Fake news or legit? Runner's World says running with a mask will help you get faster

Our team sometimes does 800 repeats where you hold a few drops of water in your mouth so you’re forced to nose breathe. Don’t think we have done it enough to notice a big benefit, but it’s an interesting concept

For the same reason training with ankle weights or a weight vest won't make you faster.

While I think nose breathing can help improve efficiency, I think that's probably related to properly using the design of the human body: the nose and its associated pathways have a lot of features that probably facilitate oxygen delivery to our working muscles. The nose-breathing philosophy could best be summed up as: "use that thing on your face that has been specifically designed for O2 uptake by millions of years of evolution" (the born-to-run argument).

As far as restricting breath volume using a mask...that's a different mechanism. That's just forcing your body to try and manage to produce the same work rate while processing a lower volume of air. Perhaps there are adaptations there. However, I think I remember reading that it's pretty easy to gulp down enough oxygen to do that - we can still operate near the same work rate when we don't breathe quite as much volume of air (it's not super important).

Fake news. I’m gonna light s cigarette now before going to a 50 mile bike ride. See ya later!

Runner's World was over for me when they enclosed a poster of Shalane Flanagan with some swear words! Also, the last time I viewed "it, it was all advertising!

sprint fast wrote:

This is similar to the old school mentality that you should restrict fluids while working out.

You forget the second phase of that old school technique.

The coach has put you through a second practice that day in full pads on a hot August afternoon without so much as a drop of water.

Because of the team's lethargic performance that day he must then order as punishment an endless series of wind sprints at the end of practice because everyone was 'dogging' it.

soccerxc wrote:

Our team sometimes does 800 repeats where you hold a few drops of water in your mouth so you’re forced to nose breathe. Don’t think we have done it enough to notice a big benefit, but it’s an interesting concept

Does your coach run a 4:30 mile? I know of a coach who does and this seems like something his team would do.

Runner10287 wrote:

For the same reason training with ankle weights or a weight vest won't make you faster.

I think many if not most just use 'natural' weight vest, their off-season and base building weight being several pounds more than their competition period weight. Losing some body fat before an important race definitely does work!

nonary ant wrote:

Runner10287 wrote:

For the same reason training with ankle weights or a weight vest won't make you faster.

I think many if not most just use 'natural' weight vest, their off-season and base building weight being several pounds more than their competition period weight. Losing some body fat before an important race definitely does work!

Yeah that's different than weight vest because it's natural.