Bump, interested in the science, if any.

I use it when I need to run easy, except now I do it so much that I can run faater while doing it. Still not nearly as fast as mouth breathing.

I've also adopted the habit of 3/2 breathing, out on 3 steps and in on 2, in order to even out the work during the run. I think that's helped my efficiency tremendously.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

I breathe through the nose when I can, but it's usually just when I'm at a slower pace. At faster paces, my nose tends to close up, or dry out, or otherwise not let in enough air.

I also breathe 2-3 (two steps inhale, three exhale) or 3-4, depending on pace. No side-stitches that way, and yogis say the longer exhale helps to relax you by calming whichever nervous system (sympathetic or parasympathetic) is calmed by that kind of breathing. The slower exhale also seems to keep my nose from drying out as much as 2-2 or 3-3 breathing.

On the bike, it's almost always nose-breathing, unless I'm in a hard interval. If nothing else, it keeps bugs out of my teeth.

I always breathe through my nose when passing someone in a race, so they won't know I'm struggling.

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<The Dew Abides>

I have always been told to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth when running. (In college we practiced this)

I don't know the science. I think the benefit may be controlling breathing and heart rate.


+1, I try to not sound fatigued when passing someone.

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Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store

You're missing out on some valuable, healthy, & lean protein!

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

But Scott Jurek says I should avoid animal protein.

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<The Dew Abides>

Ha! It also works if one sounds like they are dying when passing someone. It unnerves the other person that someone that sounds that bad is passing them. Either way - be quiet or be really loud. If you sound like them, the race is on.

The amount that I'm sweating ( and I sweat a lot ) can interfere with nose breathing. More than anything, exhaling through mouth even with nose inhalation.

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Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.

The turbinates in the nose humidify the air on the way in and some moisture condences on them on the way out. Breathing through the nose helps to conserve your body water.
Furthermore, in training it is a good indicator of training in the "aerobic" zone if you are nose breathing only.

From a marketing angle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXj3Wi-fNS4

And there's a good book called "The Oxygen Advantage" that dives deep into why nasal breathing is a good thing to do.

Now this is fascinating.

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Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store

Interestingly enough, Brian Mackenzie (Crossfit Endurance) just posted on his Instagram account about this. Not really a study but an N=1 on himself on a wattbike.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp8Gts5ANtr/

Nice.

You really only have one priority here: Get as much oxygen as you can. Or at least as much as you need. That is most effectively done by breathing through your mouth. If you can do it by breathing through your nose and you actually find that easier... well great.

But breathing isn't something esoteric like running form or pacing. It is not something we forget or need to practice. We do it every single moment of our lives. We are so very good at it because when we're not, we die. We have millennia of constant evolution here.

Given how many things we already have to worry about in running and cycling, (things that demand focus and to which we are *not* accustomed), attempting to improve performance by limiting where we can get Oxygen is not a winning strategy. It is overcomplicating matters.

I think you would be wasting your effort by focusing on this

I sometimes advise athletes I coach to breathe in through their nose, and out through their mouth. I use this for both cycling and running.
I have them do this when I want them to go slow and easy.....
But if you want to put the hammer down, you need all the O2 you can get, and mouth breathing takes over when you want to go hard.
Of course, in a triathlon, I tell all the other guys in my AG to use nose breathing, especially during the swim--I find this really levels the old playing field fast :-)