Including breathing exercises in your training routine can make a big difference in your performance, whether you use a mountain bike or a road bike. Although we often overlook breathing techniques, learning to breathe correctly can significantly improve your performance on the saddle. With proper technique, you can increase the amount of oxygen that enters your lungs, which translates into better performance. This will not only allow you to ride faster, but also reduce fatigue during your rides. According to some experts, this increase can represent up to a 10% improvement in your physical capacity.

Additionally, many of the dreaded "bonks" are not only related to legs that don't respond, but also to a noticeable lack of oxygen. Whether you face a challenging climb with your road bike or a technical trail with your mountain bike, working on your breathing can become a key ally to achieve your goals.

Avoid the vicious circle

Breathing well when cycling, especially at a high level of physical demand, has direct implications for our health. Shallow breathing, in which the air stays in the chest but does not reach the belly, condemns us to fast and agitated breathing. Our muscles will demand more and more oxygen supply and, like in a vicious circle, we will demand more air.

The consequence of all this is an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, accompanied by reduced blood circulation.

The challenge is to go from the 15 or 20 breaths we take per minute in a normal resting situation, to no more than 10.

The key is in the diaphragm

When we are children, without anyone having taught us, we take full breaths. Over time, we forget this and start breathing more and more shallowly. Much of the blame lies with our sedentary habits, which tend to stretch our abdominals and reduce both the intervertebral and intercostal spaces. This acquired bad habit transfers to our posture on the bike. The key to introducing more oxygen into the body is to involve the diaphragm in breathing. This is a flat muscle, located at the bottom of the rib cage, that helps contain and release the greatest possible volume of air. But how can we take full advantage of this muscle's work if we don't leave enough space for it? A good way to breathe better on the bike is to practice, precisely, away from it. Standing, or sitting in a chair with your back straight, you should breathe slowly and deeply until you feel how the air fills not only your lungs but also the lower part of them.

The challenge will be to go from the 15-20 breaths per minute we have in a normal resting situation, to 10 per minute. This means that, in an initial stage of training our new breathing, we will dedicate 6 seconds to each breath (3 for the inhalation phase and another 3 for the exhalation phase). Little by little, we will be able to dedicate more seconds to each act of air intake and release. By reserving just 5 minutes a day to practice this new breathing, it is possible to see improvements in a short time, so that we end up incorporating them automatically. Once the technique is mastered away from the bike, it will be time to put it into practice on two wheels. At first it will not be as easy as at rest, and we will have to perform slow and deep breathing during moments of low demand. Gradually, we will be able to adopt it in situations of greater effort. To ensure our chest has the greatest possible expansion, we must always keep in mind that we have to involve the diaphragm in breathing. There lies the key to our success and to improvements that can result in us riding faster and getting tired less.

Practice complementary sports

Some sports such as yoga and Pilates can be of great help to improve our breathing.

In both, air intake is key; in the case of yoga, to become aware of all the muscles involved, and in the case of Pilates, to understand how breathing is combined with other body movements. In both, correct alignment of the hips, spine, and head is achieved. Through breathing and concentration exercises, it is possible to strengthen the abdominal, dorsal-lumbar, and abdominal muscles, as well as improve the performance of the erector muscles of the back.