Growing up as a competitive swimmer breathing is foundational. I use to exhale completely and sink to the bottom of the pool. After a few minutes I could easily take 1 breath every 45 sec to 1 min - again after exhale. After this exercise, i could swim all out for 100m and not be out of breath at all. I did this exercise 45 years ago.
Oh, lucky you. I am not a competitive swimmer but I started swimming a year ago and I try to swim 2-3 a week and what drains me the most is my poor breathing technique! :-/
@@joannagonsior2189 14 years ago, I had a bicycle accident that collaped both my lungs. I can't swim more than 2 laps without needing to stop, it is very frustrating. I'm trying to get back into swimming to see if I can improve my breathing. It is very hard, but the point is, the premise is the same. No matter where you are, you can get better. With breathing, it doesn't matter how fast you go or how good your stroke is, breathing can always get better.
Swimming is the only athetic activity where the coach is relentlessly asking you NOT to breath! Sharing same experience, a lot of hypoxic exercises in my youth in the swimming pool. Excellent video.
18:20 - This! I'm 70 years old and have lived at about 6500 feet in Utah (that's where my house is) for about 30 years. Earlier in life, I flew fighters in the Navy. We breathed 100% O2 under normal pressure. That provided enough O2 partial pressure to oxygenate us up to 35,000' in an unpressurized cockpit. Above that altitude, the regulator would pressurize, forcing us to breath out against the pressure and that would increase lung O2 partial pressure enough to get us to 50,000'. The takeaway for me was that if you can increase the air pressure in your lungs, you can increase the partial pressure of the O2 and improve blood oxygenation. I mountain bike up here and almost all of my biking is from about 6500' to about 10,000'. As my exertion increases, I have developed a strategy of deep inhalation through my nose and exhaling out of my mouth through "pursed" lips. This forces a constriction against exhaling and increases the air pressure in my lungs. I've found that this seems to help me feel more oxygenated and after short anaerobic bursts that inevitably occur, my cardiovascular recovery seems much faster! Anyway, interesting stuff. The bolt test seems a bit subjective though. It's not clear to me if I should hold out just until I'd kind of like to take a breath or wait until I'd really like to take a breath - short of desperation.
Beautiful comment. I’ve noticed a similar thing with pursed lips exhaling while exercising. And it makes perfect sense to me, from the same partial pressure standpoint. As for the BOLT test, from what I understand it’s all about comfort, not pushing yourself. If you can comfortably hold for 10 seconds before having the first urge to breathe, that’s your current score. Mine is pretty low at the moment, and I keep forgetting to train it regularly
Excellent, the type of information I had hoped for. Dr Andy Galpin and Andrew Huberman do a great break down on zone training that is worth a listen. Sort of a tangent, but many BJJ and MMA fighters between rounds are taught to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth in recovery.
When I was young I remember asking a friend: when you breathe, does your chest move or your stomach? As a young girl in the late 90s, given the pressure to be super thin, I felt self conscious that my stomach swelled with breath. I can’t help but think about a whole generation reconditioned from proper breathing to poor breathing due to societal pressure to “suck in your stomach” and commit to shallow breathing, rather than actually allow the body to do what it needs.
Great conversation and video!! A part of a traditional yoga routine is called "bhramana pranayama" (lit. "movement and control over prana (a type of energy)"), which consists of those parts of yogic routines where you have to control your mind and breath *while* continuously moving. The simplest are, for example, breathing through only your nostrils in a very specific pattern *while* walking. The first one I ever did was: 6 steps breathe in, 12 steps breathe out. Repeat as long as you can, while walking at a steady pace. The first 100-180 seconds, you will feel nothing. But I swear, by the 4th minute, any beginner will feel like they are drowning, as your body starts to gasp for that sudden intake of oxygen. There are complex routines, some of which I have only just started doing (many are very similar to the things Wim Hof mentions ... no surprises there). In yoga, we believe that a complete control of breath gives you complete control over energy, and thus life itself. Even if you don't believe that, please practice simple breathing with your nostrils while walking. Trust me, you will see a remarkable difference within 2 weeks. I wrote this long comment because I have only recently started to understand that this is not common knowledge outside India (increasingly, even within India, as yoga is becoming more of a feel-good social hobby, and its core teachings are getting lost).
Yoga is great. Like any discipline, it can be done properly with good guidance, and improperly too. One can delve deep into the knowledge and practice, or just do IG nonsense. However it's the cosmic broadband connection kundalini mumbo jumbo that I object to. I see no harm in losing those.
Recently I have been studying online and trying to learn alot about ancient Indian mythology, history, science and culture. It's very fascinating! I was born there but moved to the West at 1 year old and know nothing about the country nor do I share it's culture in any way. But I'd like to learn more. Can you recommend some good books or RUclips channels or movies or stuff that can help me learn more about Ancient India? And Ancient Indian Yoga techniques? One good book I recommend that I really want to read is called A Second Paradise, a book about ancient India at the peak of its technology and civilian lifestyles in particular during that era.
@@pharaohsmagician8329 Yoga-Makaranda, just be careful though, a lot of these yogic techniques are made for the sages/yogi's who devout their lives to yoga, they are not to be practiced by normal everyday people, without a proper yoga master teaching you the techniques you can seriously harm yourself and cause damage lol. Like these breathing techniques I wouldn't recommend them at all, your body knows best, when you exercise you start inhaling through the mouth to get more oxygen in, this is your body telling you this..., sure small doses of stress on the body can cause adaptations to our bodies making them stronger, but they can also damage us and cause ill health. Doctors usually recommend cardio, walking, resistance training, these stresses done with balance not doing to much and not doing to little can help us greatly achieve good health, make us smarter and more physically fit. I would stick with just doing the stretching aspect of yoga, meditation by only sitting down cross legged allowing thoughts to come and go, cardio, weight lifting. When it comes to more extreme stuff like cold showers, breath holding, pranayama, i would recommend you take a pass on that stuff ask yourself why you need it? and do the risks outweigh the benefits?
Pranayama is a remarkable thing. I met a girl that taught me how to breathe and gather prana, and it really changed my perspective on breath. It definitely feels like you are hyperventilating after a minute or two, but it does something incredible to the body and mind. It is a somewhat out-of-body experience for me where your physical stresses do not exist, and afterword, you are left with a pleasantly light feeling. I recommend pranayama to anyone, but surely, there are basic breathing techniques that should be mastered first. Yoga teaches the basics of pranayama, but yoga is not pranayama. Yoga generally will not push your physical capabilities, while pranayama most definitely will, but it also makes it much more effective at physically conditioning the body to accept more (increase capacity for) oxygen and blood flow. I think yoga is great, but pranayama is just incredible. It's worth practicing the basic techniques of pranayama. I highly doubt it's ever killed or caused harm to anybody to try it, but of course, each person is responsible for finding out what their body can handle. No need to cause physical stress, yet, we underestimate the benefit of intense breathing exercises. It is hard to do pranayama just sitting, so if you can do it easily, in theory, physical exercise can be made easier after practicing this type of breathing.
As someone who has struggled with breathing issues lifelong and complex PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, etc, this information was really great! I turned 40 this year and really miss being active outdoors. My doctor is always encouraging exercise for my mental health in addition to my physical health but my breathing challenges hold me back. Thank you for this!
Hey Kristen, would you mind commenting back on this video on if it helped you? I mean, later down the road, in a couple of weeks maybe, when you have had time to practice. I'm really curious how it turns out!
I am on my 12th year of exercising after huge anxiety problems/attacks/hospital visits in 2010. Started push-ups, got so good at them I could end up doing 200 in half an hour with 50kg on back. If anyone is serious about getting on top of anxiety then exercise is critical. Hard at first when you keep thinking you are having heart attack. Also I did a lot of CBT and ACT. But exercise gives you so much back. Before push-ups became my go to I actually boxed on a bag as the rhythmic nature helped me not concentrate on panic attacks. I was very bad back then. Never thought I could heal. Best of luck. Enjoy the journey of healing is my advice✊🏼
Check b12 vitamin level. Optimal is 800. Significantly less may point to need for a DNA test translated by an epigenetics aware ND. 30% of people have common genetic variants in the folate and b12 pathway, affecting ability to convert b vitamins, impeded further by synthetic b vitamins sprayed on north american wheat. Simple fix of supplementing w non-synthetic active form methylated B12 and B9 can be life changing with breathing, digestion, energy production, neurotransmitters and more.
OK well I have implemented a few things as suggested and already am breathing better, sleeping better and have nose muscles! I walked 12 fairly rough miles and only breathed through my nose the whole way. I've only been at this one week. Incredible, and I thought my nose was broken in some way and I couldn't get enough air in through it. Not true. Thanks for making this channel Chase, you have improved my hiking and life and I am grateful.
Ash, I know that feeling of thinking your nose is defective. I can barely breathe through mine and if doing these exercises can help, I'm all-in on it!
This reminds me of something I did as a teenager that was possibly reckless and stupid. In other words, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS, as they used to say: I was diagnosed with asthma. And I hated it. So, every night, I would go running. I would run flat out, until I was almost hyperventilating. I always brought my inhaler but tried to never use it. Once I was at that point, I would walk and stop myself from hyperventilating by holding my breath and counting, and believe it or not, praying. There was no science, no doctor's advice (I'm sure he would have told me I was an idiot), only a desire to never need to use an inhaler again. After about a year of this, I found I was able to take control of my breathing if I slowed myself down and did a combination of breath holding and meditation, though with me, it was prayer, being Catholic- I would say the Lord's Prayer or the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. I was diagnosed with asthma at 13. By the time I was 15, I had used my inhaler for the last time. Now, at 48, I run OCRs like Spartan and Bonefrog and I hike almost every weekend.
You can definitely improve your asthma with improving you cardio, I just want to point out that a inhaler with an high heart rate from strenuous physical effort can lead to a heart attack
I have been incorporating more breathwork into my routine over the last 3 years or so and it has made a big difference. He is right that the biggest gains are made when focusing on nasal breathing in everyday routines more so than when exercising. It will start to come more naturally. Also, I grew up with chronic sinus problems and could not breathe through my nose. This will get easier the more you consciously do it. It is a chicken and egg thing - breathe through the nose more at rest and you will discover that you will be able to do it more easily and naturally. Lastly, I highly recommend Patrick McEwan's book The Oxygen Advantage.
I'm glad you mentioned your sinuses because this is my biggest issue. I feel like I'm suffocating when I rely on breathing through my nose only because it's such a struggle.
Great video. I developed good breathing as a competitive swimmer, played water polo for 10 years, and all thru my 30's-40's practiced martial arts. My breath hold was good but not great... until I started freediving and spearfishing in my 50's. I took classes from a world class diver, who taught me yoga techniques for extending breath hold. I'm now in my mid-60s and attribute my excellent fitness largely to breathing, breath-hold, and flexibility. So, Chase, strongly recommend you spend time on YT watching videos on freediving technique... I promise you will learn some things... it's much more about using the diaphragm than nasal in&out.
I just spent most of the day free diving in Mallorca today! Its good stuff! I can manage a minute or so, I think I enjoy it more than scuba! Pure freedom!
@@ChaseMountains: Quick follow up... read about "marine mammalian response"... the dopamine/seratonin/oxycontin high is incredible, especially in cold water. It is about "cycling"... breathe up and relax, dive, do it again over and over... your down-time grows rapidly once you understand cycling... it's easy to get to 3 minutes
9:00 hit it on the head 100%. Generalised Anxiety Disorder I love hiking I love the idea of it and I really struggle to get going over and over due to breathing issues. Thank you so much for posting this.
Genuinely the most eye opening video on exercise I've ever seen, and it clarifies so much. Medlife Crisis's videos on the Wim Hof method and sherpa first piqued my interest in breathing, and the importance of training it. This video somewhat confirms how breathing is the common factor in Wim Hof, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, cardio etc. But (Dr.?) McKeown just dropped so much science on this subject it's amazing. As someone who hates cardio I will for sure incorporate these tips and read everything by McKeown from now on. And a genuine thank you for making this video.
I know I'm late to this but I wanted to share that as a trained classical singer, since my teens, learning to control how you breath is a huge deal. And I wonder now if that is why I have better endurance and stamina in speed while hiking than all my friends I go with. I've always been an athlete also and I naturally walk very fast. Also always have breathed through my nose while sleeping/ sitting/chores. I just tried the test and I got to 25 no problem.
Excellent video and very educational. While many Westerners know about "kung fu" and Chinese martial arts this is just the external component whereas qigong, literally "breath work", is the core foundation of kung fu and maybe all Chinese physical exercise/sports. We call it not only qi gong ("breath work") but "training (in) breath work" (訓練氣功) or "discipline (of) breath work", as a discipline in and of itself done prior to even learning any kung fu or tai chi training, also done during and after training. We even can spend more time doing qigong than anything else! It's of highest importance, similar to stretching in Western athletics, warm up and cool down excecises. In Cantonese and Southern Chinese culture there are old men who train exclusively in qigong and live to 90 or over 100 years, even from training in breath work at retirement age onwards, while their peers/neighbours (we are all related) rapid deteriorate in health. Most of the famous masters of kung fu academies don't actually do any fighting either, they're more like priest or philosophers, and although they must teach students, they spend most of hours of the early morning training in breath work, and it's done very sloowly and gently, to harmonise with the environment. Qigong is at least 2000 years old, likely 4000-5000 years old, much older than the first kung fu academies, and ancient wrestling culture. The word 氣 ("breath" qi) means "air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit" and is loaded with spiritual and poetic meaning. Much of actions of qigong and Ancient Chinese practices was meant to be deeply religious and spiritual (as well as physical, violent, defensive, aggressive, etc), as a communication with the divine, to God, making homage/blessings to Heaven and Earth, like worship or prayer. The word 米 (“rice”) contained within 氣 means "to give rice as a gift" and is placed underneath 3 lines (气) representing 3 clouds, 3 heavenly levels, or 3 deities, with the top line 𠂉 being the radical for a "person" or "man" (亻 and 人). So the word 氣 qi is a religious/spiritual doctrine of it's own. The belief captured is the same as Trinitarians and monotheistic religions worshipping the Lord on High, El Elyon, of the Most High God. Qigong is much much more than just "science". "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) Peace and blessings
I wonder if being a life long asthmatic, overcome by diet and exercise, has helped me to a degree? Sat down, exhaled, 27 seconds. I think because all those years as a kid I knew that panicking only made things worse, so I had to stay calm and focus on each breath. Now putting this all to use as I try to get my cardio back after months of surgery. Thanks for the info.
If you are an older hiker and or vegetarian/vegan then you also need to get your iron levels checked. I'm a fit 60 year old but could hardly go up a small incline without losing breath. My iron level was 60% of what it should have been. Iron tablets and a change in diet have made a significant difference.
Look into what prevents iron absorption. I had low iron despite eating red meat, cooking in black iron and having high iron in my well water. Turns out that at most meals my beverages were blocking my absorption.
Yes - low iron is usually a symptom rather than a cause. In my case it was a period of illness followed by a bad bout of giardia. Once I was clear of both I felt better but not truly well. Blood tests revealed why and it was decided that the lack of absorption was due to my illness and the giardia.
The average person is deficient in quite a lot surprisingly. A lot of multivitamins don't have iron so I've been getting it through some cereals which give 100% per bowl due to them being fortified.
Also women especially if they have heavy periods. (But if you're really pushing yourself fitness-wise I'd get yourself checked even if you don't think your period is especially heavy - you may want to tweak your diet at certain parts of your cycle to better support your system, even if you aren't super low, since a small decrease could still have a noticeable effect on your exercise tolerance.)
I breathe through my mouth when easy running, but do use a ratio of 6 strides for breathing in and 6 for breathing out. This helps regulate effort and lower heart rate. I'll try more nasal breathing and see how it goes.
I have asthma and have generally struggled with my overall health due to chronic illness the past year and i have TRULY wondered what the deal was, because if i stress, i struggle alot! but if i am relaxed, even though i haven´t been outside of the house for a week, i can walk for hours and fast, with no struggle at all in my breath. I meditate and are very conscious on my breath (I always breathe with only my nose except when i´m clogged or sore) so i kinda felt the link but i didnt understand it. How cool!! I do get tired in my feet though but i use barefoot shoes and walk with my entire foot so i get easily tired but in a really good and healthy way
I have had real bad anxiety when going up in elevation, which has kept me from even driving into the mountains. I really think this video has given me some comfort to know it may be able to be fixed.
Great video, Chase, thank you. I am actually in the middle of Nestor's "Breath" but was a believer even before reading it. I started mouth taping just a few short weeks ago and almost immediately began sleeping more soundly and, therefore, feeling much more energetic. As someone with a history of panic attacks r/t small spaces and flying, I think my biggest hurdle with nasal breathing is psychological. The increased heart rate and oxygen hunger I feel while nasal breathing on hikes is very reminiscent of the physical effects I felt when spiraling into panic. But I will continue practicing because I know from working to resolve my anxiety and panic that each success improves my confidence. The anxiety and panic may be scary, but it's not dangerous, and I can resolve it. I believe the breath work is well worth the effort!
I find this a fascinating subject. I am now 51 and have been freediving since 2008. One of the things I really worked on early on was breathing, I naturally now seems to breath through my nose and also from the stomach. One of the main things I worked on freediving was CO2 tolerance. I was part of some medical trials where they were studying the effects on the body when someone stops breathing. The medical examiner mentioned that my initial CO2 levels before I started the breath hold were high compared to other participants.
I took the Buteyko breathing therapy course 27 years ago in the 1990's as an asthma therapy. Patrick McKeown was in his early twenties then but the techniques were the same. I was also a competitive cyclist and took regular blood tests and had good data on my personal fitness and training PB's. I did 6 weeks off the bike and focused entirely on the breathing techniques. My haematocrit levels (red blood cell percentage in your blood) went from 46.5% to 49.5% in that 6 weeks. As a reference, 50% is the point where the UCI's anti-doping authority put you on a watch list for blood doping and you can be excluded from competition. My training route hill climb times improved 17% across the board. That level of improvement after 6 weeks of no physical training was unheard of. My body fat dropped dramatically and, like Wim Hof, my temperature regulation was amazing. While all this was happening the current affairs TV shows replayed the Big Pharma mantra that Buteyko was dangerous and that there was no evidence that holding your breath had any benefits for asthma sufferers. My asthma virtually vanished in 3 weeks. That was the 90's. Nothing has changed.
@@rodrigoc.goncalves2009 Both. The exercises are exactly the same as what's shown in this video. Buteyko is just the old name for Oxygen advantage (which was created by a Russian Prof. Sascha Buteyko) and the expert in this video is the President of the Buteyko professional association. Personally I would contact an Oxygen advantage practitioner and get some face to face tuition rather than just buying the book and trying it yourself. It can be difficult to get right without assistance
Breath holds also increase the level of cortisol. Fundamentally, this triggers the fight or flight response, pushing blood to the limbs. Swimming as an exercise is so efficient as breath holding is inherent and quickly elevates the body's stress level higher than sports without breath control, releasing a ton of endorphins. Glad to see other sports start to think about it, but more importantly, applying it outside of the sport and in everyday life.
@@denisemills3026 - Do you exercise when you can. If all you can do is play midnight basketball, then do it. Any exercise late takes a while to come down after. One of the reasons sleep apnea is so bad for some is this lack of oxygen causes a similar body reaction making it difficult to enter a relaxed state since the body is always under stress. Cortisol is like adrenaline; it is produced when the body needs it to be used right away. It dissipates quickly, so exercise when you can.
@@denisemills3026 it dies but if you look at sun right after waking up your cycle will be regulated well and you will not wake up easily when you eventually go asleep. You shouldn't sleep long at day cause it works against the cycle
For many years, i have enjoyed beginning my walks/ hikes with a gentle 45 minute incline, decent stretch. Soon I would not feel winded at the top. Then i would increase my speed or incline depending upon my breathing. I have always called it "finding my rhythm." Great video to share, thanks Chase and Patrick!
Patrick and Chase thank you. I watched this to help with my training but I picked up bronchitis. The insights must have sunk in because I found myself using the tips of subtle, light nasal breathing and mild breath-holding to keep the coughing under control and be able to finally get some sleep! By really focusing on the breathing process I could keep the breath from going into part of the lungs that I felt would trigger a coughing fit. This was a big improvement from the night before. I think this practice could also help with snoring ...brilliant video. Thanks again !
Trueeee.. I have Asthma.. So i go hiking for the purpose to make my Asthma better, but of course before i go on hike i prepare my self.. Other than workout (cardio and body weight training), i learn to be aware of my breathing.. Since I'm doing this, even though my physique not as great as my friends out there, but i have better condition on the trail (i was less out of breath than them and didn't need a long rest as much as them). At my first hike, i did lot of cardio and my hiking actually went well (when i was not aware of how to breathe more efficiently, just do the work out), but i easily out of breath. But now, even when I'm not doing a lot of cardio before hiking, i can hike just fine and have better control of my body. Indeed, breathing tech is really important and does improve my daily life. Thanks for this video, i learn more about breathing!
I learned about the importance of nasal breathing from What I've Learned's video on mouth breatings and have been trying to breather in and out of my nose when I do something physically exerting. Climbed a mountain peak yesterday primarily breathing through my nose and I had a pleasent time on the steepest incline.
It's challenging but I have been trying to switch to nasal breathing. The one thing I have noticed is that my heart rate seems to be lower if I am nasal breathing during my hikes. As soon as I stop and switch to mouth breathing, my heart rate increases noticeably.
I’ll report back here after 3 months of incorporating breathing drills into my routine. I’m 42, always been active but I’ve always struggled improving high intensity performance times, despite being able to go on and on. My times plateaued long ago and they are way average. After watching this, I’m convinced my breathing is the bottleneck. I always seem to be the one puffing the most. I will be quietly optimistic that things will improve now ❤ EDIT: for what it is worth, I did the test as I started my walk, and I scored 13 seconds. I then did this breathing exercise throughout the rest of that 9km walk, and afterwards, I could do 24 seconds. That’s pretty cool.
This is an excellent point. I am very fit but not elite level of fit; however, I have achieved some major goals on big mountains with relative ease beyond what my physical shape would appear possible and I believe it's because of my breathing technique which keeps my heart rate very low - even during maximal exertion and my recovery is very fast during rest breaks. Breathing is very key and all mountaineers teach that.
Another excellent video! Over-breathing is something that subtly or profoundly affects so many people without them even realizing, from chronic pain suffers to athletes. Over-breathing really messes up your blood biochemistry, and consequently just about all your physiological functions. Too right, it's totally a self-perpetuating vicious circle! Runners - Z2 entirely nose breathing is a great thing to work on! Funnily enough, your HR will start dropping for the same level of exercise/perceived effort and..... you will start being able to run faster for the same heart rate level.
On just nose breathing and anxiety, I've found that if I'm beginning to become stressed it is easier to notice with deeper breathing compared to a faster shallow breath that you probably are habituated to and not notice until the trigger goes beyond the norm and is harder to manage.
When I first started marathon training I'd get side-aches. In through the nose, out through the mouth.....worked every time(!) and could then finish my 4 or 5 miles. Love your videos. My mind is there altho my body is not...keep up the good work!
You described breath holding and said do this about five times and dont go to extremes with it. My first thought was, Dont let Crossfitters hear that. It will be an event at the next Games!
I can't remember their names, but I remember reading (maybe 80's or 70's) about a couple of brothers that lived in the wilderness that had a massive police hunt for them, even deploying special forces, and the brothers mentioned how even with the soldiers they could hear them breathing raggedly when going through the mountainous terrain. This made it easy for them to elude the task force.
Throughout the day I can breath through my nose fairly easily, but like you, I have difficulty doing it while exercising. I am pushing myself though to do it and it is getting easier to breath through my nose while running. I am going to have to try some of these exercises because my BOLT score is horrendous.
This is something I've been trying to do more. I have chronic bad allergies, so I pretty much always sleep with my mouth open and have been trying to work more on nasal breathing, especially when I workout
What a gem of information again. Thanks so much. Coming from the professional scuba industry I was already quite aware of my breathing. But this is a whole new game. Amazing video Chase!
What an awesome video, thanks for putting this out there! I'm a firm believer in the power of breathing. We default to our muscle memory during high stress situations in so many aspects, it seems totally logical breathing would be the same. You have motivated me to improve my development in this field, many thanks, a nice day.
Not sure how I got here. But very interesting topic once pointed out. For me, first few miles I am bit reckless and mouth breathing but after that its like I relax and breathe via nose and everything 100% more conformable. I will have add notes to paper and review in 6 months. Totally makes sense and wish I could learned more about when running 5k 10k for time. Coach yelling harder harder is better etc push it, never a lesson on breathing. Thanks for pointing out something to an old oak tree.
Yeah I definitely need to increase my BOLT. After exhale, I can only hold comfortably for 12 seconds. Though, I can hold for a minute comfortably after inhale. I don't know if thats a plus. I remember when I was a kid I used to swim and hold my breath for a long time under water after taking in a big breath through the nose. I always breath through the nose. Never felt natural to breathe through the mouth. I always hated the in through the nose and out through the mouth stuff because it actually felt like a chore to open my mouth to breathe out and get that rhythm of nose mouth nose mouth, etc... So its nice to hear subtle nose breathing is better anyway.
I started swimming a month ago after 20 years away from a pool ( fat body issues) I noticed within an hour that breathing through my nose increased my efficiency.
Thanks for the video, this is something I have been working on for many years due to my chronic pain and I have seen great results. Now I think there are many pieces of the puzzle that the video misses e.g. posture and somatics but I guess that would have complicated the content and made it for more reduced audiences...
Great video! I've had a lot of positive changes in my life since I last commented (maybe one or two years ago), traveling Latin America, I've still not made the changes to my physical health that I would like. It is all too easy for me to spend my days doing nothing. As I am traveling and don't know where I will be from one moment to the next it has felt impossible to form routine - 85% psychological resistance. And there are soooo many beautiful hikes in these countries I could be trying!! I'm writing mostly for self reflection. I hope to see some beautiful landscapes soon and waaay more often. :)
Great topic! Train smarter, not harder. Training myself to nose breathe while asleep and awake. Really helps with a good tongue position in the mouth, too. I am convinced this is not just a fad, but is to our cardiovascular system as healthy barefoot function is to our entire kinetic chain. Here’s to good health.
I am happy to have come across this video. I have been doing restrictive nose breathing for 5 minutes every day. This works amazing for relaxing my breathing when doing physical activity afterwards. Also seems to help remind me to breathe with the diaphragm.
My teacher taught me anulom vilom (yoga pranayama) as a completely different thing from fast breating. You can look up how to do anulom-vilom, but the main point that he told was that exhale should be so slow that if a feather was placed under your nostril, it shouldn't move.
Interesting, I reached about 21-23 before I felt the desire to breath in. Breath is something the shooting community has really started to focus on whether it's for competition or for LE/Mil because the benefits are obvious. But realistically it extends to almost every aspect of our life, I definitely struggle to breath through my nose consistently because of polyps I had them removed once already but I am pretty sure thy returned on one side and it does cut the flow down a bit. Thanks for putting more information out there for us, I think I should just get the book since this isn't the first time I have heard it referenced.
Well, a walk every day from 5 to 12 km. Never ever I had good fitness level, running isn't my thing. And I was always breathing hard when any tipe of exercise. Covid did help either (2x pneumonia, firs one pretty bad one). Now rested, had bold score 17.7s. Not bad. 😇 And thanks Chase for reminding me how breathing is important
Just wanted to drop a quick comment here to say thank you for the videos and material, you have a great channel and videos like this REALLY help, well done mate, hope you never stop! Btw I don't agree with everything you say always but that's fine and the way it should be, but you're always a voice to hear
Very much agree with this since I found Patrick through the Extramilest channel. I learnt to slow down to the pace that I can nasal breath, typically 4 steps in, 4 steps out. Hiking in Canada this week and found I could hike well nose breathing at that rate which felt great. Thanks Chase.
I was the weakest runner in the marines .. strongest person but weakest runner ..3 miles 5 miles kilked me.. 10 min into a run always... 15 years later have a heart attack and decide ima do a ironman... when i looked into how to breath ... i tried it and my 1st run 10 miles ... i had not ran in years and just a mile or 2 at that always killed me... i had NO intention of running that far. But i could breath so good ..heart didnt beat 2 fast... omg it blew my mind !!! 3 months aft that i did 16 miles ... wow breathing is everything.. 1st 10 min of breathing i dont breath fast i make me stay slow and let the body feel the pain but after about 10 min my heart rate goes down to zone 2 and i can go for hours and have a conversation..bc i breath slow and only through nose....
I transitioned to nasal breathing full time after suffering from hypophosphatemia after a 5k run (expelling too much carbon dioxide was the cause, which messed up my blood phosphate levels). Took 2 weeks to transition completely.
I started meditating in late 2018, not long after I realised I could just take the practice of focusing on my breath into my cardio training. Before I new it I was doing extended sessions on the rower and eventually the assault bike.
@@ChaseMountains well, you’d think so, but I think a lot of people, like myself previously, knock up pretty quickly and lose interest in cardio because they focus on everything but the breath. It seems like it would be intuitive, but I don’t think it is. I’ve taken up longer distance running recently and like to breathe really mechanically, liked an air pump or something, two short inhales, one long exhale, and I find I can run all day like that, but as soon as I start thinking about something else I knock up pretty quickly and before you know it my morning coffee is trying to escape via the from which it entered. Cheers for the content. 🤙🏼
A lot of people don't know how to breathe properly. So as we are breathing through our chests (inefficiently) then apply that to cardio it is harder. But breathing properly by utilizing your diaphragm your body is much more equipped to handle higher activity and needing more oxygen, because our lungs are expanding the way they are supposed to
I was always told to run, but do.intermittant running , build up the distance, speed to improve c02 max. I haven't run for ages and after 10 mins im using my mouth, like you feel my nose is cut off. I'll try this method instead of going for distance.
Very interesting video. Fair play to you for all the many videos you make challenging the conversation take on health and fitness. Keep up the good work. You are in my list of people I would enjoy a chat with. 👍
I do meditative breathing regularly, it's great for relaxation and energising.. but on a recent hill walk in Scotland, I learnt there's no substitute for conditioning (proper stamina training, not just HIIT training). My heart rate skyrocketed very quickly going uphill in the heat :-(
Diet for mitochondria is also a fact. Cutting off sugar and plant oils freeing cells from inflammation let's engine work at full still available capacity. We kill mitochondria shortening life through shitty unnatural diet.
I'm curious why you would not recommend this for someone 60+. I'm a 70 year old fit competitive runner who competes at distance between 200 and 1500 meters. I'm presently healing from an injury and cannot tolerate the impact of sprinting, running or even jogging. So I do a lot a walking, usually fast, while doing breath holds. Also do quiet, meditative breath holds. It seems to help keep my cardio up. Not as good as sprints or intervals, but at least it's something. My bolt score is an easy 35 (started at 25 a few months ago). I see no reason my age should be a factor as long as I don't have any cardio/respiratory issues.
I believe the breath is the key to human power. We are the only species with conscious control over our breaths. We can directly influence our physiological processes with it and by extension our psychological states. In any case where people feel they have little control over their lives, even over themselves, I believe virtually anyone can start at exerting control over their breath.
To test this hypothesis it would be useful to do some comparative VO2 max testing. Roger Bannister pioneered a breathing technique when training to break the 4 minute mile.
Hi Chase, I watched one of your recent videos on breathing and started putting into practice which is hard. That being said I just watched this video and it was so interesting so thank you! You mentioned you are able to help people when they get altitude sickness, what is it you do?. I recently solo hiked R2R in a day in Grand Canyon and felt great the whole way till the every end when I finished. I was very nauseated the rest of the night. Any help is appreciated. Safe and Happy trails
That is interesting though I would say that cardio isn't just about going as hard as possible all the time. I do low heart rate days where I run slowly but try to keep my heart rate below 150 I'll have to look more into this test, I think I have trouble defining "a desire for breath" though I got 32 seconds without any trouble
Nice work. I thought it would feel horrible to do the bolt test as I'm always out of breath and often have a congested nose. Surprisingly, first try I got 26 seconds! I used to have a huge lung capacity when I played flute but I haven't meditated in a bit and am not as fit as I would like to be. Gonna try nasal breathing during walks.
If anyone is struggling with their nose being blocked all the time or one nose being blocked, i recommend testing different foods to see if they are causing excess mucus to develop, clotting the nose. For me personally, i found that diary, diary and oil caused my nose to become blocked up, but it is probably going to be different for everyone. I never have a blocked nose anymore and when i go on a run, i usually just breath through my nose rather than through my mouth since its clear. But yeah, just experiment with your diet and see what causes your nose to become blocked - you should find some foods which are agitators of it.
people need to get out in the sun and do some exercise, 1 hour daily is a good start, you will see how much mucus you will get out of your body, it will unclog both nostrils, it works best if you are barefoot(no socks) on earth... results after few days
I struggle with anxiety and stress, and I have air hunger pretty much all the time, even when at rest. I'm physically fit, but I struggle to even stand up on those days. Then some days it's not there at all, and I have SO much energy and strength it's like night and day. No apparent change in stress levels, so I don't understand it.
I went to a lab and got an aerobic threshold test last week, and my aerobic threshold is only 111 bpm, which is a fast walking pace. Essentially I have been training well above that, therefore I have spun my wheels and have not made aerobic adaptations.
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Growing up as a competitive swimmer breathing is foundational. I use to exhale completely and sink to the bottom of the pool. After a few minutes I could easily take 1 breath every 45 sec to 1 min - again after exhale. After this exercise, i could swim all out for 100m and not be out of breath at all. I did this exercise 45 years ago.
Oh, lucky you. I am not a competitive swimmer but I started swimming a year ago and I try to swim 2-3 a week and what drains me the most is my poor breathing technique! :-/
@@joannagonsior2189 14 years ago, I had a bicycle accident that collaped both my lungs. I can't swim more than 2 laps without needing to stop, it is very frustrating. I'm trying to get back into swimming to see if I can improve my breathing. It is very hard, but the point is, the premise is the same. No matter where you are, you can get better. With breathing, it doesn't matter how fast you go or how good your stroke is, breathing can always get better.
Swimming is the only athetic activity where the coach is relentlessly asking you NOT to breath! Sharing same experience, a lot of hypoxic exercises in my youth in the swimming pool. Excellent video.
Congrats you discovered Wim Hof method
Shallow water blackout. Never practice holds in water without a observant spotter nearby trained in water rescue
18:20 - This!
I'm 70 years old and have lived at about 6500 feet in Utah (that's where my house is) for about 30 years. Earlier in life, I flew fighters in the Navy. We breathed 100% O2 under normal pressure. That provided enough O2 partial pressure to oxygenate us up to 35,000' in an unpressurized cockpit. Above that altitude, the regulator would pressurize, forcing us to breath out against the pressure and that would increase lung O2 partial pressure enough to get us to 50,000'.
The takeaway for me was that if you can increase the air pressure in your lungs, you can increase the partial pressure of the O2 and improve blood oxygenation.
I mountain bike up here and almost all of my biking is from about 6500' to about 10,000'. As my exertion increases, I have developed a strategy of deep inhalation through my nose and exhaling out of my mouth through "pursed" lips. This forces a constriction against exhaling and increases the air pressure in my lungs. I've found that this seems to help me feel more oxygenated and after short anaerobic bursts that inevitably occur, my cardiovascular recovery seems much faster!
Anyway, interesting stuff. The bolt test seems a bit subjective though. It's not clear to me if I should hold out just until I'd kind of like to take a breath or wait until I'd really like to take a breath - short of desperation.
Beautiful comment. I’ve noticed a similar thing with pursed lips exhaling while exercising. And it makes perfect sense to me, from the same partial pressure standpoint.
As for the BOLT test, from what I understand it’s all about comfort, not pushing yourself. If you can comfortably hold for 10 seconds before having the first urge to breathe, that’s your current score. Mine is pretty low at the moment, and I keep forgetting to train it regularly
Excellent, the type of information I had hoped for. Dr Andy Galpin and Andrew Huberman do a great break down on zone training that is worth a listen. Sort of a tangent, but many BJJ and MMA fighters between rounds are taught to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth in recovery.
When I was young I remember asking a friend: when you breathe, does your chest move or your stomach? As a young girl in the late 90s, given the pressure to be super thin, I felt self conscious that my stomach swelled with breath. I can’t help but think about a whole generation reconditioned from proper breathing to poor breathing due to societal pressure to “suck in your stomach” and commit to shallow breathing, rather than actually allow the body to do what it needs.
@@drijucethey were even worse for spelling.
Great conversation and video!!
A part of a traditional yoga routine is called "bhramana pranayama" (lit. "movement and control over prana (a type of energy)"), which consists of those parts of yogic routines where you have to control your mind and breath *while* continuously moving. The simplest are, for example, breathing through only your nostrils in a very specific pattern *while* walking. The first one I ever did was: 6 steps breathe in, 12 steps breathe out. Repeat as long as you can, while walking at a steady pace. The first 100-180 seconds, you will feel nothing. But I swear, by the 4th minute, any beginner will feel like they are drowning, as your body starts to gasp for that sudden intake of oxygen. There are complex routines, some of which I have only just started doing (many are very similar to the things Wim Hof mentions ... no surprises there). In yoga, we believe that a complete control of breath gives you complete control over energy, and thus life itself. Even if you don't believe that, please practice simple breathing with your nostrils while walking. Trust me, you will see a remarkable difference within 2 weeks.
I wrote this long comment because I have only recently started to understand that this is not common knowledge outside India (increasingly, even within India, as yoga is becoming more of a feel-good social hobby, and its core teachings are getting lost).
Yoga is great. Like any discipline, it can be done properly with good guidance, and improperly too. One can delve deep into the knowledge and practice, or just do IG nonsense. However it's the cosmic broadband connection kundalini mumbo jumbo that I object to. I see no harm in losing those.
Recently I have been studying online and trying to learn alot about ancient Indian mythology, history, science and culture. It's very fascinating! I was born there but moved to the West at 1 year old and know nothing about the country nor do I share it's culture in any way.
But I'd like to learn more. Can you recommend some good books or RUclips channels or movies or stuff that can help me learn more about Ancient India? And Ancient Indian Yoga techniques?
One good book I recommend that I really want to read is called A Second Paradise, a book about ancient India at the peak of its technology and civilian lifestyles in particular during that era.
@@pharaohsmagician8329 Yoga-Makaranda, just be careful though, a lot of these yogic techniques are made for the sages/yogi's who devout their lives to yoga, they are not to be practiced by normal everyday people, without a proper yoga master teaching you the techniques you can seriously harm yourself and cause damage lol. Like these breathing techniques I wouldn't recommend them at all, your body knows best, when you exercise you start inhaling through the mouth to get more oxygen in, this is your body telling you this..., sure small doses of stress on the body can cause adaptations to our bodies making them stronger, but they can also damage us and cause ill health. Doctors usually recommend cardio, walking, resistance training, these stresses done with balance not doing to much and not doing to little can help us greatly achieve good health, make us smarter and more physically fit. I would stick with just doing the stretching aspect of yoga, meditation by only sitting down cross legged allowing thoughts to come and go, cardio, weight lifting. When it comes to more extreme stuff like cold showers, breath holding, pranayama, i would recommend you take a pass on that stuff ask yourself why you need it? and do the risks outweigh the benefits?
Pranayama is a remarkable thing. I met a girl that taught me how to breathe and gather prana, and it really changed my perspective on breath. It definitely feels like you are hyperventilating after a minute or two, but it does something incredible to the body and mind. It is a somewhat out-of-body experience for me where your physical stresses do not exist, and afterword, you are left with a pleasantly light feeling. I recommend pranayama to anyone, but surely, there are basic breathing techniques that should be mastered first. Yoga teaches the basics of pranayama, but yoga is not pranayama. Yoga generally will not push your physical capabilities, while pranayama most definitely will, but it also makes it much more effective at physically conditioning the body to accept more (increase capacity for) oxygen and blood flow. I think yoga is great, but pranayama is just incredible. It's worth practicing the basic techniques of pranayama. I highly doubt it's ever killed or caused harm to anybody to try it, but of course, each person is responsible for finding out what their body can handle. No need to cause physical stress, yet, we underestimate the benefit of intense breathing exercises. It is hard to do pranayama just sitting, so if you can do it easily, in theory, physical exercise can be made easier after practicing this type of breathing.
Do you hold the breath while walking or do you breath continously throughout the 12/6 seconds?
As someone who has struggled with breathing issues lifelong and complex PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, etc, this information was really great! I turned 40 this year and really miss being active outdoors. My doctor is always encouraging exercise for my mental health in addition to my physical health but my breathing challenges hold me back. Thank you for this!
Hey Kristen, would you mind commenting back on this video on if it helped you? I mean, later down the road, in a couple of weeks maybe, when you have had time to practice. I'm really curious how it turns out!
Try the Wim Hof method in cold water
And you’ll realize you’re only standing on one pillar. Where there are multiple.
I am on my 12th year of exercising after huge anxiety problems/attacks/hospital visits in 2010. Started push-ups, got so good at them I could end up doing 200 in half an hour with 50kg on back. If anyone is serious about getting on top of anxiety then exercise is critical. Hard at first when you keep thinking you are having heart attack. Also I did a lot of CBT and ACT. But exercise gives you so much back. Before push-ups became my go to I actually boxed on a bag as the rhythmic nature helped me not concentrate on panic attacks. I was very bad back then. Never thought I could heal. Best of luck. Enjoy the journey of healing is my advice✊🏼
Check b12 vitamin level. Optimal is 800. Significantly less may point to need for a DNA test translated by an epigenetics aware ND. 30% of people have common genetic variants in the folate and b12 pathway, affecting ability to convert b vitamins, impeded further by synthetic b vitamins sprayed on north american wheat. Simple fix of supplementing w non-synthetic active form methylated B12 and B9 can be life changing with breathing, digestion, energy production, neurotransmitters and more.
@@todretexpeople with anxiety should check their vitamin d3 levels
OK well I have implemented a few things as suggested and already am breathing better, sleeping better and have nose muscles! I walked 12 fairly rough miles and only breathed through my nose the whole way. I've only been at this one week. Incredible, and I thought my nose was broken in some way and I couldn't get enough air in through it. Not true.
Thanks for making this channel Chase, you have improved my hiking and life and I am grateful.
Oh and I doubled my BOLT in 8 days!
Ash, I know that feeling of thinking your nose is defective. I can barely breathe through mine and if doing these exercises can help, I'm all-in on it!
This reminds me of something I did as a teenager that was possibly reckless and stupid. In other words, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS, as they used to say: I was diagnosed with asthma. And I hated it. So, every night, I would go running. I would run flat out, until I was almost hyperventilating. I always brought my inhaler but tried to never use it. Once I was at that point, I would walk and stop myself from hyperventilating by holding my breath and counting, and believe it or not, praying.
There was no science, no doctor's advice (I'm sure he would have told me I was an idiot), only a desire to never need to use an inhaler again. After about a year of this, I found I was able to take control of my breathing if I slowed myself down and did a combination of breath holding and meditation, though with me, it was prayer, being Catholic- I would say the Lord's Prayer or the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.
I was diagnosed with asthma at 13. By the time I was 15, I had used my inhaler for the last time. Now, at 48, I run OCRs like Spartan and Bonefrog and I hike almost every weekend.
Wow that's what i used to do too. I stopped smoking too and my asthma went but at the time i used to hold my breathe at that point.
You can definitely improve your asthma with improving you cardio, I just want to point out that a inhaler with an high heart rate from strenuous physical effort can lead to a heart attack
I have been incorporating more breathwork into my routine over the last 3 years or so and it has made a big difference. He is right that the biggest gains are made when focusing on nasal breathing in everyday routines more so than when exercising. It will start to come more naturally.
Also, I grew up with chronic sinus problems and could not breathe through my nose. This will get easier the more you consciously do it. It is a chicken and egg thing - breathe through the nose more at rest and you will discover that you will be able to do it more easily and naturally.
Lastly, I highly recommend Patrick McEwan's book The Oxygen Advantage.
I'm glad you mentioned your sinuses because this is my biggest issue. I feel like I'm suffocating when I rely on breathing through my nose only because it's such a struggle.
Great video. I developed good breathing as a competitive swimmer, played water polo for 10 years, and all thru my 30's-40's practiced martial arts. My breath hold was good but not great... until I started freediving and spearfishing in my 50's. I took classes from a world class diver, who taught me yoga techniques for extending breath hold. I'm now in my mid-60s and attribute my excellent fitness largely to breathing, breath-hold, and flexibility. So, Chase, strongly recommend you spend time on YT watching videos on freediving technique... I promise you will learn some things... it's much more about using the diaphragm than nasal in&out.
I just spent most of the day free diving in Mallorca today! Its good stuff! I can manage a minute or so, I think I enjoy it more than scuba! Pure freedom!
@@ChaseMountains: Quick follow up... read about "marine mammalian response"... the dopamine/seratonin/oxycontin high is incredible, especially in cold water. It is about "cycling"... breathe up and relax, dive, do it again over and over... your down-time grows rapidly once you understand cycling... it's easy to get to 3 minutes
9:00 hit it on the head 100%. Generalised Anxiety Disorder I love hiking I love the idea of it and I really struggle to get going over and over due to breathing issues. Thank you so much for posting this.
Genuinely the most eye opening video on exercise I've ever seen, and it clarifies so much. Medlife Crisis's videos on the Wim Hof method and sherpa first piqued my interest in breathing, and the importance of training it. This video somewhat confirms how breathing is the common factor in Wim Hof, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, cardio etc. But (Dr.?) McKeown just dropped so much science on this subject it's amazing. As someone who hates cardio I will for sure incorporate these tips and read everything by McKeown from now on. And a genuine thank you for making this video.
Cardio is great. Because you can do in 5 minutes what otherwise takes hours.
I know I'm late to this but I wanted to share that as a trained classical singer, since my teens, learning to control how you breath is a huge deal. And I wonder now if that is why I have better endurance and stamina in speed while hiking than all my friends I go with. I've always been an athlete also and I naturally walk very fast. Also always have breathed through my nose while sleeping/ sitting/chores. I just tried the test and I got to 25 no problem.
Excellent video and very educational. While many Westerners know about "kung fu" and Chinese martial arts this is just the external component whereas qigong, literally "breath work", is the core foundation of kung fu and maybe all Chinese physical exercise/sports. We call it not only qi gong ("breath work") but "training (in) breath work" (訓練氣功) or "discipline (of) breath work", as a discipline in and of itself done prior to even learning any kung fu or tai chi training, also done during and after training. We even can spend more time doing qigong than anything else! It's of highest importance, similar to stretching in Western athletics, warm up and cool down excecises.
In Cantonese and Southern Chinese culture there are old men who train exclusively in qigong and live to 90 or over 100 years, even from training in breath work at retirement age onwards, while their peers/neighbours (we are all related) rapid deteriorate in health. Most of the famous masters of kung fu academies don't actually do any fighting either, they're more like priest or philosophers, and although they must teach students, they spend most of hours of the early morning training in breath work, and it's done very sloowly and gently, to harmonise with the environment.
Qigong is at least 2000 years old, likely 4000-5000 years old, much older than the first kung fu academies, and ancient wrestling culture. The word 氣 ("breath" qi) means "air, gas, steam, vapor; spirit" and is loaded with spiritual and poetic meaning. Much of actions of qigong and Ancient Chinese practices was meant to be deeply religious and spiritual (as well as physical, violent, defensive, aggressive, etc), as a communication with the divine, to God, making homage/blessings to Heaven and Earth, like worship or prayer. The word 米 (“rice”) contained within 氣 means "to give rice as a gift" and is placed underneath 3 lines (气) representing 3 clouds, 3 heavenly levels, or 3 deities, with the top line 𠂉 being the radical for a "person" or "man" (亻 and 人). So the word 氣 qi is a religious/spiritual doctrine of it's own. The belief captured is the same as Trinitarians and monotheistic religions worshipping the Lord on High, El Elyon, of the Most High God. Qigong is much much more than just "science".
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7) Peace and blessings
I wonder if being a life long asthmatic, overcome by diet and exercise, has helped me to a degree? Sat down, exhaled, 27 seconds. I think because all those years as a kid I knew that panicking only made things worse, so I had to stay calm and focus on each breath. Now putting this all to use as I try to get my cardio back after months of surgery. Thanks for the info.
Patrick used to have severe asthma himself
Such a big yes for this whole video from the No pain, no gain to the bodyawareness and movement together. Thank you
If you are an older hiker and or vegetarian/vegan then you also need to get your iron levels checked.
I'm a fit 60 year old but could hardly go up a small incline without losing breath. My iron level was 60% of what it should have been. Iron tablets and a change in diet have made a significant difference.
This is so true. When my iron was low I started being significantly out of breath just from the stairs in my house.
Look into what prevents iron absorption. I had low iron despite eating red meat, cooking in black iron and having high iron in my well water. Turns out that at most meals my beverages were blocking my absorption.
Yes - low iron is usually a symptom rather than a cause. In my case it was a period of illness followed by a bad bout of giardia. Once I was clear of both I felt better but not truly well. Blood tests revealed why and it was decided that the lack of absorption was due to my illness and the giardia.
The average person is deficient in quite a lot surprisingly. A lot of multivitamins don't have iron so I've been getting it through some cereals which give 100% per bowl due to them being fortified.
Also women especially if they have heavy periods. (But if you're really pushing yourself fitness-wise I'd get yourself checked even if you don't think your period is especially heavy - you may want to tweak your diet at certain parts of your cycle to better support your system, even if you aren't super low, since a small decrease could still have a noticeable effect on your exercise tolerance.)
I breathe through my mouth when easy running, but do use a ratio of 6 strides for breathing in and 6 for breathing out. This helps regulate effort and lower heart rate. I'll try more nasal breathing and see how it goes.
When breathing through my nose I use four strides, but it’s all subjective, so as long as you have a steady rhythm, find what works for you
I have asthma and have generally struggled with my overall health due to chronic illness the past year and i have TRULY wondered what the deal was, because if i stress, i struggle alot! but if i am relaxed, even though i haven´t been outside of the house for a week, i can walk for hours and fast, with no struggle at all in my breath. I meditate and are very conscious on my breath (I always breathe with only my nose except when i´m clogged or sore) so i kinda felt the link but i didnt understand it. How cool!! I do get tired in my feet though but i use barefoot shoes and walk with my entire foot so i get easily tired but in a really good and healthy way
I have had real bad anxiety when going up in elevation, which has kept me from even driving into the mountains. I really think this video has given me some comfort to know it may be able to be fixed.
And fixed rather quickly. Most people pig out on air like they pig out on food. In both cases, less and higher quality is more. Much more.
Great video, Chase, thank you. I am actually in the middle of Nestor's "Breath" but was a believer even before reading it. I started mouth taping just a few short weeks ago and almost immediately began sleeping more soundly and, therefore, feeling much more energetic. As someone with a history of panic attacks r/t small spaces and flying, I think my biggest hurdle with nasal breathing is psychological. The increased heart rate and oxygen hunger I feel while nasal breathing on hikes is very reminiscent of the physical effects I felt when spiraling into panic. But I will continue practicing because I know from working to resolve my anxiety and panic that each success improves my confidence. The anxiety and panic may be scary, but it's not dangerous, and I can resolve it. I believe the breath work is well worth the effort!
Try it in a slow escalation of walking to jogging to fast jogging on a treadmill or safe place.
I find this a fascinating subject. I am now 51 and have been freediving since 2008. One of the things I really worked on early on was breathing, I naturally now seems to breath through my nose and also from the stomach. One of the main things I worked on freediving was CO2 tolerance. I was part of some medical trials where they were studying the effects on the body when someone stops breathing. The medical examiner mentioned that my initial CO2 levels before I started the breath hold were high compared to other participants.
I took the Buteyko breathing therapy course 27 years ago in the 1990's as an asthma therapy. Patrick McKeown was in his early twenties then but the techniques were the same. I was also a competitive cyclist and took regular blood tests and had good data on my personal fitness and training PB's. I did 6 weeks off the bike and focused entirely on the breathing techniques. My haematocrit levels (red blood cell percentage in your blood) went from 46.5% to 49.5% in that 6 weeks. As a reference, 50% is the point where the UCI's anti-doping authority put you on a watch list for blood doping and you can be excluded from competition. My training route hill climb times improved 17% across the board. That level of improvement after 6 weeks of no physical training was unheard of. My body fat dropped dramatically and, like Wim Hof, my temperature regulation was amazing.
While all this was happening the current affairs TV shows replayed the Big Pharma mantra that Buteyko was dangerous and that there was no evidence that holding your breath had any benefits for asthma sufferers. My asthma virtually vanished in 3 weeks. That was the 90's. Nothing has changed.
That sounds great! I wonder what sort of exercises you did, were they breath holds or restricted breathing, or both?
@@rodrigoc.goncalves2009 Both. The exercises are exactly the same as what's shown in this video. Buteyko is just the old name for Oxygen advantage (which was created by a Russian Prof. Sascha Buteyko) and the expert in this video is the President of the Buteyko professional association. Personally I would contact an Oxygen advantage practitioner and get some face to face tuition rather than just buying the book and trying it yourself. It can be difficult to get right without assistance
Breath holds also increase the level of cortisol. Fundamentally, this triggers the fight or flight response, pushing blood to the limbs. Swimming as an exercise is so efficient as breath holding is inherent and quickly elevates the body's stress level higher than sports without breath control, releasing a ton of endorphins. Glad to see other sports start to think about it, but more importantly, applying it outside of the sport and in everyday life.
So perhaps the breath holding exercises are best done in the early part of the day, so the increased cortisol does not interfere with sleep?
@@denisemills3026 - Do you exercise when you can. If all you can do is play midnight basketball, then do it. Any exercise late takes a while to come down after. One of the reasons sleep apnea is so bad for some is this lack of oxygen causes a similar body reaction making it difficult to enter a relaxed state since the body is always under stress. Cortisol is like adrenaline; it is produced when the body needs it to be used right away. It dissipates quickly, so exercise when you can.
Cool info! Thanks a lot!
@@denisemills3026 it dies but if you look at sun right after waking up your cycle will be regulated well and you will not wake up easily when you eventually go asleep. You shouldn't sleep long at day cause it works against the cycle
For many years, i have enjoyed beginning my walks/ hikes with a gentle 45 minute incline, decent stretch.
Soon I would not feel winded at the top. Then i would increase my speed or incline depending upon my breathing.
I have always called it "finding my rhythm." Great video to share, thanks Chase and Patrick!
Patrick and Chase thank you. I watched this to help with my training but I picked up bronchitis. The insights must have sunk in because I found myself using the tips of subtle, light nasal breathing and mild breath-holding to keep the coughing under control and be able to finally get some sleep! By really focusing on the breathing process I could keep the breath from going into part of the lungs that I felt would trigger a coughing fit. This was a big improvement from the night before. I think this practice could also help with snoring ...brilliant video. Thanks again !
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
@@FabiusPyromanus Pleasure
Trueeee.. I have Asthma.. So i go hiking for the purpose to make my Asthma better, but of course before i go on hike i prepare my self.. Other than workout (cardio and body weight training), i learn to be aware of my breathing.. Since I'm doing this, even though my physique not as great as my friends out there, but i have better condition on the trail (i was less out of breath than them and didn't need a long rest as much as them). At my first hike, i did lot of cardio and my hiking actually went well (when i was not aware of how to breathe more efficiently, just do the work out), but i easily out of breath. But now, even when I'm not doing a lot of cardio before hiking, i can hike just fine and have better control of my body. Indeed, breathing tech is really important and does improve my daily life. Thanks for this video, i learn more about breathing!
I learned about the importance of nasal breathing from What I've Learned's video on mouth breatings and have been trying to breather in and out of my nose when I do something physically exerting. Climbed a mountain peak yesterday primarily breathing through my nose and I had a pleasent time on the steepest incline.
Nice! That’s a good video. Solid stranger things references hahhaa
It's challenging but I have been trying to switch to nasal breathing. The one thing I have noticed is that my heart rate seems to be lower if I am nasal breathing during my hikes. As soon as I stop and switch to mouth breathing, my heart rate increases noticeably.
I’ll report back here after 3 months of incorporating breathing drills into my routine. I’m 42, always been active but I’ve always struggled improving high intensity performance times, despite being able to go on and on. My times plateaued long ago and they are way average. After watching this, I’m convinced my breathing is the bottleneck. I always seem to be the one puffing the most. I will be quietly optimistic that things will improve now ❤
EDIT: for what it is worth, I did the test as I started my walk, and I scored 13 seconds. I then did this breathing exercise throughout the rest of that 9km walk, and afterwards, I could do 24 seconds. That’s pretty cool.
This is an excellent point. I am very fit but not elite level of fit; however, I have achieved some major goals on big mountains with relative ease beyond what my physical shape would appear possible and I believe it's because of my breathing technique which keeps my heart rate very low - even during maximal exertion and my recovery is very fast during rest breaks. Breathing is very key and all mountaineers teach that.
What is your technique?
Another excellent video! Over-breathing is something that subtly or profoundly affects so many people without them even realizing, from chronic pain suffers to athletes. Over-breathing really messes up your blood biochemistry, and consequently just about all your physiological functions. Too right, it's totally a self-perpetuating vicious circle! Runners - Z2 entirely nose breathing is a great thing to work on! Funnily enough, your HR will start dropping for the same level of exercise/perceived effort and..... you will start being able to run faster for the same heart rate level.
On just nose breathing and anxiety, I've found that if I'm beginning to become stressed it is easier to notice with deeper breathing compared to a faster shallow breath that you probably are habituated to and not notice until the trigger goes beyond the norm and is harder to manage.
**NERD ALERT**
If you like researching, see this review that Patrick contribued to:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7865730/
When I first started marathon training I'd get side-aches. In through the nose, out through the mouth.....worked every time(!) and could then finish my 4 or 5 miles. Love your videos. My mind is there altho my body is not...keep up the good work!
Meditating during the walk is great advice. Too many people put on earbuds and ignore the present moment.
You described breath holding and said do this about five times and dont go to extremes with it. My first thought was, Dont let Crossfitters hear that. It will be an event at the next Games!
I can't remember their names, but I remember reading (maybe 80's or 70's) about a couple of brothers that lived in the wilderness that had a massive police hunt for them, even deploying special forces, and the brothers mentioned how even with the soldiers they could hear them breathing raggedly when going through the mountainous terrain. This made it easy for them to elude the task force.
Throughout the day I can breath through my nose fairly easily, but like you, I have difficulty doing it while exercising. I am pushing myself though to do it and it is getting easier to breath through my nose while running. I am going to have to try some of these exercises because my BOLT score is horrendous.
This is something I've been trying to do more. I have chronic bad allergies, so I pretty much always sleep with my mouth open and have been trying to work more on nasal breathing, especially when I workout
The nose has a wonderful filtration system built it. Perhaps it will help! Can certainly recommend taping the mouth during sleep :)
What a gem of information again. Thanks so much. Coming from the professional scuba industry I was already quite aware of my breathing. But this is a whole new game. Amazing video Chase!
hold
What an awesome video, thanks for putting this out there! I'm a firm believer in the power of breathing. We default to our muscle memory during high stress situations in so many aspects, it seems totally logical breathing would be the same. You have motivated me to improve my development in this field, many thanks, a nice day.
Not sure how I got here. But very interesting topic once pointed out. For me, first few miles I am bit reckless and mouth breathing but after that its like I relax and breathe via nose and everything 100% more conformable. I will have add notes to paper and review in 6 months. Totally makes sense and wish I could learned more about when running 5k 10k for time. Coach yelling harder harder is better etc push it, never a lesson on breathing. Thanks for pointing out something to an old oak tree.
Walking is the most efficient and sustainable exercise
I love swim bike run but walking is #1
I changed the way I breathed and it really helped my running endurance.
Thanks! Your channel is amazing. Passing this on to my grandaughter.
oh wow , people can tip directly thru RUclips via the comment section now ?!
I've always wondered why I get so out of breath for how fit I am and for how much I hike. I'm going to take the breathing test and explore more...
Yeah I definitely need to increase my BOLT. After exhale, I can only hold comfortably for 12 seconds. Though, I can hold for a minute comfortably after inhale. I don't know if thats a plus. I remember when I was a kid I used to swim and hold my breath for a long time under water after taking in a big breath through the nose. I always breath through the nose. Never felt natural to breathe through the mouth. I always hated the in through the nose and out through the mouth stuff because it actually felt like a chore to open my mouth to breathe out and get that rhythm of nose mouth nose mouth, etc... So its nice to hear subtle nose breathing is better anyway.
I started swimming a month ago after 20 years away from a pool ( fat body issues) I noticed within an hour that breathing through my nose increased my efficiency.
Thanks for the video, this is something I have been working on for many years due to my chronic pain and I have seen great results. Now I think there are many pieces of the puzzle that the video misses e.g. posture and somatics but I guess that would have complicated the content and made it for more reduced audiences...
Great video!
I've had a lot of positive changes in my life since I last commented (maybe one or two years ago), traveling Latin America, I've still not made the changes to my physical health that I would like. It is all too easy for me to spend my days doing nothing. As I am traveling and don't know where I will be from one moment to the next it has felt impossible to form routine - 85% psychological resistance. And there are soooo many beautiful hikes in these countries I could be trying!!
I'm writing mostly for self reflection. I hope to see some beautiful landscapes soon and waaay more often. :)
I do both. I live in denver training for my 1st marathon in Minneapolis. I hope the altitude and my breathwork will give me an edge.
James Nestor books "Breath" and "Deep" are great!!!! I learned so much from them
Great topic! Train smarter, not harder. Training myself to nose breathe while asleep and awake. Really helps with a good tongue position in the mouth, too. I am convinced this is not just a fad, but is to our cardiovascular system as healthy barefoot function is to our entire kinetic chain. Here’s to good health.
Funny how it all comes back to our ancestral natural patterns
@@keylanoslokj1806 Logical.
I learned to breathe correctly using Original Strength method... I'm so grateful for nasal breathing. Anxiety is at a minimum
I had to come back to this video with paper and a pen to take notes. Good shit.
I am happy to have come across this video. I have been doing restrictive nose breathing for 5 minutes every day. This works amazing for relaxing my breathing when doing physical activity afterwards. Also seems to help remind me to breathe with the diaphragm.
This is the real deal! Thank you for this information.
My teacher taught me anulom vilom (yoga pranayama) as a completely different thing from fast breating.
You can look up how to do anulom-vilom, but the main point that he told was that exhale should be so slow that if a feather was placed under your nostril, it shouldn't move.
Thanks for sharing this! I will be focusing on breath now.
Interesting, I reached about 21-23 before I felt the desire to breath in. Breath is something the shooting community has really started to focus on whether it's for competition or for LE/Mil because the benefits are obvious. But realistically it extends to almost every aspect of our life, I definitely struggle to breath through my nose consistently because of polyps I had them removed once already but I am pretty sure thy returned on one side and it does cut the flow down a bit.
Thanks for putting more information out there for us, I think I should just get the book since this isn't the first time I have heard it referenced.
Well, a walk every day from 5 to 12 km. Never ever I had good fitness level, running isn't my thing. And I was always breathing hard when any tipe of exercise. Covid did help either (2x pneumonia, firs one pretty bad one). Now rested, had bold score 17.7s. Not bad. 😇
And thanks Chase for reminding me how breathing is important
It seems to be BOLT, for Body Oxygen Level Test.
Just wanted to drop a quick comment here to say thank you for the videos and material, you have a great channel and videos like this REALLY help, well done mate, hope you never stop! Btw I don't agree with everything you say always but that's fine and the way it should be, but you're always a voice to hear
Very much agree with this since I found Patrick through the Extramilest channel. I learnt to slow down to the pace that I can nasal breath, typically 4 steps in, 4 steps out. Hiking in Canada this week and found I could hike well nose breathing at that rate which felt great. Thanks Chase.
i think you may really appreciate Simon Borg-Olivier's work with yoga and exercise
Thanks Chase for all these great videos, so much information on all aspects of enjoying the mountains.
I’ve been working on 3 stage breathing. Heading to Glacier tomorrow. I’ll see if it works
I was the weakest runner in the marines .. strongest person but weakest runner ..3 miles 5 miles kilked me.. 10 min into a run always... 15 years later have a heart attack and decide ima do a ironman... when i looked into how to breath ... i tried it and my 1st run 10 miles ... i had not ran in years and just a mile or 2 at that always killed me... i had NO intention of running that far. But i could breath so good ..heart didnt beat 2 fast... omg it blew my mind !!! 3 months aft that i did 16 miles ... wow breathing is everything.. 1st 10 min of breathing i dont breath fast i make me stay slow and let the body feel the pain but after about 10 min my heart rate goes down to zone 2 and i can go for hours and have a conversation..bc i breath slow and only through nose....
fascinating topic for sure, definitely going to look into this more now, thank you
Amazing job, Chase! What a great and informative video. Much appriciated!
I transitioned to nasal breathing full time after suffering from hypophosphatemia after a 5k run (expelling too much carbon dioxide was the cause, which messed up my blood phosphate levels). Took 2 weeks to transition completely.
I started meditating in late 2018, not long after I realised I could just take the practice of focusing on my breath into my cardio training. Before I new it I was doing extended sessions on the rower and eventually the assault bike.
It’s not rocket science. The body figures it out if you give it space. Well done
@@ChaseMountains well, you’d think so, but I think a lot of people, like myself previously, knock up pretty quickly and lose interest in cardio because they focus on everything but the breath. It seems like it would be intuitive, but I don’t think it is. I’ve taken up longer distance running recently and like to breathe really mechanically, liked an air pump or something, two short inhales, one long exhale, and I find I can run all day like that, but as soon as I start thinking about something else I knock up pretty quickly and before you know it my morning coffee is trying to escape via the from which it entered.
Cheers for the content. 🤙🏼
A lot of people don't know how to breathe properly. So as we are breathing through our chests (inefficiently) then apply that to cardio it is harder. But breathing properly by utilizing your diaphragm your body is much more equipped to handle higher activity and needing more oxygen, because our lungs are expanding the way they are supposed to
I truly enjoy the change of vids lately! Keep it up ;)
Win Hoff was my first exposure to breathing expertises. His method was pretty effective at teaching to to breath with the whole lung.
Great video - a lot of thoughtful, useful, and new-to-me content to further explore - thanks!
Your body is quite beautiful. You have done an amazing job caring for your temple. Conditioning is quite important and I thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Chase! I have learned so much from you!!
Another great video Chase. Thank you for doing the "hard work" from which I can benefit from.
Cheers
I was always told to run, but do.intermittant running , build up the distance, speed to improve c02 max. I haven't run for ages and after 10 mins im using my mouth, like you feel my nose is cut off. I'll try this method instead of going for distance.
Very interesting video. Fair play to you for all the many videos you make challenging the conversation take on health and fitness. Keep up the good work. You are in my list of people I would enjoy a chat with. 👍
Audio level between the two speakers varied a lot. Had to adjust volume many times
I do meditative breathing regularly, it's great for relaxation and energising.. but on a recent hill walk in Scotland, I learnt there's no substitute for conditioning (proper stamina training, not just HIIT training). My heart rate skyrocketed very quickly going uphill in the heat :-(
Diet for mitochondria is also a fact. Cutting off sugar and plant oils freeing cells from inflammation let's engine work at full still available capacity. We kill mitochondria shortening life through shitty unnatural diet.
I'm curious why you would not recommend this for someone 60+. I'm a 70 year old fit competitive runner who competes at distance between 200 and 1500 meters. I'm presently healing from an injury and cannot tolerate the impact of sprinting, running or even jogging. So I do a lot a walking, usually fast, while doing breath holds. Also do quiet, meditative breath holds. It seems to help keep my cardio up. Not as good as sprints or intervals, but at least it's something. My bolt score is an easy 35 (started at 25 a few months ago). I see no reason my age should be a factor as long as I don't have any cardio/respiratory issues.
Great video, such an interesting interview and subject.
I believe the breath is the key to human power. We are the only species with conscious control over our breaths. We can directly influence our physiological processes with it and by extension our psychological states. In any case where people feel they have little control over their lives, even over themselves, I believe virtually anyone can start at exerting control over their breath.
To test this hypothesis it would be useful to do some comparative VO2 max testing. Roger Bannister pioneered a breathing technique when training to break the 4 minute mile.
Very cool information. I think about this whilst cycling as well. It's good to see someone actually talk about it. Subscribed. And kudos.
Someone’s clearly just stolen my photo, I’m not sure what the aim of the scam is but it’s a poor attempt.
Hi Chase, I watched one of your recent videos on breathing and started putting into practice which is hard. That being said I just watched this video and it was so interesting so thank you! You mentioned you are able to help people when they get altitude sickness, what is it you do?. I recently solo hiked R2R in a day in Grand Canyon and felt great the whole way till the every end when I finished. I was very nauseated the rest of the night. Any help is appreciated. Safe and Happy trails
Great video Chase! Definitely something I’m going to incorporate into my preparation for being back in the Swiss mountains next month ^^
That is interesting though I would say that cardio isn't just about going as hard as possible all the time. I do low heart rate days where I run slowly but try to keep my heart rate below 150
I'll have to look more into this test, I think I have trouble defining "a desire for breath" though I got 32 seconds without any trouble
Nice work. I thought it would feel horrible to do the bolt test as I'm always out of breath and often have a congested nose. Surprisingly, first try I got 26 seconds! I used to have a huge lung capacity when I played flute but I haven't meditated in a bit and am not as fit as I would like to be. Gonna try nasal breathing during walks.
If anyone is struggling with their nose being blocked all the time or one nose being blocked, i recommend testing different foods to see if they are causing excess mucus to develop, clotting the nose.
For me personally, i found that diary, diary and oil caused my nose to become blocked up, but it is probably going to be different for everyone. I never have a blocked nose anymore and when i go on a run, i usually just breath through my nose rather than through my mouth since its clear. But yeah, just experiment with your diet and see what causes your nose to become blocked - you should find some foods which are agitators of it.
people need to get out in the sun and do some exercise, 1 hour daily is a good start, you will see how much mucus you will get out of your body, it will unclog both nostrils, it works best if you are barefoot(no socks) on earth...
results after few days
I'm 92 years old and I'm a retired astronaut. On the international space station, we'd practice this type of breathing all the time.
This is very interesting and exciting revelation! Thank You
At 77 I do breath holds...but not while exercising. Going to give it a try
grateful i found your channel.
Brilliant content mate. Thanks a lot!
awesome information!!! love your videos!!
I struggle with anxiety and stress, and I have air hunger pretty much all the time, even when at rest. I'm physically fit, but I struggle to even stand up on those days. Then some days it's not there at all, and I have SO much energy and strength it's like night and day. No apparent change in stress levels, so I don't understand it.
Sugar, fructose & plant oils cause chronic inflammation. Some bacteria can accumulate in cycles. Observe your diet patterns.
check your vitamin D3 levels
I went to a lab and got an aerobic threshold test last week, and my aerobic threshold is only 111 bpm, which is a fast walking pace. Essentially I have been training well above that, therefore I have spun my wheels and have not made aerobic adaptations.
Interesting, do you mind if I ask how old you are?
@@ChaseMountains 31