How to Breathe While Running - Matt Franco, PT, DPT, OCS

One of the most important things to learn while running is your ability to breathe through your diaphragm as opposed to your chest. Breathing through your chest will elevate your shoulders, and it's an inefficient way to breathe because it's smaller amount of action you're getting to your system, as well as using your body's energy to lift the shoulders. Breathing through your diaphragm will reduce the movement so only your belly is moving and it's a deeper breath, which will allow you to use the oxygen taken in and translate that into optimal intensity for your workout.

So as you learn how to breathe through your diaphragm, only your belly should move. Now, once you become efficient at breathing and standing, I want you to try to translate that to walking. As you're walking, only have your belly move for breathing. Once you become good at that, go ahead and try to start running.

If you notice that while you're running that you begin to fatigue, and you go back to moving the shoulders up and down, go ahead and reduce the intensity of your run and really try to breathe through your belly and maintain that. So with one hand on your belly, take a big, deep breath in. Only your belly should move.

[Jayjack]

Honestly I’m a runner 🏃‍♂️ and he’s right. U gotta learn to breath. Once u do that u can jog for miles and not get winded

[lightningshy]

I’ve been doing it wrong forever, I thought I was just naturally weak on stamina. At least I know what I need to work on in depth. Thanks for this. 💗

[totoro]

Thank you so much. I legitimately couldn’t even run 1/2 a lap the day before. But today for tryouts I had to run the two mile and did it in 21 minutes. Not the best time but I was able to finish without wee-zing or coughing and I didn’t even walk.

[rabendranath]

I thought I had weak lungs 😂😢 I'm definitely trying this on my next session. Thank you!!

[ameerulaqmalmalek]

I always run with chest oxygen. No wonder it feels sucks.. thank you man.. gotta try it

[jamienava]

God bless you for this video! I was always wondering why the heck I was gassed and out of breath so soon on my jogs. I adopted your technique and now I run much longer distances!

[rjelitetransportllc]

I’m so focus on running I forget when to breath lmao 🤣 then take deep breath’s and die half way

[SuperGabrielMorales]

over here wondering if I'm breathing through my belly or lungs 🙄, but thank you lol I need more learning

[victorioguedea]

I’ve been watching some of these vids with breathing advice.
I finally found my own technique,
My goal was to jog about 4-5 mph for one full minute, I made two minutes then walked until my breathing was easy. Then I did that two minutes for two or three intervals. I made it up to five minutes without stopping.
Planet Fitness ads mentioned that cardio workouts needed only about ten minutes a day. I made almost one mile. I’m skipping one day to rest up for my next work out until my strength builds up at this rate I expect to be able to run one and a half mile in 14 or less minutes
Thank you all and planet fitness for the help

[daniraspahic]

Lovely video, great. Explanation. So simple, so effective. Thanks.

[ScottHenry-cvdo]

As I’m joining the paras soon I’ve been looking around for advice on other things that could help with my cardio, most of what i got suggested was what this man was saying.

[NRZC]

Very simple and short video, was enough to help me for rest of my life hah

[ms.Waldorf]

I’m going to try it tomorrow! Because I know it’s not my running it’s my breathing

[Sodacantorini]

I need this, now I will train a week before my fitness test

[anthonyharper]

Thank you, I need this for PT during rsp drills

[Kevn]

I’m been starting my fitness journey at the age of 40. I’ve been going to an outdoor track and started out walking a mile. Now I’m at 2 miles. I thought it was a stamina thing so I’m amped to try breathing correctly.

[mikaigreene]

So it doesn’t matter if you breathe through your nose or mouth you just have to breathe with you stomach?

[rachel_ellingson]

I’m a runner and dancer and have been struggling with intense upper back pain for about a year now. Nothing seems to be working. I realized only a few days ago that I am a chest breather and that is a major part of my shoulder pain. Heard of chiropractic care and physical therapy … and proper breathing form was never discussed!!! But now I feel like I’m learning how to breathe again… cause apparently I’m not even doing that right 😂

[LameasBaggy]

What's up Brother Another Franco here lmfao thanks dawg enjoy life

[yrg]

What if I cannot get enough air through just my nose