Heather: Bilateral breathing sounds like the perfect style of breathing for swimming front
crawl. Here at GTN, we often talk about the benefits of breathing on both sides, but we
understand that for some of you, it might actually be more effort than it's worth. With
that in mind, today, I'm going to be looking at both sides of the debate so you can decide
whether bilateral breathing is for you. [music]
Bilateral means both sides and when it's talked about in reference to swimming front crawl,
it's about the breathing and that's usually breathing every three strokes, but it could
be up to five or seven and so on. Now you'd think that anything that's even or the same
on both sides is going to be great, but when it comes to swimming, that's not always necessarily
so, as it can come at a cost for some. We'll come back to that in a moment. It's now time
to look at the pros of bilateral breathing. [music]
As I've already mentioned it, let's start by talking about balance. Now, breathing on
both sides is going to lead to a more even stroke. Hopefully, you get the same workload
to all of your muscles and joints that are used in the front crawl stroke. In theory,
that should allow you to swim for longer without getting tired but also reduce the chance of
getting any injury, because there's not going to be any pinch points on one side more than
the other. Then, when it comes to actual range of movement at the joints and rotation, especially
in your neck, as there is a certain amount of rotation of your neck to both sides when
you're swimming. When you're breathing, it's going to be accentuated and will hopefully
help to keep your body just nice and even. [music]
Another pro is sighting and the ability to see others. Now, as triathletes, this one
is key because you're not going to have the black line down the middle of the pool or
a lane rope to guide you when you're swimming in an open water race. Admittedly, I know
that sighting is lifting your eyes up in front of you to see the buoy that's up ahead, but
being able to see what's on either side can be really beneficial too. Maybe you're staying
parallel to the coast or there's some other markers that you need to avoid on one side
or the other. Having that ability to breathe on both sides will allow you to know what's
around you. The same goes for fellow swimmers and not
wanting to bump into them or maybe if you're wanting to follow the direction they're heading
in. That leads me on to the next point, drafting. Yes, if you're just drafting someone's feet,
then it's purely in front of you, but maybe you've managed to get onto their hips or you're
by their knees and you want to keep an eye on where they are, so you need to breathe
on that side. If they've got a really strong leg kick, you might want to breathe on the
other side so you're not getting drowned with all of that splash.
[music] Our final pro following on from the splash
of the swimmer next to you, waves can have the same effect. You'll want to breathe away
from the waves if you want nice clean water and you don't want to be risking swallowing
any salty water on every in-breath. Equally, you might occasionally want to breathe towards
the wave so you know when they're coming and you can use them to your benefit when it comes
to sighting, as you might want to be on top of the crest of the wave when you look for
that buoy because you'll find it much easier to see. With all of that, why don't all swimmers
and triathletes breathe bilaterally? It is time to look at the cons.
[music] Bilateral breathing could even compromise
your stroke. I mentioned that how you breathe will affect your stroke and it's not always
in a positive manner. If you're someone who has a lot of rotation already, add in breathing
on both sides, well that's probably going to accentuate that rotation and maybe even
lead to over-rotation and basically slowing you down that way. If you are a swimmer that
doesn't rotate too much but maybe you have excessive head movement when you breathe,
if you're now suddenly breathing on both sides, that's going to add to a huge amount of head
movement, which can have a knock-on effect to your body and even lead to problems such
as snaking. [music]
Mobility can be a problem as not all of us have the mobility or range of movement in
our neck and our shoulders to allow us to breathe through both sides. If you're one
of those people and you're trying to get air in on the opposite side but can't really get
your head far enough around, swallowing a mouthful of water each time isn't really going
to lead to a productive stroke. That said, it isn't always an excuse because technique
and mobility can always be worked on. [music]
Another con to bilateral breathing can be the restriction on the amount of oxygen you
can get in. It's one I actually struggle with as sometimes I just need more air than I can
get on every three strokes. It could end up limiting your speed due to lack of oxygen.
[music] Finally, it could even affect your stroke
rate. As human beings, we aren't entirely even and the same goes for our swimming stroke.
Maybe you've got a really nice style that you enjoy and you've found that perfect rhythm
in your stroke, which involves just breathing on one side and you might find to introduce
breathing on the other side would set you back with the efficiency of your stroke at
least for the time being. [music]
That just shows the jury is out. As much as I love to see an evenly balanced stroke and
the benefits of breathing on both sides in triathlon are huge, bilateral breathing is
not something you need to stress about. Yes, having the ability to breathe on both sides
is going to be great for just checking what's around you in a race, but doesn't mean you
have to breathe on every third stroke. Basically, you've got to work out what's best for you.
Maybe have a think about how many of those pros or cons you can relate to and do let
us know in the comment section below which side of the fence you're sitting on.
I must admit, I went through phases as a swimmer. I mastered bilateral breathing, only to have
that torn apart and went back to breathing on my right as my coach identified I had excessive
head movement. That massively saw my swim times increase, but then I went to triathlon
and the rest is history. I must admit, I like a mixture of breathing two, three and four,
and I find that works nicely for me. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it. Give us a like. Check
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