Scaling Options for Pull-Ups

CrossFit has taken the world by storm for many different reasons. It has not only become a competitive sport, but has also turned into a fitness community that has produced tremendous results for the everyday person. The true beauty of the sport is that anyone can do it – young, old, ex-college athlete, stay-at-home mom, nine-to-five working dad, etc. How is this possible? Because all movements in CrossFit are scalable. Here is the most common gymnastics movement and several options on how to scale them to your ability level. 

Pull-ups

For most individuals just starting out in CrossFit, having the ability to perform pull-ups in a workout is an elusive skill. Here are some alternative pull-up options:

  1. Jumping Pull-Ups – The bar should be set up so it is at least 6 inches above the top of your head when you are standing tall. At the bottom, the arms must be fully extended. At the top, the chin must break the horizontal plane of the bar. 
  2. Banded Strict Pull-Ups – Tie a band to a bar above the top of your head. Place one foot in the band and maintain a hollow position with your body. At the bottom, the arms must be fully extended. Pull straight down until your chin breaks the horizontal plane of the bar.
  3. Ring rows – Set up a set of rings so that they are about waist height. To start the pulling motion, pull your shoulder blades back together and maintain a straight, plank-like position with your body. Keep your core engaged throughout the movement so that your hips remain in line with your body. Next, drive the elbows back, brushing them past the rib cage, and pull with the arms until the chest passes through the rings. Return to full extension at the bottom position. 
  4. Negatives – Place a bench or box directly under the pull-up bar. Grip the bar at the top-most position of the pull-up (arms flexed and chin above the bar). Maintaining a hollow body position, slowly lower yourself straight down, taking as much time as possible, into the dead hang position (arms fully extended at the bottom). Get back to the starting position and repeat the process.

Sources:

https://games-assets.CrossFit.com/18_5option1_aouisdhf6.pdf

http://library.CrossFit.com/free/pdf/58_07_Ring_Row.pdf

https://www.fitstream.com/exercises/negative-pull-up-a6041

Sprinting and Multiplanar Movement: Holes in CrossFit’s Game?

CrossFit is still a relatively new training methodology and its foundational ideas have only been around for about twenty years. However, in the short time that it’s been a part of the fitness landscape, it has transformed the way people view their bodies, approach working out, value good, clean food, etc. Furthermore, since the induction of the CrossFit Games in 2007, CrossFit has boasted the ability to find and crown the fittest man and woman on earth. How? CrossFit is known for its ‘be prepared for anything’ approach to fitness and it does this by focusing its training methodology on the ten general physical skills that are widely recognized by exercise physiologists (cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy). 

Some of these skills are more often incorporated into daily CrossFit wods than others, such as cardiovascular/respiratory endurance (rowing, biking, running, or skiing), strength (squats, deadlift, and presses), and flexibility (gymnastics movements). The other seven general physical skills are usually sprinkled into programming here and there, but it can be difficult to incorporate some of these other elements on a regular basis. Does the absence of some of these other skills in daily programming reflect a hole in CrossFit’s methodology?

After scrolling through the previous month of CrossFit.com’s daily programming, two ideas become glaringly evident: 1) there is little emphasis on multiplanar movement and 2) there is little-to-no sprint work included. Now, I will say this: CrossFit does not claim to be a sport-specific training regimen. If you want to be good at tennis and you only do CrossFit, you probably won’t be very good at tennis. You will probably have pretty good stamina, speed and power, but the actual skills needed to play the sport of tennis will not be developed by just doing CrossFit. However, what CrossFit does offer is a training regimen that enables individuals the ability to perform a variety of tasks (running long and short distances, lifting medium-to-heavy weights, swimming, climbing, etc.), compared to a distance runner, a weightlifter, or a football player who can only perform tasks specific to their sport. 

But what happens when CrossFit athletes, those who just train CrossFit, start to play other sports like soccer, ultimate frisbee, softball, or flag football? These sports have two main components in common: they involve sprinting and multiplanar movement. Just like in the tennis player example above, if a CrossFit athlete joins other sports outside of CrossFit, they will have a distinct advantage in the areas of cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility – essentially all of the general physical skills. However, there may be an increased chance of injury due to the fact that they don’t regularly train short-distance sprints or multiplanar movement. If CrossFit’s view of fitness is about “performing well at any and every task imaginable” and it encourages its athletes to play other sports, then shouldn’t the training regimen better prepare its athletes to play these other sports? 

Sources:

https://www.CrossFitmatters.com/CrossFit-methodology
https://library.CrossFit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf
https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-missing-CrossFit-movement
http://www.CrossFit.com/cf-seminars/CertRefs/CF_Manual_v4.pdf

Kipping it Real With Ram!

Each month Overland Park CrossFit recognizes a member who exemplifies our values and motivates others in the gym to push themselves with encouraging words. May’s Athlete of the Month is Ramakrishna Vaitla. Ram was chosen because of his hard work and daily dedication at the gym (and now at home as well)! We have been impressed by his willingness to embrace this at-home period and still make his fitness a priority, the way he has interacted and embraced the community via the FB Community page, and his positive attitude about tackling the at-home workouts and making the most of this current situation. Ram’s hard work is paying off and we love having him as a part of our OPCF community! Learn more about Ram below.

How long have you been working out at Overland Park CrossFit? It’s been just over 5 months that I started doing CrossFit and I love it.

What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout? Do you remember what it was? I will never forget the day that I almost passed out after doing a workout. I came out and said that I wasn’t going to come back ever again, but later realized that that’s what I’m here for. I remember it had snatch or hang snatch in it and I was using my arms instead of my whole body – how stupid I was back then.

What has been your favorite workout so far? I love burpees and box jumps. It might be because I’m good at them and a light-weighted person. I especially love short interval metcons – it’s less time for a burn.

What is your favorite cheat meal? Hot chocolate brownie cake + Chocolate fudge ice cream + chocolate syrup ?. I finish one complete cake in a single day alone most times. I should really stop doing that.

What did you want to be when you grew up and where do you work now? I always wanted to travel for my job no matter what the job was. That sounded fun, but not anymore. It’s hard to move from one apartment to another house now ?. I currently work at Great-West Financial in Overland Park.

What do you like to do outside of work? I love playing cricket with friends and caroms (similar to pool).

 What advice would you give a newbie just starting at OPCF? From my personal experience, if you try CrossFit only once then you might not want to come back. I tried CrossFit two years ago and thought that it wasn’t for me. After my second time, I realized I regretted not choosing CrossFit over a regular gym. OPCF is another great reason to workout because the coaches and your group (especially ZDT – they rock) who you workout with are just awesome. They keep pushing you and help you in figuring out how to improve; in no time you will hit PRs and you don’t even realize it. The biggest struggle with CrossFit is actually pulling yourself to the door of OPCF and then the rest is a cake walk. Even in these unprecedented times, OPCF helps keep us moving with virtual workouts and allowing us to rent out equipment.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement? Thrusters combined with Assault bike is a killer. Be prepared for the worst when you see this as a WOD.

What’s one CrossFit goal you have set for yourself to accomplish this next year? I wanted to learn double-unders and bar muscle-ups this year. It took me almost 4 months to learn double-unders, but bar muscle-ups might take me longer than that. However, with this quarantine, it might be faster because I’m working on them on a regular basis.

What changes have you seen in yourself since starting at OPCF? Increased mobility and using my whole body in most of the workouts. This has improved my overall workout performance and I hit PRs frequently now.

What is your biggest improvement or proudest accomplishment thus far? I couldn’t believe it when I squatted 255 lbs for 3 reps non-stop. I will never forget that.

How do you fit working out into your weekly schedule? One simple rule I follow is to start the day with it. It keeps me running throughout the day.

What is something you have always wanted to do but haven’t yet? I know what I lack in CrossFit – Mobility. I should work on my mobility more often.

Fighting Boredom at Home? Try These Accessory Exercises!

Being stuck at home doesn’t mean that your fitness has to suffer. In fact, it is the perfect time to focus on fixing weaknesses and inefficiencies. Oftentimes, when we are in the gym, we only focus on the big lifts – like the squat, deadlift, clean, and snatch – and tend to miss building strength in the individual muscle groups that are required to be efficient in these lifts. Now that you have some time away from the gym (and for many of you, a barbell), try implementing these accessory exercises into your weekly workout routine. Once you are able get back into the gym and get your hands on a barbell, you’ll be able to see major improvements in your lifts.

Glute Bridge

One of the biggest areas of weakness for many CrossFitters is the inability to activate and engage their glutes when performing the basic power movements. If an athlete has weak glutes, it can be very difficult for them to lift to their potential. Here’s how to perform the exercise correctly: 

  1. Lie on the floor with knees bent. Your back should be flat on the ground.
  2. Bring your heels as close to your butt as you can while maintaining a tight core. Keep your arms by your sides.
  3. Push up as high as you can with your hips, flexing your glutes and driving through your heels. At the top position your back should be flat (not arched).  
  4. Hold for 3 seconds at the top, keeping your glutes flexed, and then come back down. Repeat the exercise 12-15 times. 

One Arm Dumbbell Row

This exercise involves horizontal pulling, which is a common movement pattern in CrossFit. It teaches an athlete how to safely and efficiently activate and strengthen their rhomboid muscles, which are part of the upper back, and their trap muscles. Complete the exercise like this:

  1. Start with one arm and the same knee on a bench supporting your weight, with the other foot on the floor.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the non-supported arm and let it hang down to the floor.
  3. Shift your weight toward your chest, which will allow your upper back muscles to take the force of the rowing action instead of your lower body.
  4. As you pull the dumbbell up by your side, retract your shoulder so that it pinches against the opposite shoulder blade and finish the movement with your elbow up behind you. Then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the hanging position. Complete 10-12 reps per arm.

Bulgarian Dumbbell Split Squat

This is a great exercise to develop flexibility and strength in the quads and hip flexors without putting added pressure to the lower back. By putting your rear foot on a bench, you will get a better hip flexor and quad stretch. Also, using dumbbells will create a lower sense of gravity which will improve stability. Perform the exercise using the following steps:

  1. Start by standing in front of the bench with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Take a slight step forward with one foot, keeping a slight bend in the knee, and place the other foot on top of the bench behind you.
  3. As you lower your back knee toward the floor, keep your torso upright (don’t tilt forward) and your eyes looking straight ahead. Use your front foot to maintain your balance and keep your core engaged throughout the duration of the movement.
  4. To return to the starting position, slowly drive through your front heel and straighten your front leg. Perform 8-12 reps on each leg.

Sources:

https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/6-accessory-exercises-to-make-you-a-better-crossfitter

How to Keep up Your Strength While Staying at Home

Being stuck at home for days, even weeks, in a row can often put a damper on increasing or maintaining progress in the gym, especially when it comes to strength. Building strength is one of those “skills” that takes a lot of time to develop and it can often be a challenge to maintain it if you aren’t on some kind of strength cycle. However, even with a limited amount of equipment and the absence of a strength portion in your daily programming, there are still several ways that you can maintain and even build strength without having to add a lot of weight.

Increase Your Time Under Tension

This is also known as lengthening the eccentric phase of a movement (the descent). This method is best used with the squat, deadlift or bench press. Instead of trying to move quickly through sets and reps of a specific movement, challenge yourself to slow down the descending portion and focus on maintaining perfect position and control the entire time. Let’s use the front squat as an example: as you start to lower yourself down into the bottom of the squat, you want to focus on keeping your elbows high, keeping your barbell, kettlebell(s), or dumbbell(s) resting on the shelf created by your shoulders, and maintaining an active and engaged core. As you start to descend, count to three or five seconds, holding a good position the entire time. Once you reach the bottom of your squat, drive through your heels and accelerate as fast as you can back to your starting position while still maintaining good form. 

Include a Static Hold

In addition to increasing your time under tension in the eccentric phase of the movement, another way to work on adding strength is to add a static hold. Going back to the example of the front squat used above, after your slow and controlled descent to the bottom of the squat, sit in that position for several seconds. Focus on maintaining a solid front rack position, keeping your chest nice and tall, and your core engaged. Once you have held the bottom position for several seconds, focus on pressing the floor away and accelerating straight up without relying on anyort of bounce out of the bottom. 

Add a Pause (or several!)

Another excellent method of increasing strength is to add a pause (or multiple) to your lifts. This method can even be used to build strength in different positions of the Olympic lifts as well. For example, if you are wanting to improve your positioning in the snatch during the pulling portion of the movement, practice adding a pause for three to five seconds right below your knee and then another pause right above your knee before finishing the snatch movement. During these pauses, focus on keeping your shoulders pulled back and down, keeping the bar close to your body by turning on your lats and keeping your core engaged. 

Sources:

How to Stay Fit While Staying at Home

In these “unprecedented time”, many of us are facing the reality of staying at home for several weeks. Unfortunately, the stressors of the day – work, kids, spouse, etc. – which were usually forgotten for a time during that precious hour you spent at the gym, now threaten to consistently interrupt and potentially ruin your day with no place to let off some steam. CrossFit gyms around the country have been shut down due to many states’ stay-at-home orders and the concept of ‘social distancing’, causing devoted gym members to worry about the state of their fitness. 

Most gyms are programming “at home” wods, but it can often be difficult to channel that same sense of competitiveness and drive that you often feel inside the four walls of a CrossFit box. You may not be able to spend that precious hour of your day at an actual gym, but there is no reason for you to neglect your fitness (and your mental sanity) while you are stuck at home. Here are a few tips on how to keep up with your fitness while at home:

Keep the Same Workout Schedule

Oftentimes, the first casualty of being stuck at home is the disruption, or sometimes complete destruction, of your daily schedule. The kids don’t have to be dropped off at school, there is no longer a twenty minute commute to work, you don’t have to try to squeeze in your workout during lunch in order to make an evening soccer game, etc. This once carefully planned schedule has been tossed out the window and now you are scrambling to figure out when and if you have time to work out. Therefore, in order to keep a sense of normalcy about your day, try not to change when you work out. If you are an early riser and can hit that 5:30am class, then continue waking up early enough to work out at 5:30am. If you usually work out in the evening, set aside that hour – let your kids (and maybe even spouse) know that you can’t be disturbed – to get in your workout. This will go a long way not only for your physical health, but your mental as well.

Find Accountability

One of the reasons why CrossFit is so popular is because of the community. However, being confined to your home for a time can make it difficult to feel like you are still a part of that community. Most CrossFit gyms are offering online classes through Zoom, Facebook live, YouTube, etc. Obviously seeing fellow gym members on your computer screen is not the same as seeing them in person at the gym, but just knowing that other athletes are doing the same workout as you and at the same time can be just the motivation you need to complete the day’s workout. If the online class times offered don’t fit with your schedule, try to arrange a time where you and a friend can complete a workout together through an online portal. It’s always better to suffer with others than to suffer by yourself. 

Be Creative with Your Equipment

Don’t have a barbell, kettlebell, or dumbbells? No problem. There are plenty of items you can use that are just laying around your house. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Fill a backpack with books, heavy food items (canned goods, bag of rice), bottle of laundry detergent, etc. You can use this almost like a sandbag for many different movements, such as thrusters, front squats, swings, odd object carries, and shoulder-to-overhead. 
  • Grab a broom or a mop to use as a make-shift pvc pipe. You may not be able to put weight on these, but you can use them for pass throughs, around-the-worlds, and to practice the movement mechanics of the Olympic lifts. Ever tried to do a perfect snatch with a pvc pipe? It’s nearly impossible. Practice the lifts from different positions (hang, hip crease, 2” below the knees, etc.) and work different complexes (power clean + hang squat clean + jerk). The more you get these movements into muscle memory, the better your lifts will become when you have access to a barbell again.
  • Use a chair, bench, stack of books, step-stool, etc. as an alternative to a wooden box. You can use any one of these items to do dips, decline/pike push-ups, step-ups, or Bulgarian split squats. 

When in doubt about what movements you can do with little-to-no equipment, simply think about the movement(s) you want to complete and then think about any items around your house that could help you imitate that movement to some degree. No, it’s not going to be perfect, but being stuck at home does not mean that your fitness has to suffer!

Kipping it Real with Klaudia!

Each month Overland Park CrossFit recognizes a member who exemplifies our values and motivates others in the gym to push themselves with encouraging words. April’s Athlete of the Month is Klaudia Rossol. Klaudia was chosen because of her positive attitude, the intensity she brings to her workouts, the extra hours she spends before and after class working on different skills and lifts, and her commitment to helping others improve their nutrition. You can find Klaudia lifting heavy and pushing the pace at the 4:30pm class, making her one to chase on the OPCF leader board. However, even more impressive than her CrossFit stats, is her willingness to encourage and pour into other members at OPCF. Klaudia is such an inspiration to new and experienced athletes alike and we love having her as part of the OPCF community! Learn more about Klaudia below.

How long have you been working out at Overland Park CrossFit? My husband (Mark) and I joined OPCF the first Monday after we moved to Kansas City. It’s been about 12 months!

What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout? Do you remember what it was? My first workout was in April of 2015. I remember that there were wall balls and box jumps and that afterward I felt “defeated” by the workout! You know that feeling of shaky legs when you go to pick up the ball?! I had joined a friend for a “Bring a Friend” WOD with no expectations…but I couldn’t stop thinking about the experience ALL weekend and signed up for a CrossFit membership 2 days later.

What has been your favorite workout so far? There is no single workout that stands out as my favorite…but I love the ones where you’re gasping for air at the end. Those are typically the shorter, sprint workouts for me.

What is your favorite cheat meal? I love chocolate. However, I do better incorporating a little bit into my diet each day rather than saving for a cheat “meal”. You might have heard me say that every day I eat three chocolate covered nuts and three mini Cadbury eggs.

What did you want to be when you grew up and where do you work now? Growing up, I wanted to be everything! An actress, singer, psychologist, chef, dentist… Today I work in HR on the Talent Acquisition team.

What do you like to do outside of work? Outside of work I love to be at OPCF with all the friends I’ve made over the last year! I also really enjoy cooking, meal prep, and anything food related. I also love spending time with my husband and dogs.

What advice would you give a newbie just starting at OPCF? One thing I wish I could tell anyone hesitant or nervous about starting CrossFit is that it is for everyone! It is infinitely scalable, whether your goal is to make it more manageable or more challenging. If you’re a human, CrossFit is for you. You don’t need to be a certain body type/shape, size, age, color to participate in CrossFit.

What is your favorite/least favorite movement? My favorite movement is a clean, especially a solid power clean. My “least favorite” movements aren’t ones I necessarily dislike, but are the ones I struggle with, which are a lot of gymnastics movements. It’s exciting to work on those movements though because improvements are so noticeable!

What’s one Crossfit goal you have set for yourself to accomplish this next year? Oh I have so many goals! It’s hard to pick just one!
I recently achieved my first goal I had set for 2020, so I’m on to the next one, which is really improving on those gymnastics movements! A goal that is very important to me (and really trumps all other goals) is to remain pain and injury free. Soreness is welcome. ? I’m working hard on listening to my body! Finally, I really want to improve my aerobic capacity and increase my lactate threshold.
What I love about CrossFit is that goals are so fluid. Once you get 1 (insert movement) the goal becomes 2. Once you hit X pounds on a lift the goal becomes X+10. Same goes for metcons!

What changes have you seen in yourself since starting at OPCF? The biggest change I’ve experienced since joining OPCF hasn’t been within myself, but rather in the number and quality of amazing friendships I have developed through the community at our gym.

What is your biggest improvement or proudest accomplishment thus far? My proudest accomplishment has been competing in my first (team) competition earlier this year. I never thought I would ever participate in a competition (hello nerves!), but thanks to the encouragement of my OPCF friends, I committed to the experience and it was a BLAST.

How do you fit working out into your weekly schedule? Working out is a non-negotiable for me. I realized during busy/crazy times that there are things in my life that I can put “on hold” or on the back burner. Going to the gym is not one of those things. Just like I must eat, sleep, and go to work…I must get movement. Exercise helps make me stay healthy and sane so I can handle all the craziness of life!

What is something you have always wanted to do but haven’t yet? I struggle with getting in mobility work, so one thing I wish I did was more yoga or stretching…but haven’t been able to get that into my routine.

Getting Up When You’re Down: Tips to Staying Motivated Through an Injury

Regardless of what sport you play, injury is inevitable. As CrossFitters, we put our bodies through the ringer every single day, so feeling little aches and pains here and there is normal. Usually, taking a rest day or two can easily cure these ailments. However, what do you do when the injury is much more severe? What happens when your recovery period turns into months instead of days or weeks? If you’re a competitive person by nature, it can be really hard to see your friends and rivals get to workout as you sit by ‘on the sidelines’. Even though the immediate future may seem bleak, it’s important to find a way to stay motivated throughout the recovery period. Here’s how:

Focus on What You Can Control

Now that the injury has happened, it’s not worth wasting your mental and emotional energy wishing you could go back and change the past. It’s important to look ahead and focus on the things that you do have control over, such as rest, recovery, physical therapy or rehab, modifying workouts, etc. 

Be Creative with Your Workouts

It’s very rare that an injury will affect your entire body. Oftentimes, there are several different ways to modify a workout to get a similar stimulus without risking further injury. For example, if you have an injury that affects your lower body (such as the knee or ankle) then you can use this time to focus on other areas of your body that may need some extra work, such as core, upper body gymnastics strength, or further developing your glutes and hamstrings. Depending on how severe the injury is, there are also ways to use the injured portion without putting it in any further danger. For example, if you have a knee injury, you still might be able to squat to a bench or a box. However, as you begin to experiment with movement variations, it is important that you are able to do them without any pain. 

Set Recovery Goals

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which can lead to a hopeless and depressed state of mind. To combat this mentality, it is important to set recovery goals so you have something concrete to focus on. These goals could also be the push you need to take the recovery process seriously and possibly speed up the recovery time.

Encourage Others

Throughout the recovery process, it can be very hard to watch other athletes get better every day. This can lead to feelings of resentment as you feel like you are falling further and further behind. However, this is an opportunity for you to celebrate the successes of your fellow CrossFitters and cheer them along on their own fitness journey.

Sources:

https://selecthealth.org/blog/2016/09/5-tips-to-stay-motivated-while-recovering-from-an-injury

How to Implement Nasal Breathing in Your Workouts

Want to know the secret to being a better exerciser? Try breathing through your nose. Research has shown that nasal breathing can help improve your body’s capacity to perform at a higher level of intensity for a longer period of time. Here’s how:

Your lungs are a major factor in determining your energy level. They extract oxygen from the air we breathe when we exhale, which slows down and restricts the exhaled air and allows the lungs to absorb more oxygen. However, if carbon dioxide is lost too quickly then one’s ability to absorb oxygen is decreased and can result in hyperventilation (fast mouth breathing). Furthermore, nose breathing results in 10-20 percent more oxygen uptake in individuals than breathing through one’s mouth.

You might be thinking to yourself, ‘The benefits sound great, but how do I actually consistently breathe through my nose when I workout?’ Excellent question. The first thing to do is pay attention. Next time you are warming up for a class, think about how you are breathing. As your intensity starts to increase, focus on the speed of your breathing and how it feels to pay attention to your breathing.

Just like with any other new skill, learning how to nasal breathe takes practice. You can slowly start to implement this skill in warm-ups and cool-downs where the level of intensity is not as high as it is in an actual workout. Start by closing your mouth and relaxing your tongue and jaw. Then, expand your use of nasal breathing into normal, everyday activities as well. If you want to go even further, there is a practice called ‘mouth taping’ where you can buy a specially-designed tape to put over your mouth while you are sleeping to help with nasal breathing. 

Finally, if you are serious about taking your breathing to the next level, then it’s important to understand the role of carbon dioxide and how to use it most effectively. Through observing diseased patients’ breathing patterns, Russian medical scientist Dr. Konstantin Buteyko developed the theory that hyperventilation causes a depletion of carbon dioxide and low levels of carbon dioxide in an organism causes blood vessels to spasm and oxygen starvation of the tissues. With this discovery, Dr. Buteyko developed a method for breathing that aims to regulate the critical balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body. His breathing technique has proven to be successful in decreasing asthma-related systems and increasing one’s peak expiratory flow rate. For more information about the Buteyko breathing method, how to measure your retention of carbon dioxide, and how to use this method in your daily life, check out this article: https://innovativemedicine.com/short-guide-breathing-right-buteyko-breathing-method/

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/when-it-comes-to-breathing-during-exercise-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong/2019/01/23/b4d3c338-1e59-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html

The Benefits of Nasal Breathing

If you stop and think about it, are you more likely to breathe through your nose or your mouth? If you are being honest with yourself, you will probably answer ‘mouth’. No need to worry; that is the response for most people. But did you know, there are actually a significant number of benefits to breathing in and out only through your nose? Not kidding. Here are just a few:

Nasal Breathing Helps Fight Infections

When you breathe in through your nose, the air is mixed with a colorless gas called Nitric Oxide which kills deadly bacteria and works as a vasodilator (an agent that dilates or widens) on your airways, arteries, and capillaries. Essentially, breathing through your nose results in breathing in less infectious air and helps blood flow more freely through your body.

Nasal Breathing Helps in Better Brain Functions

The correlation between brain function and breathing has become a topic of interest for many individuals in the realm of neuroscience. Several studies have been conducted to determine if the way you breathe does in fact affect the way your brain functions. In a 2017 study conducted at Northwestern University, a team of scientists used electroencephalography (EEG) data from seven epilepsy patients to distinguish the differences in brain activity that occurred when patients breathed in through their nose versus their mouth. 

The researchers found three areas of the brain that were affected during breathing – the piriform cortex (processes smells), the hippocampus (controls memory), and amygdala (controls fear and pleasure responses). These three areas of the brain showed major activity when the participants inhaled through their noses, but nothing changed when they breathed in through their mouths. Furthermore, research has shown that increased air intake through the right nostril is correlated with enhanced verbal performance (left brain activity), and increased inhalation through the left nostril is associated with increased spatial awareness (right brain activity). 

Nasal Breathing Helps During Workouts

If you are like most exercisers, then you probably breathe through your mouth as the workout gets harder and you feel more fatigued. This is actually counterproductive and can result in an increased state of fatigue and stress. However, breathing through one’s nose can allow for more oxygen to get to active tissues. This is possible because breathing through the nose releases nitric oxide, which is needed to increase carbon dioxide in the blood, which then releases oxygen. Therefore, as you breathe through your nose, your cells are getting more oxygen, giving your body what it needs to better fight exhaustion. 

Sources:

https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/can-breathing-through-your-nose-help-you-think
https://breathing.com/pages/nose-breathing
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/when-it-comes-to-breathing-during-exercise-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong/2019/01/23/b4d3c338-1e59-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html