The Breathing Technique that Improves Cycling Performance (more EPO)

More about Pete: petejacobs.com
About the RCA: roadcyclingacademy.com
Increasing your bodies natural EPO with breathing techniques? Is this possible? In this video 2012 Kona World Champ Pete Jacobs shares a breathing technique he uses to improve cycling performance.
#cycling #training #hacks
Study One: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18097...
Study Two: oxygenadvantage.com/increased...
Study Three: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10600...

[@Helllyeah]

This may be a little confusing for some, however what he is trying to say (I think) is that by retaining CO2 (hypercapnic) by breathing out less (hypoventilating) we increase the bloods ability to dump oxygen at places where there is a large build up of CO2, like the working muscles. This is known as the Bohr effect. Also, by increasing the O2 dumping characteristic, the blood has a higher affinity to “absorb” CO2 (in the form of bicarbonate) and move it out of the body at the lungs, where it once again has a higher affinity to take up oxygen. (Haldene effect) Something like this: Hypoventilation -> increase in O2 dumping + increase in CO2 absorbing (at the muscles) = hypercapnia -> increase in O2 uptake + increase in CO2 dumping (at the lungs)…..and the cycle continues I suggest looking up these effects in addition to the “oxygen disassociation curve”.

[@peterers3]

that might explain why I cycle faster and feel better after 15-30 min warmup.

[@cillian_scott]

​​@@peterers3his is more likely because of increased blood flow. Your heart has gotten the chance to start beating faster and your muscles are already in the process of using energy. It's similar to most things, setting up requires a lot of energy compared to just continuing on

[@cillian_scott]

I think it's moreso trying to mimic the effects of altitude training, CO2 retention chronically will result in production of Epo, then when you're looking to put out some watts you can start forcibly breathing again, now you have a bigger bank of red blood cells and your deep breaths are going to have a bigger effect.

[@santiagobenites]

This was some really excellent and valuable information, and Pete was really a fantastic guest!. You're the best for making interesting videos like this, Cam. Cheers!

[@gavinbutler1109]

Another awesome interview with Pete. Some very interesting content always learning from RCA. Great work keep them coming

[@thirlan1]

Fascinating video! Thanks!

[@chrisdavis4669]

Lundberg JON, Rinder J, Weitzberg E, et al. (1996) showed that NO in the nasal airways reduced by up to 83% after just 5 minutes of exercise. So the NO benefit of nasal breathing may not be anywhere as large as suggested.

[@global_nomad.]

thanks for this video..not heard these aspects of breating explained in this way before...so something to study further as someone who has always struggled to breath through my nose while exercising

[@leroy_who]

Absoutely nailing it Cam. I could listen to you talk with Pete and Neill all day. Cheers.

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

Cheers Leroy

[@MrBaker88]

Breathing really is underestimated. I’ve done some regular breath work and noticed so much advantages. Not just on the sport front, but also healtbased. Look into some stuff Wim Hoff does if you’re interested. Not just the breathing, but combined with cold baths etc. I feel there is so much to discover still about stuff we can control ourselves. Thx for the vid btw, keep up the good work!

[@brolaf37]

Doesn't the hyperventilating and breathing through the mouth run counter to some of what he is talking about?

[@MrBaker88]

@@brolaf37 how do you mean? Im Not suggesting Wim Hof and that discussed in this video is similar. Just saying there is a whole lot people can do themselves just by trying different techniques.

[@GKel77]

Really informative video. Thank Pete and you for sharing so interestingly unique techniques from other sports that we can integrated to our cycling training routine. Keep them coming, Pete is such a nice addition to RCA vids.

[@davekashuba4730]

So THAT'S why my wife keeps taping my mouth shut.

[@CycoWarriorx]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

haha!

[@jamboratelly]

Great interview and a fantastic reinforcement of knowledge and practice that work. May I ask what type of tape do you use?

[@lukassam2]

Well, Buteyko and oxygen advantage for better life and sport performance! Great video!!

[@Saladh_Olivier]

Thanks for another interesting video! Would be really great to hear Pete’s opinion about consuming iron food supplements. Cheers!

[@jhvisual5393]

Great tips! Thanks! Been nose breathing on all my zone 2 rides and having a hunch that I should not breathe so much/frequently while swimming also. Implementing these tips now to breathe less frequent while swimming. I'm quite interested now to see how low I can get my breath rate.

[@cammo1986]

Ain't no way I can get enough air in through my nose while punching up hills...

[@timwolf5742]

Exactly!

[@chrispana220]

Nose breathe strips for my rides helps me to breathe more efficiently, you see most competitive cyclists these days use them and it works really well

[@funksoulbrother3620]

Good video. The holding the breath until the diaphragm stars spasming is also good to get rid of hiccups

[@savagepro9060]

Works for me EVERY TIME, also when swallowed food refuse to comply with they downhill journey.

[@Silidons91]

I never realized how much I breathed through my mouth until I went to the police academy. I got screamed at for not keeping my mouth shut while standing at attention. Now I don't do it as much anymore and that was 8 years ago lol.

[@tobyedmonds72]

Ditto look at the work by James Nestor re: breathing. Very similar to Patrick McKeown but coming into it as a beginner/journalist and starting from scratch.

[@Terrierized]

I'm definitely thankful for this one.. my nose commonly blocks up when I lie down to sleep ! Semi addicted to anti histamine which helps a little bit, but breathing techniques are much more preferable

[@paulojrg]

A way that I've found to reduce gasping while cycling (mostly in climbs) is to take a sip of water and use it as a mean to force the through nose breathing until the heart rate drops to where i want it and the breathing is more controlled.

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

Interesting to hear Paulo, thanks for sharing on the thread.

[@TheMASDrummer]

Cite please

[@mkrzeminski89]

2:45 I believe you mean septum :D sacrum is something else :P I've been nose breathing now for a couple of years myself :) one of the best things I've changed in my life!

[@paranormalcyclist0428]

Does the recovery of your operation fast? I have the same situation, I'm thinking of having this operation

[@bobomac8330]

I went high altitude mountaineering ages ago with a doctor that did a study on blood oxygen saturation, I got down to 55% another got to 45%. Does that help epo, and by extension is that why pro's do high altitude training?

[@susanpolsen5669]

Nasal breathing is also crucial in proper jaw development and the collation of the tongue position/pressure...this is what I've found when doing research on nasal breathing

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

Thanks for sharing Susan

[@cillian_scott]

Just FYI, Epo is released by the kidneys but effects proliferation of blood cells which occurs in the marrow

[@chmart]

Surgery for my sinuses is planned, probably the first step is to properly get air through the nose.. then I might try these techniques :)

[@user-ns3cb7jg9w]

There's always room of improvement since no one is perfect. There's always room of improvement since no one is perfect.

[@raymondc6249]

What about breathing out? nose or mouth?

[@user-yn5sk5ru5g]

On my endurance rides i try to just breath through my nose, because it limits the intensity. My nose is also crooked af. I always try to fall in sleep with my mouth shut, but yeah...might try this tape sometime

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

Thanks for sharing on the thread Thanas, I do the same. When I remember! Cam

[@norbert4571]

2:38 What improvements have you seen after your septoplasty (nose operation)?

[@adisipunct9562]

There's always room of improvement since no one is perfect

[@Eirikkinserdal]

Nasal spray companies will lose their minds over the blocked nose tip 😅

[@philippecardin1109]

Not everyone can breathe trought the nose when exercising. What i do when i breathe trought the mouth is i put the tip of my tongue on the roof of my mouth and i leave it there to breathe. The air passes besides the tongue instead of the hole mouth. So it creates a bit of restriction and i don't exhale as fast, not only that but also it help not to have the mouth/throat as dry. At one time it even prevented me to swallow a bug, loll

[@aubreyxengland]

great advice for all those "mouth-breathers" out there 😂

[@terrywalker7127]

He does mention the when I am going very hard snot is flying when trying to breathe through the nose lol. Oh did I say that?

[@terrywalker7127]

When nose breathing, are you breathing in and out through the nose or just breathing out through the nose?

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

You want to breath in through the nose. That is the critical part. Check out the zone two base training on road ride in the course Terry, I discuss this there in some detail. Cam

[@simoF6]

@@roadcyclingacademy6476 which course Cam ?

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

@@simoF6 Uplevel Road Cycling Course, Terry is a member of our program. Cheers, Cam roadcyclingacademy.com/the-uplevel-road-cycling-course/

[@EnigmaticAnomaly]

I can't breathe through my nose -- it burns my nostrils out.

[@Joe-kc6ik]

I work in a cooler all day my nose always runs I have a hard time breathing through my nose.

[@zlmdragon.]

can you not leave it outside the cooler?

[@scotth3354]

Uh, your septum was bent (deviated), not your sacrum

[@petejacobs3154]

haha😅

[@hidthedark1769]

Now i can be a demon slayer thx for the breathing technique btw i use sun style wby?

[@elieg.8920]

I had parital turbinectomy no more moisture, no more filering, not more benefits,, empty nose syndrom. I dont get why the dr do turbinectomy reduce nasal tissue without even consentement..

[@umutaymakoglu4418]

Buteyko technique.

[@earlgreybutt]

EPO is a hormone produced by the kidneys not the bone marrow

[@roadcyclingacademy6476]

Are you certain it’s purely produced in the kidneys?

[@scotth3354]

@@roadcyclingacademy6476 yes. EPO is produced in the kidneys and stimulates the marrow to produce more RBC

[@savagepro9060]

@@roadcyclingacademy6476 KIDNEYS, yep

[@championx1]

For people with kidney failure would it still be produced? Ty

[@savagepro9060]

@@championx1 When your kidneys are damaged, they produce less erythropoietin (EPO)

[@whowhy9108]

Please don’t spend 40 bucks on an oximeter. You can get them for 20 or less and work just fine.

[@fararrarara6769]

i hate mouth breathing because its make me thirsty

[@timwolf5742]

None of this made sense to me. I free dive and before going under we hyperventilate so we have a store of O2 in our bodies. The real reason your heart rate drops as CO2 levels rise, is because your body is conserving what O2 remains for essential areas of the body that need it the most. Basic physiology.This next video by a respiratory therapist teaches us the opposite of this method. We want to get the CO2 out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZikoWCJr7-qaK8 Also, research has shown that very little NO3 is present/retained in the nostrils.

[@discbrakefan]

Lost me pretty quickly with retaining CO2 and it connecting with oxygen and somehow providing a benefit. This doesn't make any sense at a chemistry level. When exercising with any anaerobic contribution, heavy breathing is actually as much about expelling CO2 as it is about intaking oxygen. You breath heavily when anaerobic because the body is trying to get as much CO2 out as possible. Maybe there is some science to nasal breathing, but I'm not hearing anything that makes sense here.

[@asafianski]

In general retaining CO2 make sens, basically this is how high altitude training works, you won't argue with the fact that altitude training is effective? ;) Read about Bohr effect, when CO2 level is less than ~5% O2 "sticks" to hemoglobine and it's not easily released to cells and tissues. Of course this is huge simplification, but I reccomend book mentioned on the beggining of this video - The Oxygen Advantage, you'll find there more scientific researches, and way better explanation about EPO, excercises, nasal breathing and much more :) And by the way - of course when you push yourself to the limit you won't be able to breath thru the nose, this is obvious, but by doing some simple excercises (breath holding which simulates HA training) you'll be able to accommodate more CO2 which result in better cells oxygenation. This is actually very similar to training your muscles to be able to store more lactic acid.

[@Sionnach1601]

I couldn't more agree with you It sounds like pseudoscience nonsense and people granting themselves a comfy placebo effect.

[@djc0108]

I believe and others can correct me if i’m wrong…..the increase in CO2 is the catalyst which makes the blood give up it’s oxygen to working muscles; without the increase in CO2 the oxygen stays put in the blood. The increase in CO2 also helps dilate blood capillaries. In anaerobic events like the 100m elite athletes will often run either holding their breath or taking few breaths. Marathon runners like Kipchoge will breathe lightly through pursed lips. People who gasp and breathe heavy during exercise aren’t as well conditioned and try to get more oxygen in through being wide mouthed…..this doesn’t translate to improved performance as the excess CO2 breathed out causes constriction of the blood capillaries and for the blood to hold onto oxygen as opposed to giving it up to muscles that require it. That’s my basic understanding with regards the Bohr effect - if anybody understands it differently please feel free to add to this and/or dispute this.

[@djc0108]

@@kidsafe Is Lactate Shuttling the same or similar to Lactate Threshold training ?

[@Markhypnosis1]

Look up what hyperventilation is. It's essentially over breathing which results in too much co2 being expelled, leading to lower co2 levels in the blood, which in turn leads to lower oxygen absorption. As he said, this is why people who hyperventilate feel dizzy.....because of lack of oxygen through expelling too much co2. This is why a simple cure for hyperventilating is to breathe into a bag. It's putting more co2 back into the blood stream. I think you need to do some research before claiming none of it makes sense. Read Patrick Mceown's book, and also Breath by James Nestor.

[@markifi]

50 dollars for an oximeter? you've been ripped off

[@realChewky]

EPO comes from kidneys, not marrow. Sorry, had to say it, interesting video though!