Holding Your Breath

I have actually also wondered something similar. To give my opinion on your question, I believe it does increase it.

I have wondered whether if you had the ability to hold your breath longer if that makes you a good runner. In other words, I can't hold my breath very long (around 45-50 seconds), does that mean I have to work much harder to be a better runner than say someone who can hold their breath twice as long? I think this has to do with VO2 Max.

what is david blaine's vo2max?

Cots wrote:

I have actually also wondered something similar. To give my opinion on your question, I believe it does increase it.

I have wondered whether if you had the ability to hold your breath longer if that makes you a good runner. In other words, I can't hold my breath very long (around 45-50 seconds), does that mean I have to work much harder to be a better runner than say someone who can hold their breath twice as long? I think this has to do with VO2 Max.

No it doesn't mean that. While there might be some correlation on an individual basis. The time you hold your breath is not directly proportional to your VO2 max.

Heres a fun game.

1.Hold your breath for a minute

2. Breathe out and breath in once

3. Repeat steps 1,2 for as long as you can.

My current record is 7 but I was really dizzy and felt really brain dead for like half an hour. The second best attempt is 5. However I do realize there are people out there who could probably do 100.

The Shark wrote:

Heres a fun game.

1.Hold your breath for a minute

2. Breathe out and breath in once

3. Repeat steps 1,2 for as long as you can.

My current record is 7 but I was really dizzy and felt really brain dead for like half an hour. The second best attempt is 5. However I do realize there are people out there who could probably do 100.

That's cool. How long can you hold your breath in one try?

I usually hold my breath for time 3 times in a row with 2 minute breaks for relaxation in between. I think divers do this around 10 times in a row.

if you practice holding your breath, you get a lot better at it and really quickly

during one church service i used to be able to go from 45 seconds to a 1:45

I used to be able to hold my breath for over two minutes, someone told me it's bad to do this because you starve your brain for oxygen and it can damage brain cells. I don't do this anymore because I don't want to become an idiot.

I used to do it during biology class. My record was 2:21. My second best was 2:16, my third 2:13.

I am pretty sure I could've gone for 2:30, but I would squirm around in the last thirty or so seconds and my desk partner was like wtf are you doing?

WithMeSoFar? wrote:

I used to be able to hold my breath for over two minutes, someone told me it's bad to do this because you starve your brain for oxygen and it can damage brain cells. I don't do this anymore because I don't want to become an idiot.

Apparently you waited too long to stop.

I've tried this sometimes in the swimming pool, but not by time but by how far I can swim under water on one breath. It's rare that I can't go 25m on one breath... sometimes I can go a touch more.

My personal best was when having an MRI done on my foot seeing if there was a stress fracture: 3 minutes. I wasn't certain if it was correct so I did it a second time. I had been doing a lot of swimming with a masters team (hurt foot) at the time and wondered if that may have had something to do with it. I haven't yet done the repeat thing.

concerned runner wrote:

Does the time you are able to hold your breath before passing out, whether underwater or above, change in relation to the number of the miles that you are running a week?

You can't hold your breath long enough to pass out, as breathing is an involuntary action. As you approach the loss of consciousness, you will no longer be able to hold your breath, thus taking the next breath that will keep you conscious.

It is possible to lose consciousness by intentionally hyperventilating.

I can hold my breath for ten minutes underwater...

Check this out:

i went through a freediving stage about a year ago and i could hold my breath for 4:10 running 0 miles per week. there probably is a strong correlation in swimmers and holding their breath but i dont think there is a strong one for runners. im almost possitive that practicing holding your breath will have 0 effect on your running. its mainly about lung capacity and how flexible your chest/core is. theres also techniques they use (air packing- its pretty interesting google it). also its about being able to keep you muscles relaxed when the hurt starts.

CAUTION - DO NOT TRY TO HOLD YOUR BREATH IN THE POOL. EXPERIENCED DIVERS AND NOVICES DIE DOING THIS.ALSO DONT HYPERVENTILATE BEFORE YOU GO UNDERWATER BECAUSE IT DECREASES YOUR URGE TO BREATH SINCE YOU HAVE FLUSHED CO2 OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM. YOUR BODY DOESNT KNOW WHEN ITS LOW ON 02 ONLY HIGH ON CO2.

i dont remember the exact reasons why but its dangerous to do in a pool if your trying to max out.

I practice the art of Gallowbreathing. Every ten seconds you inhale a small amount of air. I can go for hours.

otter wrote:

I practice the art of Gallowbreathing. Every ten seconds you inhale a small amount of air. I can go for hours.

Congratulations, that is pure genius.

Your ability to hold your breath correlates directly with your ability to slow down your metabolism. This is why tibetan monks can do amazing things like withstand great amounts of pain and warm rooms with solely their own body temperature. People can train their minds to be able to relax in such a way that allows them to slow their heartbeat enough that not as much oxygen is needed.

So I guess you could say runners would be better at holding breath because they constantly are trying to relax. It has nothing to do with Vo2 max. Just because you can hold MORE air doesn't mean you can hold air LONGER at all.

Zatopek was able to hold his breath until he passed out.

free diver wrote:

Check this out:

* Static Apnea

o women: Natalia Molchanova (Russia), 7m30s

o men: Herbert Nitsch (Austria), 9m04s