Can holding your breath improve cardio?

Yes, holding your breath will improve your VO2 max. But you should be able to hold it for at least 7 minutes. Keep working at it. I hold my breath for 8 minutes every day. After I started doing this daily, my 5K went from 1510 to 1430 within 9 months.

Not likely.

And whatever you do, don't hyperventilate before holding your breath, or you might die.

The reason is hyperventilation reduces your CO2 levels below normal. Holding your breath prevents you from exhaling CO2, and the increasing levels of CO2 are what cause the feeling of suffocation. So hyperventilation makes it take longer to reach that critical CO2 level, long enough for the brain to shut down due to lack of oxygen. Free divers are frequently killed by this.

This is not well advertised, but David Blaine is actually a high 13s 5k runner.

Considering he typically runs only ~10mpw when NOT doing some crazy stunt (when of course he's not running at all), it must be due to the breath-holding.

Wow - we had this discussion in the mid 70's while out for a long run - one crazy teammate always held his breath when we ran up hills...he was also fully convinced that doing lots of bong inhaling work was equivalent to altitude training. His times unfortunately did not support his theories.

In the "Unbroken" book about Louis Zamperini, it says that Zamperini used to hold his breath as part of his training, so there's that. He also did a ton of running so I wouldn't necessarily attribute much to holding his breath.

In addition to Zamperini, Emil Zatopek, whose training was described as "brutal" felt holding his breath as part of his training helped to train his mind and body not to panic when he went into oxygen debt.

One of the stories I used to hear from my Oregon friends was that Bill McChesney used to hold his breath betweeen power poles alondside a road wilst tempoing.

Joaquim Cruz used to hold his breath the last 50 meters of his intervals.

Orville Atkins wrote:

In addition to Zamperini, Emil Zatopek, whose training was described as "brutal" felt holding his breath as part of his training helped to train his mind and body not to panic when he went into oxygen debt.

But the feeling of suffocation isn't about oxygen debt, it's CO2 overload, caused by not exhaling CO2.

Doesn't matter what the feeling of suffocation is, its the placebo effect it gave their bodies. Emil Zatopek is the only man to win triple gold in distance events. So apparently it worked for him, just because it doesn't work for someone else doesn't mean its an illegitimate concept.

Yes, the longer you can hold your breath the better.

Read about the Bohr effect.

http://www.normalbreathing.com/CO2-bohr-effect.php#.UIIDV7mc3SY

Might Oh Kondria wrote:

Yes, holding your breath will improve your VO2 max. But you should be able to hold it for at least 7 minutes. Keep working at it. I hold my breath for 8 minutes every day. After I started doing this daily, my 5K went from 1510 to 1430 within 9 months.

How long did you hold it before practicing?

Bad Wigins wrote:

hyperventilation makes it take longer to reach that critical CO2 level, long enough for the brain to shut down due to lack of oxygen. Free divers are frequently killed by this.

That is ridiculous.

Freedivers know better than to hyperventilate before diving.

O.o wrote:

Doesn't matter what the feeling of suffocation is, its the placebo effect it gave their bodies. Emil Zatopek is the only man to win triple gold in distance events. So apparently it worked for him, just because it doesn't work for someone else doesn't mean its an illegitimate concept.

No, we're talking about improving cardio physiology. Not improvement or performance in general. So, yes, it can be an illegitimate concept if it's not correct.

J.R. wrote:

That is ridiculous.

Freedivers know better than to hyperventilate before diving.

Ignoramus.

"freediving always involves a certain degree hyperventilation as defined by medical standards."

O.o wrote:

Doesn't matter what the feeling of suffocation is, its the placebo effect it gave their bodies. Emil Zatopek is the only man to win triple gold in distance events. So apparently it worked for him, just because it doesn't work for someone else doesn't mean its an illegitimate concept.

This.

There is no way training by holding your breath has any major physiological effect on your running because you do not have to cope with an immense build-up of CO2 in your body while you're running, or at least, not enough to make you feel like you're suffocating. However, holding your breath as long as possible is pretty darn painful and mentally challenging, so for some people I'm sure it works fine as a placebo trick.

Anything that helps you mentally, you should do, even if it's a bit strange or scientifically unsound (as long as it's not hurting you).

OP and all the subsequent posters suggesting this is dangerous are morons. You hold your breath too long you pass out and your body breathes. If you're alone in the water, maybe a problem. If you're sitting on the bench next to your coach you'll be fine. If you're in a pool and have friends around you'll be fine. Its called going to see the wizard.

Your coach probably thinks he has some undisciplined pussies on the team and wants a way to get rid of them. Methinks coach is on the right track.