Best Exercises for Improving Breathing Control

Introduction

Breathing control is an essential skill for swimmers, especially in open water where conditions can be unpredictable. Improving your ability to control your breath not only enhances endurance but also promotes better stroke efficiency. Whether you’re training at the beach or in a pool, focusing on breathing techniques can make a significant difference in your performance. This guide presents a set of exercises designed to improve breathing control, ideal for open water swimmers or those training on the shores of Sunny Isles Beach.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)

  • Why It’s Important: Diaphragmatic breathing helps swimmers engage the diaphragm, allowing for deeper and more efficient breaths. This reduces fatigue and helps you maintain a steady breathing rhythm, especially during long swims.
  • How to Do It:
    • Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
    • Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
    • Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your belly to rise while keeping your chest still.
    • Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall. Focus on fully emptying your lungs with each exhale.
    • Repeat for 5-10 minutes, practicing slow, controlled breaths.
  • Benefits: This exercise strengthens the diaphragm, promotes lung capacity, and trains you to take deeper breaths during swimming.

2. Box Breathing (Four-Square Breathing)

  • Why It’s Important: Box breathing helps improve breath control, mental focus, and relaxation. It’s particularly useful for managing anxiety or staying calm in open water when breathing rhythm may be disrupted.
  • How to Do It:
    • Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of 4.
    • Hold your breath for a count of 4.
    • Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4.
    • Hold again for a count of 4 before starting the next breath.
    • Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
  • Benefits: Enhances lung capacity, improves oxygen efficiency, and helps maintain composure in challenging swim conditions.

3. Bilateral Breathing Practice

  • Why It’s Important: Bilateral breathing is the practice of breathing on both sides during freestyle. This technique helps swimmers maintain balance and improves overall stroke symmetry, which is especially important in open water where waves and currents may force you to adapt your breathing.
  • How to Do It:
    • Swim freestyle in a pool or open water, focusing on breathing every 3 or 5 strokes to alternate sides.
    • Practice switching sides during every set to get comfortable breathing from both the left and right.
    • For beach training, practice this in different water conditions, including calm and choppy waves.
  • Benefits: Improves stroke symmetry, builds endurance, and helps swimmers adapt to varying conditions by being comfortable breathing on either side.

4. Water Resistance Breathing Drill

  • Why It’s Important: This drill trains swimmers to manage breath under resistance, mimicking the challenge of swimming against waves or currents in open water.
  • How to Do It:
    • Stand chest-deep in the water at the beach or pool.
    • Inhale deeply and submerge yourself underwater.
    • Perform a series of controlled kicks or strokes while holding your breath.
    • Surface to exhale slowly, then inhale and repeat.
    • Gradually increase the time spent underwater with each repetition, focusing on maintaining calm, controlled breathing throughout.
  • Benefits: Builds lung capacity, improves comfort in holding breath, and enhances breath control in open water situations.

5. Lung Expansion Drills

  • Why It’s Important: Expanding lung capacity is key to improving endurance and allowing for longer, more controlled breaths during swimming. These drills help maximize the volume of air you can inhale, making each breath more efficient.
  • How to Do It:
    • Begin with a normal inhale, then take small sips of air until your lungs are fully expanded.
    • Hold your breath for 10-15 seconds, then exhale slowly.
    • Perform this drill 5-6 times, focusing on maintaining slow, controlled breathing throughout.
    • Over time, gradually increase the hold time as your lung capacity improves.
  • Benefits: Increases lung capacity, enhances breath control, and improves overall stamina in long-distance swims.

6. Exhale Control Drill

  • Why It’s Important: Efficient swimming requires mastering exhalation to keep the breathing rhythm consistent. Many swimmers struggle with exhaling fully, which disrupts their stroke timing and leads to fatigue.
  • How to Do It:
    • Swim at a moderate pace, focusing on a slow and controlled exhale through your nose while your face is in the water.
    • Ensure you are fully exhaling before turning your head to inhale again.
    • Practice this drill for multiple sets, gradually increasing the duration of your swims while maintaining controlled exhalation.
  • Benefits: Improves breathing efficiency, reduces fatigue, and enhances breath rhythm during long swims.

7. Hypoxic Training (Breath-Holding Intervals)

  • Why It’s Important: Hypoxic training is the practice of limiting breathing during swim sets to train the body to function with less oxygen. This technique helps improve oxygen utilization and increases lung capacity, which is useful for open water swims.
  • How to Do It:
    • Swim a series of short intervals (25m or 50m), breathing every 5 or 7 strokes.
    • Gradually increase the number of strokes between breaths as your lung capacity improves.
    • Ensure you are not pushing yourself to extreme limits—this drill should be challenging but not uncomfortable.
  • Benefits: Increases lung capacity, improves breath control under physical strain, and helps swimmers maintain energy over longer distances.

8. Yoga for Breathing Control

  • Why It’s Important: Yoga focuses heavily on breath control (pranayama), which helps swimmers improve lung capacity and enhance overall breath regulation. Incorporating yoga into your routine can also improve flexibility and reduce stress.
  • How to Do It:
    • Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing: Sit comfortably and close one nostril with your thumb. Inhale deeply through the open nostril, then switch and exhale through the other. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
    • Practice Lion’s Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose, then open your mouth wide and exhale forcefully, expelling all the air. Repeat several times to clear your lungs.
  • Benefits: Enhances breath control, improves mental focus, and reduces anxiety before races or long-distance swims.

Conclusion

Improving breathing control is crucial for swimmers who want to enhance their performance, especially in open water where conditions can be unpredictable. Incorporating these exercises into your swim training routine will help build lung capacity, improve breath rhythm, and increase your ability to manage oxygen efficiently during long-distance swims. Whether you’re swimming in the ocean at Sunny Isles Beach or practicing in a pool, mastering breath control will make a noticeable difference in your endurance and overall comfort in the water.

FAQs Section

  1. How often should I practice breathing control exercises for swimming?
    • Aim to incorporate breathing drills into your swim training sessions 2-3 times per week to see noticeable improvements in breath control and lung capacity.
  2. Can breathing exercises help with anxiety during open water swims?
    • Yes, exercises like box breathing and diaphragmatic breathing can calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and help you stay focused and relaxed during open water swims.
  3. What’s the best breathing technique for long-distance swimming?
    • Bilateral breathing, combined with controlled exhalation, is the most effective technique for maintaining balance, rhythm, and oxygen efficiency during long-distance swims.
  4. Can I practice breathing control outside of the water?
    • Absolutely! Many breathing control exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing and yoga, can be practiced on land to improve breath regulation and lung capacity.
  5. How can I tell if I’m breathing correctly during swimming?
    • If you can maintain a steady breathing rhythm without feeling short of breath or fatigued, you’re likely using proper breathing techniques. Focus on exhaling fully underwater and breathing in smoothly when turning your head.
Slava Fattakhov

Slava Fattakhov

Former Professional Swimmer / Professional Swimming Coach

I enjoy every opportunity I get to coach, whether it is a national level university swimming team or a kid who just started exploring one of the greatest sports - swimming.

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