Cant get enough breath in whilst exercising! :s

[cheryl]

Hello

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how i could improve
a problem I have with my breathing....

I'm pretty fit nowadays, after loosing 2 and a half stone in the last
few years, and I've done a lot of cycling, up to distances of 300k in
one day, so, i'm no weakling.....

Over the winter, and until now, i've been doing 4 times weekly RPM
spinning classes, which are pretty hard going, you average burning off
about 600 calories in the 45 min session, and my HR has got up to
187bpm at times.

However, one thing i'm finding really frustrating is that quite often,
I simply can't get the breath into my lungs (and this is NOT at the
point of exhaustion/highest exhertion etc). My chest tenses up, and I
literally have to stop moving in order to gulp air in. Sometimes, even
in the breaks between tracks in teh RPM class, I'm unable to get air in
even by the time we start the next exercise, which is really annoying,
as that time my muscles etc are really feeling fine and ready to go
again!

I always thought that with cycling related exercise, the muscles would
tire with the lactic acid etc, but I often cannot get to that point as
first of all I can't breath. I have to try and force myself to yawn in
order to get the breath in, and can really feel the tension in my
chest.

It gets worse when i think about it, so, i'm wondering if it's partly
psychosymatic (or however you spell it!), but, i've often forgot about
it totally when it hits me, so, i dont think it's just that...

I always used to think it was because i wasnt fit enough - but i'm one
of the fitest people in the gym now with a reputation for hammering it
somewhat, so, although i'm hardly an athlete, i'm certainly not the
couch potato i once was before i started all this exercise malarky!

And ideas as to what i can do would be most appreciated!

thanks, Cheryl

 

[Steve Bernth]

Have you ruled out allergies resulting in chest congestion or possibly a
mild case of asthma? Depending on the season my allergies can cause me
similar problems.
"cheryl" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello
>
> I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how i could improve
> a problem I have with my breathing....
>
> I'm pretty fit nowadays, after loosing 2 and a half stone in the last
> few years, and I've done a lot of cycling, up to distances of 300k in
> one day, so, i'm no weakling.....
>
> Over the winter, and until now, i've been doing 4 times weekly RPM
> spinning classes, which are pretty hard going, you average burning off
> about 600 calories in the 45 min session, and my HR has got up to
> 187bpm at times.
>
> However, one thing i'm finding really frustrating is that quite often,
> I simply can't get the breath into my lungs (and this is NOT at the
> point of exhaustion/highest exhertion etc). My chest tenses up, and I
> literally have to stop moving in order to gulp air in. Sometimes, even
> in the breaks between tracks in teh RPM class, I'm unable to get air in
> even by the time we start the next exercise, which is really annoying,
> as that time my muscles etc are really feeling fine and ready to go
> again!
>
> I always thought that with cycling related exercise, the muscles would
> tire with the lactic acid etc, but I often cannot get to that point as
> first of all I can't breath. I have to try and force myself to yawn in
> order to get the breath in, and can really feel the tension in my
> chest.
>
> It gets worse when i think about it, so, i'm wondering if it's partly
> psychosymatic (or however you spell it!), but, i've often forgot about
> it totally when it hits me, so, i dont think it's just that...
>
> I always used to think it was because i wasnt fit enough - but i'm one
> of the fitest people in the gym now with a reputation for hammering it
> somewhat, so, although i'm hardly an athlete, i'm certainly not the
> couch potato i once was before i started all this exercise malarky!
>
> And ideas as to what i can do would be most appreciated!
>
> thanks, Cheryl
>

 

[Triathlete]

cheryl wrote:
> Hello
>
> I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how i could improve
> a problem I have with my breathing....
>
> I'm pretty fit nowadays, after loosing 2 and a half stone in the last
> few years, and I've done a lot of cycling, up to distances of 300k in
> one day, so, i'm no weakling.....
>
> Over the winter, and until now, i've been doing 4 times weekly RPM
> spinning classes, which are pretty hard going, you average burning off
> about 600 calories in the 45 min session, and my HR has got up to
> 187bpm at times.
>
> However, one thing i'm finding really frustrating is that quite often,
> I simply can't get the breath into my lungs (and this is NOT at the
> point of exhaustion/highest exhertion etc). My chest tenses up, and I
> literally have to stop moving in order to gulp air in. Sometimes, even
> in the breaks between tracks in teh RPM class, I'm unable to get air in
> even by the time we start the next exercise, which is really annoying,
> as that time my muscles etc are really feeling fine and ready to go
> again!
>
> I always thought that with cycling related exercise, the muscles would
> tire with the lactic acid etc, but I often cannot get to that point as
> first of all I can't breath. I have to try and force myself to yawn in
> order to get the breath in, and can really feel the tension in my
> chest.
>
> It gets worse when i think about it, so, i'm wondering if it's partly
> psychosymatic (or however you spell it!), but, i've often forgot about
> it totally when it hits me, so, i dont think it's just that...
>
> I always used to think it was because i wasnt fit enough - but i'm one
> of the fitest people in the gym now with a reputation for hammering it
> somewhat, so, although i'm hardly an athlete, i'm certainly not the
> couch potato i once was before i started all this exercise malarky!
>
> And ideas as to what i can do would be most appreciated!
>
> thanks, Cheryl

You may have asthma. If so you should see your dr. Does it get worse at
night, after you work out?

However, I would like to ask you if you are breathing into your chest,
or into your stomach. Try to breath so that you push down into your
diaphragm and outward. Fill the lower back, the stomach, the upper back,
and only then fill into your chest. Don't just fill the chest, only
stressed people breathe through the chest. Then when you exhale elongate
your body and make your body long and thin, this will push out the air
so much more so that you can take so much more air in on the next inhale.

This will not feel like normal breathing. It will feel like the opposite
of what you should do, but it will allow you to breathe in so much more
air and be effective and make you a non lazy efficient breather.

 

[Ken]

This is a very difficult question. It might just be that you are working
to your current limit. My breathing capacity is what limits my output. I
can train to the point that I seldom get muscle fatigue before running out
of breath. As my fitness level increases it sort of sea saws back and
forth between muscle fatigue and breathing limits. I always seem to reach
my perceived limit for breath capacity but feel good in the muscle zone
unless the time distance factors bring on fatigue. During sprinting drills
it is always my breath that goes first once I have attained near max muscle
strength.

How do you compare competitively against others in your age bracket? It
could just be that you are exceeding your perceived comfort zone. If so
continued training in or above that zone will give improvement unless your
limit has been closely approached.

Perhaps a visit to the doc for a good physical exam is the first line of
order to rule out any physical deficiencies.

Ken

 

[Tamyka Bell]

cheryl wrote:
>
> Hello
>
> I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how i could improve
> a problem I have with my breathing....
<snip>
> However, one thing i'm finding really frustrating is that quite often,
> I simply can't get the breath into my lungs (and this is NOT at the
> point of exhaustion/highest exhertion etc). My chest tenses up, and I
> literally have to stop moving in order to gulp air in. Sometimes, even
> in the breaks between tracks in teh RPM class, I'm unable to get air in
> even by the time we start the next exercise, which is really annoying,
> as that time my muscles etc are really feeling fine and ready to go
> again!
>
> I always thought that with cycling related exercise, the muscles would
> tire with the lactic acid etc, but I often cannot get to that point as
> first of all I can't breath. I have to try and force myself to yawn in
> order to get the breath in, and can really feel the tension in my
> chest.

You can potentially increase the muscular fatigue by upping the
resistance and reducing your cadence. This should reduce your heart rate
and make it more strength dependant which should put more focus on your
legs and less on your cv system. If you plan on trying this, let your
instructor know pre-class that's what you're doing, and the reason why.

> It gets worse when i think about it, so, i'm wondering if it's partly
> psychosymatic (or however you spell it!), but, i've often forgot about
> it totally when it hits me, so, i dont think it's just that...
<snip>
That's common with breathing problems - as soon as you notice it, you
stress, and start needing more oxygen, so the deficit becomes greater
and more noticeable. It's the same feeling you get if you're "choking"
on something - if you can relax, you'll often find it's not so bad as
you thought. But when you panic it's not good.

I agree with the opinions that it may be mild asthma. If it is, you may
also find that it's more frequent in very humid or very dry environments
(e.g. a gym might be very humid, or an air-conditioned gym would be
quite dry), and also that you tend to get coughing fits if you don't
cool down properly and just stop very suddenly. A lot of people with
mild asthma don't notice it, especially if they exercise regularly,
because exercise opens up the airways.

The other thing it might be is iron deficiency. I know that I get out
of breath more readily when I'm low on iron. (I also have mild
asthma.) The fact that you're very fit and exercise a lot puts you at
risk of lower iron levels so I'd recommend getting your doctor to check
you for this as well. Your increased fitness means that you wouldn't
notice the breathlessness except at fairly high intensity. I've nearly
passed out before doing a speedwork session when I was iron deficient.

Good luck with fixing it

Tam

 

[cheryl]

hello!

thanks soo much for all the advice - i'm gonna try all the suggestions
that you have given out!

many thanks! cheryl
Tamyka Bell wrote:
> cheryl wrote:
> >
> > Hello
> >
> > I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how i could improve
> > a problem I have with my breathing....
> <snip>
> > However, one thing i'm finding really frustrating is that quite often,
> > I simply can't get the breath into my lungs (and this is NOT at the
> > point of exhaustion/highest exhertion etc). My chest tenses up, and I
> > literally have to stop moving in order to gulp air in. Sometimes, even
> > in the breaks between tracks in teh RPM class, I'm unable to get air in
> > even by the time we start the next exercise, which is really annoying,
> > as that time my muscles etc are really feeling fine and ready to go
> > again!
> >
> > I always thought that with cycling related exercise, the muscles would
> > tire with the lactic acid etc, but I often cannot get to that point as
> > first of all I can't breath. I have to try and force myself to yawn in
> > order to get the breath in, and can really feel the tension in my
> > chest.
>
> You can potentially increase the muscular fatigue by upping the
> resistance and reducing your cadence. This should reduce your heart rate
> and make it more strength dependant which should put more focus on your
> legs and less on your cv system. If you plan on trying this, let your
> instructor know pre-class that's what you're doing, and the reason why.
>
> > It gets worse when i think about it, so, i'm wondering if it's partly
> > psychosymatic (or however you spell it!), but, i've often forgot about
> > it totally when it hits me, so, i dont think it's just that...
> <snip>
> That's common with breathing problems - as soon as you notice it, you
> stress, and start needing more oxygen, so the deficit becomes greater
> and more noticeable. It's the same feeling you get if you're "choking"
> on something - if you can relax, you'll often find it's not so bad as
> you thought. But when you panic it's not good.
>
> I agree with the opinions that it may be mild asthma. If it is, you may
> also find that it's more frequent in very humid or very dry environments
> (e.g. a gym might be very humid, or an air-conditioned gym would be
> quite dry), and also that you tend to get coughing fits if you don't
> cool down properly and just stop very suddenly. A lot of people with
> mild asthma don't notice it, especially if they exercise regularly,
> because exercise opens up the airways.
>
> The other thing it might be is iron deficiency. I know that I get out
> of breath more readily when I'm low on iron. (I also have mild
> asthma.) The fact that you're very fit and exercise a lot puts you at
> risk of lower iron levels so I'd recommend getting your doctor to check
> you for this as well. Your increased fitness means that you wouldn't
> notice the breathlessness except at fairly high intensity. I've nearly
> passed out before doing a speedwork session when I was iron deficient.
>
> Good luck with fixing it
>
> Tam

 

[[email protected]]

Sounds like Exercise Induced Asthma. An inhaler may help to prevent
symptoms or you might try using some of the prescription or OTC
medications for allergies since they help open up the airways. Try
talking with your doctor about having a treadmill test where you can be
hooked up to the machine or do a an exercise test and blow into the air
canister that measures your output.