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Research into breathing for cycling

Hi I'm currently undertaking my post grad (masters) in sport performance and my research dissertation is looking to the effect on nasal v oral breathing. I'm currrently recruiting participants between the age of 18-60 (M/F) to take part. If you are close to High Wycombe in Bucks (Bucks New Uni) and would like to help please drop me a line on hlpjones [at] outlook.com or reply to this.

Best Regards

Harvey

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9 comments

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Basemetal | 6 months ago
2 likes

After inhaling a pollen laden bee (or at least having it hit the back of my throat and choking on the pollen) I've taken to breathing through clenched teeth in summer. Feels like half way between nose and mouth breathing.

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carbonfiend | 8 months ago
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This study will be focusing on nasal breathing vs oral as a warm up before a time trial - nasal breathing (till submax 2mml of lactate) has proposed efficency benefits (nitric oxide/LBP and what is called the Borg effect) the research will be to measure if these proposed physiological benefits translate to real world experience in a lab based experiement. If you know of anyone that would be interested in being a participant please forward this info it would be greatly appreciated. Yes I've read the James Nester book and its very interesting he's a great writer, there's some good research in it and some not so good. 

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andystow | 8 months ago
1 like

Apparently, a book recently came out on this topic: Breath, by James Nestor.

Grant Petersen, of Rivendell Bikes, mentions it in a few of his Blaughs from last year.

I've been experimenting, and yes--it's only one person, it's not a rigorous study, but guess what?—I don't have a lab and this is just a blahg.. Aside from what ever longterm health advantages there are, I wonder and am still wondering about riding whilst sucking in and blowing out air thru the nostrils.

And, one of the fun deals about not racing or caring about that stuff, is that I can experiment without risking not getting my contract renewed next racing season.

I may not "care" about speed, but I ride the same rides all the time, and based on my effort level, I can tell how long it a variety of one-to-five minute climbs is going to take. On a one-minute climb, I can tell within 2 seconds. On a five-minute climb, within ten seconds, usually six. Nose breathing is new to my internal Olympic games, so after 20 years of mouth-breathing these same climbs, I started nose-breathing them just for fun. 

Today, Groundhog Day, a sprint up a gradual hill that usually takes me 37 seconds, and my fastest is 35, took only 34, nose-breathing on my Atlantis with wing-widened pedals, and fully racked and bagged. I'm nose-breathing all the time now, except when I lapse. Try that book. 

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ktache | 8 months ago
2 likes

Winter sucking in air through the mouth, soon will breathe in the first bug, then trying to get enough air through the nose until winter comes around...
Good luck with the research.

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brooksby replied to ktache | 8 months ago
5 likes

ktache wrote:

Winter sucking in air through the mouth, soon will breathe in the first bug, then trying to get enough air through the nose until winter comes around...

You are Boatsie and I claim my £5  4

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S.E. replied to ktache | 6 months ago
1 like

I swallowed my first bug today... already had a few in the mouth this year, but could spit them out.

Hay fever...

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ktache replied to S.E. | 6 months ago
1 like

Last Thursday for me, a few, minutes coughing my guts up.

How do the pros manage?

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S.E. replied to ktache | 6 months ago
2 likes

Same here, the little guy was stuck in the middle, probably alive and moving, I had to ingest quantities of water to get it down.

Pros are freaks... seriously. They can climb mountains nose breathing, and I guess their guts could dry digest a wasp to win a race?

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andystow replied to ktache | 6 months ago
1 like

I sometimes think of making a face mask, but made of no-see-um netting, with some structure to hold it away from my face.

Not like this atrocity, though.

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