, this may be caused by incorrect breathing.
During the ride, we should maintain an even breath. If the breathing is not right, it will reduce our sports performance, and there will also be dizziness and nausea. And correct breathing can increase oxygen uptake, improve our exercise efficiency, improve cardiopulmonary, and prolong exercise time.
How should an exercise bike breathe?
There are actually two main ways of breathing, one is abdominal breathing, and the other is chest breathing, and we are more suitable for abdominal breathing when riding an exercise bike.
Principles of abdominal breathing
Abdominal breathing is not really said to be breathing through the stomach, but actually breathing through the chest. It's just that on the surface, during abdominal breathing, the stomach will bulge after inhaling, and the corresponding physiological process is that the diaphragm descends and the thorax expands. When exhaling, the belly is still the same and will not sag. The physiological process at this time is that the diaphragm rises, the thorax shrinks, and the gas is pressed out. When you exhale, the diaphragm will rise more than usual, so you can take a deep breath and exhale more carbon dioxide that tends to stagnate at the bottom of the lungs.
How to do abdominal breathing?
The correct abdominal breathing method is to use the whole body when inhaling at the beginning. At this time, the lungs and abdomen will be filled with air and bulge, but it cannot be stopped. You still need to exert all your strength to continue inhaling. Just inhale and inhale, whether or not you're inhaling air. Hold your breath for 4 seconds, your body will feel tense at this time, and use 8 seconds to slowly exhale. The exhale should be slow and long and not interrupted. After doing the above methods several times, not only will you not feel sad, but you will feel a sense of comfort.
Specific steps are as follows:
1. Place your hands on both sides of your ribs/abdomen;
2. Inhale deeply through your nose (bulge your stomach) for 3 to 5 seconds, hold your breath for 1 second, and feel the position of your hands shifting to the sides;
3. Slowly exhale through your mouth (retract your stomach) for 3 to 5 seconds, hold your breath for 1 second, feel the position of your hands return, and hold your stomach in.
The benefits of abdominal breathing
When you do abdominal breathing and move the diaphragm, it will infiltrate the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels from the cells, remove the toxins of reactive oxygen species, and promote blood circulation. In addition, doing abdominal breathing can make the various internal organs of the abdomen stimulated by the breathing rhythm. This stimulus passes through the nerves, and becomes a self-regulating signal of a gentle breathing rhythm that is transmitted to the brain, and the brain becomes an alpha state after receiving these stimuli.
However, most people only use chest breathing, so only 1/3 of the lungs are used. Another two-thirds of the lungs are filled with old air. If you breathe using abdominal breathing, the lungs are fully utilized. Abdominal breathing allows the body to fully obtain the function of Qi, and at the same time, it also takes in more sufficient oxygen. In this way, it can not only purify the blood, but also promote the activation of brain cells.
Consciously slow and deep breathing is one of the most effective ways to create alpha waves. Abdominal breathing method can maintain the brain wave below 12 Hz, at this time it can increase the secretion of endorphin in the brain, which is helpful for the development of creativity.
In addition, there are the following benefits
1. Increase oxygen uptake, exercise cardiopulmonary function, speed up gastrointestinal motility, and enhance digestive system function. Can improve constipation and accelerate the burning of body fat.
2. Activates the deep abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis) to increase core stability and reduce sports injuries. More effective recruitment of muscle power;
3. Steady and deep breathing can increase the training time and last longer;
4. Postpartum abdominal breathing can relax the body and mind, reduce muscle pressure, and help the rectus abdominis repair;
5. Long-term abdominal breathing will make the lower abdomen more flat.
How should you breathe during different riding stages?
In different riding stages, we need to adjust our breathing slightly, which are mainly divided into 3 stages:
1. Warm-up phase
When warming up on the exercise bike, you must first adjust your breathing by inhaling through your nose, so that your body can adapt to the rhythm of the exercise in advance.
2. Uniform Riding Stage
When you start to ride at a constant speed, your body's oxygen consumption will increase, and abdominal breathing allows you to inhale more air, thereby increasing your oxygen uptake.
3. Hill Ride Stage
Climbing is a test of cardiorespiratory endurance, and the breathing method of "quick breathing and quick vomiting" should be used. During the climbing stage, the exercise intensity is high, and the cyclists often cannot breathe, which leads to symptoms of dizziness, dry mouth, and sweating when climbing. In fact, most cyclists are not out of breath, but the amount of oxygen they breathe is not enough to replenish the oxygen consumption of the muscles in time. Therefore, climbing a hill must not only know how to use strength, but also pay attention to the correct way of breathing.
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