I am an rookie cyclist. I don't ride as hard I want because I have asthma. Can anybody help me out maybe by telling me breathing exercises to expand my lung capacity? My asthma is not exercise enduced. It would be greatly apperciated.
Breathing exercises?
- Thread starter sycomonkeys
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Hi, Have you thought about Yoga? Lots of breathing exercises and also breathing combined with exercise (helps to control getting 'puffed' when you exert yourself). Not asthmatic - but I found it really helped. The stretches are good to counteract bike stiffness too ... Look around for a good class that suits you, or even a vid/book if all you want is the breathing exercises (Pranayama I think they call it!) - Ashtanga style might be a bit harsh but Hatha yoga is a good place to start...sycomonkeys said:
If you have asthma you should know pursed lip breathing and diaphragmatic breathing already. What are your triggers if not exercise? Yoga is great and so are deep breathing exercises. take a deep breath into your stomach, hold it and exhale thru pursed lips. Your problem is airway restriction on exhalation. The best thing is to stop the restriction with regular constant use of non systemic corticosteroids, Flovent, and a bronchodilator when you start to get tight. If you can't exercise you will never get the stamina you are looking for with bigger lungs. Management is the main thing, consistant management. Best of luck.
My asthma acts up when I get sick.. I never had a problem before, but I was getting sick, school, and the rains of Miami. But now that started back with riding, I started having the problems.
You can't expand you lung capacity by exercises, unless your body is still in its teenage years. But certainly you can improve your lung elasticity and breathing technique. Pranayama is all you need. But here are two exercises in the mean time 
a) Blow off as much air as you can. With empty lungs push your diaphragm ritmically to blow any extra air remaining even if there's no more air coming out. Feel the breathing muscle. Repeat 5 pushes then inhale and start again. Do the thing 5 times. This exercise is very good to strenghten the diaphragm and make you exhale better.
b) Inhale as much air as you can. Start with your stomach, then your ribcage,
then your 'neck'. Then hold the breath, and start doing stretching exercise with the arms over your head and hands grasped, just lean forward, backward and to the sides. Feel the stretch in your ribcage.This is better done on your knees because there is a sudden drop in blood pressure if you do the exercise too quickly. Repeat 5 times. This exercise makes your lung elasticity really improve, so you can get more air in less time and with less effort.
If you have any doubt, PM me
Good Luck!
a) Blow off as much air as you can. With empty lungs push your diaphragm ritmically to blow any extra air remaining even if there's no more air coming out. Feel the breathing muscle. Repeat 5 pushes then inhale and start again. Do the thing 5 times. This exercise is very good to strenghten the diaphragm and make you exhale better.
b) Inhale as much air as you can. Start with your stomach, then your ribcage,
then your 'neck'. Then hold the breath, and start doing stretching exercise with the arms over your head and hands grasped, just lean forward, backward and to the sides. Feel the stretch in your ribcage.This is better done on your knees because there is a sudden drop in blood pressure if you do the exercise too quickly. Repeat 5 times. This exercise makes your lung elasticity really improve, so you can get more air in less time and with less effort.
If you have any doubt, PM me
Good Luck!
sycomonkeys said:
In my experience there are two important things with Asthma. The first is to control it with help from a good physician. I think people underestimate how beneficial asthma meds can be - for some people there is a stigma attached to medication. Personally, I dig that my inhaled steroid, my ventolin and my intal enable me to race the way I want to. Of course, discuss any meds you might take with your doc in terms of the risks and benefits to you, and be careful with the more potent stuff like oral cortico-steroids (which are illegal if you race) and long acting beta-2 agonists which some doctors think can mask your symptoms rather than help you. The second important thing is to ride regularly. I find after time off the bike my lungs seem more sensitive to my various asthma triggers. If I ride most days I have fewer problems.
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