#ITUNES BREATHING ZONE HOW TO#

Other sets that Lepinski gives her experienced swimmers focus on technique to improve their off-the-wall speed and efficiency: “I also like sets where lap one is underwater dolphin kick to tolerance before the swimmer surfaces to kick or swim. Or, I’ll give them a set of 50s and encourage them to have race finishes with their heads down, no breathing from the flags in.”Īnd Lepinski is mindful of the competitive nature of many swimmers: “What I don’t do is allow 25s swum all the way underwater or any type of competition where they check in with each other to see how few breaths they took to get across the pool.” “Instead of saying ‘swim a 25 and only breathe once,’ I’ll say ‘swim a 25 and challenge your breathing to a different breathing pattern.’ That’s great to get someone who breathes every stroke to try alternate breathing, breathing to the other side, or breathing every fourth stroke. She also reinforces proper breathing and proper terminology when giving sets to her swimmers. ‘Breath control,’ if not properly defined, is interpreted as ‘breath holding.’”

“In fact, I talk about how important it is to exhale each time your face is in the water. Lepinski explains that the main difference between holding and controlling the breath is in the exhale. As coaches we have to constantly work against the human body’s inclination to hold our breath when our face is in the water.” In short, swimmers shouldn’t be holding their breath underwater.Ĭokie Lepinski, a Level 4 USMS-certified coach and the head coach of Swymnut Masters in Marin County, Calif., says “Breath holding makes for not only an exhaustive experience for a swimmer, but a potentially hazardous situation.

#ITUNES BREATHING ZONE HOW TO#

It’s imperative for swimmers and coaches to understand the difference between breath control and breath holding, and understand the purpose of breath-control sets, how to perform them properly, and evaluate whether they’re safe to be performed. In all cases, the victims were expert swimmers engaging in breath holding. A 2015 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited 16 cases of underwater blackout, four of which turned fatal. Some swimmers, including college athletes and Navy SEALs in training, have lost consciousness and drowned while holding their breath underwater.

Breath-control training is intended to improve lung capacity and breathing efficiency in swimmers however, it should not be confused with breath-hold training, which can be dangerous. Learning to improve control of your breathing while swimming is a valuable skill that will enable you to power off the wall, put your head down at the flags to win a race, or not panic in open water when a wave splashes in your face.

Itunes breathing zone