Breathing up hills

[Curvygirl]

I'm trying desperately to overcome my fear of hills and am now including them in my rides. I'm pleased with my progress, I can actually cycle all the way up them without getting off, but what I'm noticing is that whilst my legs are fine I'm having trouble breathing. When I reached the top I'm huffing and puffing like I don't know what. Is there a better way to breathe or is this just something that will get better?

[SnappyPix]

Curvy,

Sounds like the majority of my hillclimbs!
If your legs are fine and you can get up the hills, I wouldn't worry too much about the breathing, as that will improve as your training progresses and your heart rate begins to drop over time.
It's really a conditioning thing - getting your muscles, heart rate and lungs used to exherting themselves on climbs.
Just remember to take deep, measured breaths (breathing from the diaphragm), rather than short, shallow breaths.

What part of Yorkshire are you from? I'm a Yorkshire lass myself.

[han-grrl]

What i notice in the races on the hills (mtb anyway) is that most of the women don't pace themselves for the climbs. they want to get to the top as fast as possible, but don't seem to take into consideration the difference between a 1:00 climb and an 8:00 one (yep, my favorite!). i notice that even though i go slower, by the time i get to the top, i am breathing hard yet manageable and pass all these people who are too pooped to continue before even making it to the top...

so...breathe and pace!



H

[makbike]

Curvygirl:

Once you reach the top and continue on does your breathing return to normal or are do you continue to struggle to move air? If your breathing continues to be a battle after the hill climb you might want to rule out exercise induced asthma.

[Geonz]

Breathing moreslowly and steadily helps, too. When I was on the swim team and totally breathless between sprints, somebody told me "breathe slower! You'll recover faster!" and I thought, "that's dumb, I need more air!!" ... but it works, and it works for going uphills, too.

[Nokomis]

Sounds like you're doing great! Keep at it, your aerobic fitness will improve.

I've been told or read to do the following:

• Breathe slowly - and yes, that is hard to do at first
• Breathe in a rhythm with your legs, so your body can recognize a pattern (instead of near hyperventilating) try 2 strokes in, 2 out, or even 2 in/3 out
• Breathe harder on the exhale - this will clear out your lungs & make the next inhale more effective

Just by concentrating on your breathing, your focus will slow it down. As you ride more hills, your body will grow accustomed to the demand your lungs require, and you will see improvement.

[Bad JuJu]

Also, you may be doing this already, but it doesn't hurt to remind yourself: gear down and spin as much as possible and only get out of the saddle if you have to, like the last few meters to get to the top. Out-of-the-saddle climbing has its place, but it wears you out fast.

[SJCzar]

I am exactly the same way. My legs never (almost never) give out, but by the time I get to the top of a good hill I'm really gasping.

I had to go for a stress-echo heart test last month and the techs told me it was fun to have someone who they could keep turning the speed up on and still not reach their max heart rate. They finally gave me a break when my breathing became too difficult. My heart rate had still not reached the point they were hoping for. This confirmed for me that all this cycling definitely has health benefits, even if I don't feel so athletic by the time I get to the top of a good hill. I'll have to try to concentrate more on my breathing and see if I can improve in that area as well.

[mimitabby]

I am exactly the same way. My legs never (almost never) give out, but by the time I get to the top of a good hill I'm really gasping.

I had to go for a stress-echo heart test last month and the techs told me it was fun to have someone who they could keep turning the speed up on and still not reach their max heart rate. They finally gave me a break when my breathing became too difficult. My heart rate had still not reached the point they were hoping for. This confirmed for me that all this cycling definitely has health benefits, even if I don't feel so athletic by the time I get to the top of a good hill. I'll have to try to concentrate more on my breathing and see if I can improve in that area as well.

SJ i am glad you brought this up. for some of us (age!!!) there is a max
beyond which we should not go heartwise. Some of my fellow bikers have
been told by their doctors not to go above a certain rate..

[kelownagirl]

I had a lot of trouble breathing when I first started doing hills and then finally learned that I had exercise-induced asthma. I've probably always had it but I never exerted myself that much before. With my inhaler, I have no problems doing the hills anymore (well, I still suck at them but at least I can breathe). I also wear a HR monitor and I know that if get too close to my max (185), I have trouble breathing so I slow down a bit. I am hoping, like the other posters said, that once I get in better shape, it won't be as much of a problem...

[Deanna]

I find that using pilates breathing techniques me on the hills, and has the added benefit of stabilizing my core. You can google "pilates breathing" for instructions, though most are geared towards mat work, you can learn to use it on the bike.

[chickwhorips]

my bf always tells me to do the slow breathing thing and breath from my belly. if i actually concentrate on it and do it, i do great. if not i tend to have the same result as you.

[winddance]

I have exercise-induced asthma, too. I still breathe hard on hills, but the difference is amazing. I had thought I was just out of shape, so the first time I went for a ride after using my inhaler, I was shocked. The only thing I could think was, "this must be what it's like for everyone else!"

So if trying to control your breathing doesn't work, and you're actually having difficult breathing, go see your doctor. It never occured to me that I might have asthma, and I definitely struggled with it for far longer than I should have.

[Denise223]

Lots of good information here. Thanks!!

I do have asthma & use Advair (2X/day) & Albuterol Inhalors (prn). I'm getting better with hills (small)......and I need to learn how to control my breathing...

Thanks again!

Denise

[RoadRaven]

I am basically posting to agree with everyone else...

Get your breathing into a rythym... for me I breathe with the pedal stroke - I have a slow cadence up hills so this works.

If its a long hill than about half-way up I "huff" out a few times to get rid of all the air in my lungs.

Also, once over the hill, I do big deep breaths too to get rid of any "dead air" lurking in my lungs, and to get loads of oxygen into my system, before I settle into a downhill breathing rythym, which for me tends to be longer and slower than flats or uphills because I want to lower my heart rate as well as oxynegate (sp?) my muscles.

I also wanted to post that making myself breath in a rythym is hard to do, I have to focus and keep making myself do it.

The first thing when I start to get distressed either on flats or on hills is to check my breathing, and more often than not I am taking short sharp breths. As soon as I change back into a deeper regular pattern, I start to feel better in less than a minute.

Denise, and other asthma gals, I don't know how this fits with that... but it works for me over summer when I get hayfever, and occasional asthma, but my rides do decrease a little in intensity over that time