Hi All,

I was out riding today with a few people from the club enjoying the
brilliant sunshine beaming through the crisp, fall air and illuminating the
red and yellow leaves. As we were climbing one of the hills, the rider next
to me said he was struggling, even though the pace was, for me, a '1' or '2'
(very easy or easy) on the scale of RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).

On the next few peddle strokes, thinking of a response to help him out, I
listened to his breathing. It was rapid, short and shallow - from his chest.
This means he was not maximizing his lung capacity. He was becoming oxygen
deprived and he would struggle to make it up the hill, regardless of how
strong his legs were.

If he was breathing slowly and deeply from his diaphragm, he would be able
to get more oxygen into his lungs. If he got more oxygen into his lungs, his
muscles would have more fuel to work with, making his body work more
efficiently, making his RPE feel lower and making him feel more comfortable
on the climb.

I mentioned his breathing and he said he was unaware of breathing
techniques. I said I would send him some info on breathing properly. He
isn't the first person I informed about breathing from the diaphragm, so I
thought I would send this note to all.

****
First, my philosophy on cycling.

I look at cycling in 3 separate components that come together to form a
system - the rider. My motivation, my legs and my breathing.

I look at my motivation, or my brain, to determine what I want to accomplish
on this ride, or on this segment of the ride.

I look at my legs, or basically, my cadence and therefore my power, to tell
me what gear I need to be in to bridge the gap, climb the hill or stay with
the pack.

I look at my breathing to control the 'fuel' or the oxygen, to power the
system. If I am exerting myself hard to climb a hill or to bridge a gap, my
breathing must be slow and very deep. If I am cruising in the pack, chatting
away, I am still breathing from my diaphragm, but not working it to optimize
my oxygen intake.

When you breathe from your chest, you are cheating yourself of your best
performance. When you breathe from your diaphragm, you are able to maximize
your oxygen intake and you are then able to maximize your effort and your
results.

When I say results, it doesn't matter if you are a racer or a touring rider.
Your ability to climb that hill, to stay with the group after dropping your
water bottle, depends on your ability to move your bike along at the fastest
pace you can without over exerting yourself.

So with that in mind, the best way to practice your breathing is off the
bike, in meditation, like you learn in yoga class.

When you are focused on climbing that hill, focus on your breath, as you do
when you are meditating, and you will find you can do it easier! Meditation
will also help you let the tornado of your day settle, so you will be more
relaxed and in control of your life. You are in effect multi-tasking, in the
best sense of that often maligned word.

Here are some tips on starting to breathe properly from a meditation course
I took many years ago:
- sit in a dark or dim, quiet room
- a count down timer of 5, 10, 20 or more minutes is set depending on how
long you want to meditate for
- start with a comfortable duration, with a minimum of 5 minutes, and
gradually increase it to 20 minutes as you become more comfortable
- beginners will find that 5 minutes may seem like an eternity
- cross your legs in the traditional lotus style or if you like, sit upright
in a firm chair
- close your eyes
- do this ‘cleansing breath’ exercise three times - it is used to prepare
your body for stillness
- extend your arms outwards and upwards and inhale deeply through your
nose
- bring your hands together over the top of your head and lock your
fingers
- push your hands down into your lap and exhale deeply at the same time
through your mouth
- keep the tip of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth
- rest your hands on your knees, palms up, middle finger touching your
thumb, this position keeps your body's ‘energy’ within itself
- breathe using your belly.
- Imagine a grasshopper, like ones you used to catch as a kid.
- Its belly would move in and out when you watched it sitting on a leaf
- Your belly works as a bellows to move the air into and out of your
lungs.
- You breathe from your belly, not your chest.
- breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, slowly, gently.
These are not deep breaths, they are relaxed and relaxing.
- when bridging the gap or climbing the hill, the breathes will obviously
be deep and slow, but we must learn to walk before we run
- focus on your breath, air coming in, air going out
- you can also focus on a mantra as well, along the lines of ‘Pure body,
pure mind, pure spirit. Fused with the power of Sumadhi.’
- Sumadhi is Madarin (or Cantonese..can't recall) meaning ‘awakening’ or
‘a quieting of the mind’
- or you can create your own mantra to focus on
- If you find your mind wondering, bring it back to focusing on your breathe
or your mantra
gently push thoughts out of your mind, just focus on your breath or your
mantra

Practice meditation / breathing from your diaphragm every night if you can.

So how does this apply to the road? If you are riding in a pack and you are
getting dropped because you were looking at the scenery instead of the wheel
in front of you...
- Your motivation (component 1) is to bridge the gap.
- Get your cadence (component 2) into your power zone by shifting your
gears.
- Your breathing (component 3) becomes very deep in order to get the most
oxygen to your lungs. But your breathing is not hurried. It is slow and
controlled.
- the inhale count could be two full seconds. The exhale count could be
2.5 or even 3 seconds.
- your breathing may become laboured and loud (if you are trying to catch
them as you crest a hill), but it is controlled
- and you know you are getting as much oxygen to your lungs as your body
can handle

Here are some other links if you want to get into meditating / breathing
deeper / better
http://www.qbike.com/news/Breathing-In-Cycling-047.shtml
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/pranayama/

Come out in the early spring when we are doing hill repeats or intervals and
I can help you with your breathing
- this would be Tuesdays and Thursdays in March and April
- be sure to practice your breathing OFF your bike as you can't learn how to
breathe when you are out of oxygen!

If you have any questions, let me know.


Rob
OCC President 2008