Thursday
Sep132012
The 2:3 Breathing Freestyle Method
Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 9:02AM At 3:20 into this video, you can see a nice demonstration of the 2:3 breathing method. It is a great way to increase your oxygen uptake, which is possibly your biggest limiter in long-distance swimming.
No doubt, it is a bit awkward to get used to. Trying it made me feel like I was learning to ride bike rollers in the pool. I had it down by the end of an hour of practice, so it is totally learnable. Gary Hall does make a good case for using it, so you might want to check it out.
Reader Comments (1)
I used this method during my first HIM this year. I did not plan on using it or even try it out before hand... But when i got in the water my heart rate must have sky rocketed because even halfway through the swim I could not hold my breath long enough to breath on alternating sides. This also presented another problem because apparently when i only breath on one side I start drifting from my straight path towards the side I am breathing on... I remembered seeing this new method in a Triathlete magazine i read and decided it would solve all my problems. It worked very well for the last half mile or so and I didnt have to sight as often!