Proper breathing techniques are important for swimmers, surfers or other water and ocean sports. Accessing the full lung capacity can not only help your performance, but it can also improve overall cardiovascular fitness and energy levels. For competitive swimmers, it could mean a few extra seconds underwater coming off of the wall, or holding your head down long enough to reach the line first.
Breath control exercises can be practiced both in and out of the water, with more advanced training (like hypoxic swim sets) done under the supervision of professionals after the approval from your doctor.
Having control of your breath has many benefits. For extreme-sport freedivers who dive without the support of a breathing apparatus, breath control is essential to preventing injury or death. In addition to the increased cardiovascular fitness and energy levels mentioned above, breath control can also help to improve clarity, focus and minimize distraction, benefiting more than swimmers or athletes in aquatic sports. It can also work to reduce levels of anxiety, which can come in handy when you’re preparing for a big race! Tapping into diaphragmatic breathing compared to the more typical shallow breathing can make all the difference in accessing these additional health and performance benefits.
Out of the pool, a respiratory trainer is a great way to strengthen lungs and build capacity. With most training tools like this, you can easily measure progress and view data to track improvement. While sprinters may value increased capacity, distance swimmers may value lung endurance and strength. Most swimmers also use breathing patterns as guidelines for their strokes. Try a box breath to gradually increase lung capacity by following these steps: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds. Eventually start to add 1 or 2 seconds to your box breath pattern, or try different combinations of inhaling for 4, exhaling for 6, etc for 2-3 full rounds.
Breathing patterns can also be practiced in the water, matching breath to strokes. A simple reminder to push one stroke longer on the next breath can be enough to work towards. The StrechCordz® Long Belt Slider adds resistance to your training, providing swim out and pull back resistance to challenge your body and your breath. Incorporating longer swims can build endurance, while perfecting your technique can require less effort which increases your body and your muscles’ efficiency. By moving more efficiently, the amount of oxygen your body requires to perform its best decreases.
Whether you’re looking for assistance with breath work, added resistance on long swims or tools to perfect your technique, shop the full line of StrechCordz® dryland and in-water resistance tools. Our products are specifically designed for in-water use, and will enhance your training, whatever your goals, with high-quality materials and long-lasting performance.
