這是一篇2020年8月Sam Geurts在medium.com發表的文章，我在這裡做95%的摘譯，主題是如何透過鼻孔呼吸提升運動員的表現。(鼻孔呼吸指的是運動時嘴巴閉緊，吸氣和吐氣都只經過鼻孔；游泳例外) 。 文中我有根據我這方面的廣泛閱讀和自己三年來鐵人和騎車訓練的經驗做了一些補充說明。This article is a 95% sharing (with a bit pruning) with Chinese translation from a 2020-08 medium.com article by Sam Geurts on the topic of how nasal breathing can help improve athletic performance. I added several remarks (including one correction) based on the books I read on this topic and my 3 years’ experience in applying this technique in my training for IRONMAN and hill-climbing cycling.
Here is the article by Sam Geurts. 下面就是Sam Geurts的文章。
睡眠專家邁可·弗蘭內爾的一篇評論報告透露， 有一種秘密絕招可以提升運動表現，但大部分運動員和教練都不知道，那就是鼻孔呼吸。A review paper by Michael Flanell revealed that there is a secret ingredient overlooked in athletic performance. The secret ingredient is nasal breathing.
這篇報告詳細介紹了嘴巴呼吸與鼻孔呼吸之間的差異 。 她解釋了為什麼嘴巴呼吸對健康不好，而且會影響運動表現，但鼻孔呼吸卻是對健康和運動表現都有益處。 這些發現和我在這個議題上閱讀過的兩本暢銷書的觀點互相呼應：
The paper goes into detail about the differences between mouth vs nasal breathing. She explains how mouth-breathing hurts health and performance, while nasal breathing enhances these areas. The findings mirror those found in two books I’ve read on the topic：
第一本書 Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor (May, 2020)
第二本書 The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick Mckeown (Sep. 2015)
(小編補充說明：這兩本書我分別在2018和2020年也都讀過，這篇文章報導的只是鼻孔呼吸對運動員表現的幫助，但事實上鼻孔呼吸對人的健康還有更多其他好處((這篇報導只談到其中一個，就是睡眠品質))。我想針對「為什麼運動員應該盡量用鼻孔呼吸」 這個議題寫一篇文章已經很久了，一直沒時間完成，最近讀到這篇Sam Geurts在medium.com發表的文章， 感覺我想分享的重點大多有涵蓋到了，所以我這裡是對他那篇文章95%的摘譯分享。）
身為一位體能教練， 我注意到最近在提升體能這個領域裡有個新的風潮。 越來越多的人提倡在比賽中運用「呼吸調理」的方法來提升耐力、 加速恢復和平衡情緒狀態。 Brian Mackenzie、Rob Wilson 和 PJ Nestler 是這個議題的專家， 我有在網路上關注他們，我也建議大家關注這幾位專家。
I’m a strength and conditioning coach and I’ve noticed a movement in the human performance world. More and more people are advocating the use of breathwork to enhance endurance, recovery, and emotional states during competition. Brian Mackenzie, Rob Wilson, and PJ Nestler are experts on the topic and people I follow on the interwebs. I recommend you do the same.
你現在心裡可能已經在OS：“怎麼呼吸我會啊， 而且已經會一輩子了。” 我當然知道你會呼吸。 但是您是否有發揮出呼吸最大的潛力？ 人的身體有個特性：它只會自我調節，不會自我優化。 它會讓你活著，但不會讓你變得更健康或提高你的運動表現 (小編註：除非你另外再下功夫)。
You might be thinking “I know how to breathe, I’ve been doing it my whole life.” I agree that you can breathe. But are you maximising your potential? The body is self-regulating, not self-optimising. It will keep you alive but it won’t make you healthy or improve your sports performance.
Quick physiology lesson 關於呼吸的一個簡短生理課程
為了方便本文的討論，容我向您介紹一下呼吸系統運作的基本原理， 先不要談太多科學的細節。當我們吸氣時，氧氣進入我們的肺部。 在肺部，氧氣進入一些稱為肺泡的小氣囊，再經由肺泡進入血液。
For the purpose of this article, I need to give you a quick overview of how the respiratory system works, without getting into the nitty-gritty of all the science. When we breathe in, oxygen moves into our lungs. At the lungs, the oxygen makes its way to these little air sacs called alveoli. Alveoli allow oxygen into the blood.
成年人的肺部平均包含大約6億個這種海綿狀、充滿空氣的結構。 一個肺裡面的所有肺泡攤開來足以覆蓋大約一個網球場大小的區域（根據國家地理雜誌的報導)。
The average adult’s lungs contain about 600 million of these spongy, air-filled structures. There are enough alveoli in just one lung to cover an area roughly the size of a tennis court. — National Geographic
一旦氧氣通過肺泡，它們就會搭血紅蛋白的便車 (被運送到需要它們的地方，包括正在運動中的肌肉)。 血紅蛋白存在於血液中，可與氧氣有很強的結合。 氧氣一旦搭上這個便車，和血紅蛋白就很難分開。 讓氧氣從血紅蛋白中釋放出來這個步驟需要一種很重要的物質，就是「二氧化碳」(CO2)。 而二氧化碳也是肌肉運作過程中產生的廢物。
Once oxygen passes through the alveoli, they hitch a ride to something called haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is found in the blood and has a strong bond with oxygen. This makes them hard to separate. In order to release oxygen from haemoglobin, we need carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product from the working muscle.
因為我們的肌肉需要氧氣才能產生能量， 所以我們肌肉中必須有足夠的二氧化碳，才能讓氧分子容易地進出肌肉的血液。 如果肌肉中沒有足夠的二氧化碳，氧氣就無法從血液進入肌肉， 如果氧氣不能進入肌肉，肌肉就無法產生能量。 如果我們不能創造能量，那麼我們的表現就會受到影響。
Because our muscles need oxygen to create energy, we need to have enough carbon dioxide present at the muscle to allow this exchange to take place. If there’s not enough carbon dioxide in the muscle, then oxygen won’t transfer across. If oxygen can’t transfer across, it can’t create energy. If we can’t create energy, then our performance suffers.
當我們用嘴巴呼吸時，我們會排出過多的二氧化碳。 呼出過多的二氧化碳的結果就是我們無法充分使用我們吸入的氧氣，我們就是在浪費呼吸。但別擔心，這個問題有一個解決方法，就是：減少呼吸，而且只用鼻孔呼吸。在我們討論如何只用鼻孔呼吸來減少呼吸和提高運動表現之前， 我們必須先了解「嘴巴呼吸對運動員會有什麼不好的副作用」。
When we breathe through our mouths, we offload too much carbon dioxide. Breathing out too much carbon dioxide means we can’t actually use the oxygen we breathe in. We’re wasting our breath. But never fear, there is a solution to this problem — breathe less and breathe through the nose. Before we get into how we can utilise nasal breathing to breathe less and enhance performance, it’s important to go through the side effects mouth-breathing has on athletes.
Mouth breathing 嘴巴呼吸
“鼻子是用來呼吸的，嘴巴是用來吃飯的”，聽過這句話嗎？
這句話是有它的道理的。 上天創造人類，在設計鼻子的結構時考量的主要是呼吸系統，所以唯有過鼻子呼吸，我們的呼吸和生理機能才能達到最佳化。 我們應該只在以下情況才通過嘴巴呼吸：
- 作為鼻子因受傷或疾病而阻塞時的備用系統
- 在緊急情況下，例如，你被某人或某物追殺時
- 作為進行短時間和高強度爆發訓練時的頂級裝備
Ever heard the saying “noses are for breathing, mouths are for eating”?
It’s true. Our nose was designed with the respiratory system in mind. We optimise our breath and our physiology when breathing through the nose. We should only breathe through the mouth in the following situations:
- As a back-up system in case of a blockage in the nose from injury or illness
- In emergency situations. For example, you’re getting chased by someone or something.
- As a top gear when performing short and high-intensity bursts of training.
在上述這些情況下偶而用嘴巴呼吸沒關係。 但長期的嘴巴呼吸會導致一系列負面健康後果。 Patrick Mckeown 在他的 The Oxygen Advantage 一書中概述了其中的一些副作用，例如：
- 哮喘和過敏
- 疲勞和注意力不集中
- 肥胖和低能量
- 負面情緒
- 睡眠障礙
- 心臟問題
- 精神健康問題
- 顱面異常(頭顱和臉部形狀異常)
- 還有更多
It’s okay in these circumstances. But chronic mouth breathing leads to a laundry list of negative health consequences. Patrick Mckeown outlines a few of these side effects in his book The Oxygen Advantage such as:
- Asthma and allergies
- Fatigue and poor concentration
- Obesity and low energy
- Negative mood
- Sleep disorder
- Heart problems
- Mental health issues
- Cranio-facial abnormalities
- Plus a whole lot more
邁可·弗蘭內爾在她2019年的那篇報告中列出了更多(嘴巴呼吸) 對身體的負面影響，例如頭部前傾症(會增加頸部和脊柱的負荷)。 還有脫水、體內發炎和呼吸氣道阻塞。 她也進一步說明了嘴巴呼吸對睡眠、精力和能量的連環性負面影響。
In the 2019 paper by Flanell, she outlines many more effects (caused by mouth breating) such as forward head syndrome — which increases the load on the neck and spine. As well as dehydration, inflammation, and obstruction of the airways. She also goes through the downward spiralling effect on sleep, stamina, and energy.
話雖如此，但事情並非如此黯然無望。 針對時下很多人習慣嘴巴呼吸這樣的 一個”流行病”，其實有一個很方便的解決方案。 這方案是免費的，沒有入門障礙， 而且您現在就可以開始使用。 在接下來的幾段裡，我將概述鼻孔呼吸對運動表現的重要性，我也會提供一些如何運用這種呼吸方法的策略。
In saying that, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is a convenient solution to the mouth-breathing epidemic. It’s free, there is no barrier to entry and it’s available to you right now. Over the next few sections, I’ll outline the importance of nasal breathing on performance, and I’ll give you some strategies on how you can implement this breathing practice.
Enhancing sleep 提升睡眠品質
睡眠對運動員的表現至關重要。正如馬修．沃克在他的暢銷書為什麼要睡覺中所說的:
“我們身體內所有主要器官和腦部主要的運作機制幾乎都可以透過良好的睡眠品質達到最佳化的改善 (相對的也會因為睡眠不好而受損)”
(小編註： 兩年前我寫過一篇文章介紹馬修．沃克這本非常棒的書 👉 https://coachdenys.com/why-we-sleep/）
As an athlete, sleep is crucial for performance. As Mathew Walker says in his book “Why We Sleep”…
“There does not seem to be one major organ with the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t optimally enhanced by sleep (and detrimentally impaired when we don’t get enough).”
(Coach Denys: I wrote an article about this excellent book by Mathew Walker two years ago. 👉 https://coachdenys.com/why-we-sleep/）
深層睡眠讓我們的身體進入恢復狀態， 才可以修復(運動過程中)受損的細胞。 沒有充足的睡眠，身體的細胞就無法恢復，細胞功能也不會隨著時間的推移而優化。 在經過訓練的刺激後，我們必須給身體足夠的時間去恢復並適應，訓練效果才會出來， 身體(運動表現)才會變得更好。
Deep sleep allows us to go into the optimal state of recovery for repairing damaged cells. Without sufficient sleep, we can’t recover and we won’t improve over time. We only get better once our body has had time to recover and adapt to the training stimulus.
睡覺時如果用嘴呼吸，很容易出現阻塞性睡眠呼吸中止、睡不穩(常常醒過來)和打鼾的問題。 如果您起床醒來時口乾舌燥，或者儘管睡了8 小時但起床後仍然昏昏沉沉，您可能就是患有某種形式的睡眠呼吸中止症。 但其實解決這個問題的方法很簡單：晚上睡覺時用貼布把嘴巴貼停就好了。
When you breathe through your mouth during sleep, you’re more likely to experience obstructive sleep apnea, micro awakenings, and snoring. If you wake up with a dry mouth or are groggy in the morning despite getting 8 hours’ sleep, you may be suffering from some form of sleep apnea. Taping your mouth shut at night can help with this.
你也許會認為我這個建議太荒謬了。 其實我以前還特別針對這個嘴巴貼膠布的方法寫過一篇文章。 但這個方法一點都不荒謬。 很多呼吸專家和牙醫都建議這樣做。 你只需要一捲3M微孔膠帶， 睡覺前撕下一個小方塊， 貼在你兩片嘴唇中央。 頭幾個晚上你可能因為不習慣會醒過來。 沒關係， 堅持下去，最終，你就會戴著它睡一整晚。(小編補充： 我自己剛開始頭幾天也是這樣，但不到一週就適應了，截至今天，我每天晚上在嘴唇上貼膠帶睡一整晚已經有五年的歷史， 打鼾也已成為歷史。)
You might think I’m crazy for recommending taping your mouth shut at night. I’ve written an article on this before. But it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Many breathing experts and dentists recommend doing the same. All you need to do is get some 3M micropore tape, tear off a small square, and cover the centre of your lips. You will likely wake up during the first few nights with it off. That’s okay! Keep at it and eventually, you’ll sleep through the entire night with it on. (Coach Denys’ remark: It took me a week to get used to it. As of today, I have been sleeping with my mouth taped every single night in the past 5 years. Snoring has since become a history for me.)
這個撇步我建議可以在白天練習慢慢適應，可以在白天做家務時貼幾個小時。 然後在睡前一小時再貼上膠帶，然後繼續你的正常生活。 有必要的話， 你可能得提前向你的伴侶道歉， 如果他/她不喜歡你那性感的膠帶小鬍子的話，就說是我教你的！
I recommend practising with it during the day to get comfortable. Spend a few hours with the tape on doing household chores. Then throw it on an hour before bed and go about your normal routine. Apologise to your partner in advance and blame me for the sexy, tape-moustache if you have to!
Endurance training 耐力運動訓練
還記得本文開頭的簡短生理課程嗎？ 現在可以派上用場了。 要成為一名高效能的有氧運動員取決於你的生理系統對體內二氧化碳的耐受程度。 是的，其他因素也很重要，例如效率、技術、心態等等。 但就本文而言，讓我們來談談二氧化碳。
Remember that physiology lesson from the start of this article? This is where that comes in handy. Being an efficient aerobic athlete comes down to how well you can tolerate carbon dioxide in the system. Yes, other things matter such as efficiency, technique, mindset, and so on. But for the purpose of this article, let’s talk about carbon dioxide.
我們身體的生理系統可以容忍的二氧化碳越多，就可以進行更高強度的運動越久而不疲勞。 我們可以用閉嘴進行耐力訓練來提升身體對二氧化碳的耐受程度。 為了幫助你理解這後面的生理機制，讓我分享關於一位著名鐵人三項教練的小故事。
The more carbon dioxide we can tolerate in the system, the higher intensity we can work at without fatiguing. We can build up our tolerance to carbon dioxide by performing our endurance training with our mouths shut. To understand why, let me tell you a little story about a famous triathlon coach.
John Douillard博士曾經指導過職業籃球、網球、和鐵人三項的菁英運動員。 他認為嘴巴呼吸對他的運動員有害，所以他設計了一個實驗。 他召集了一群職業自行車手，把最好的騎車裝備給組裝起來，讓他們在自行車訓練台上進行增量運動測試。 每隔幾分鐘，他就會增加踩踏的阻力，直到最後的 200瓦階段。 這樣的測試他進行了兩次，一次讓自行車手們用嘴巴呼吸，另一次要求他們只能用鼻孔呼吸。
Dr. John Douillard has worked with elite athletes from professional basketball to tennis and triathlons. He thought mouth breathing was detrimental to his athletes, so he set-up an experiment. He gathered some professional cyclists, rigged them up with all the bells and whistles, and had them perform an incremental exercise test on a stationary bike. Every few minutes he would increase the resistance until the final 200-watt stage. He performed this test twice — once with mouth breathing and once with nasal breathing.
John發現，測試進行中只用鼻孔呼吸時，呼吸頻率隨著踩踏強度的增加而降低。 其中一名騎士在實驗的最後階段用嘴巴呼吸的方式是每分鐘呼吸47次，但換成鼻孔呼吸時，同一階段，他每分鐘只呼吸14次，而且還保持與開始測試時相同的心率，儘管在測試的最後階段踩踏強度已增加了十倍。
John found that when performing the test breathing only through the nose, the rate of breathing decreased as the intensity increased. One of the cyclists was breathing 47 times a minute through their mouth, at the final stage of the experiment. During the same stage in the nasal trial, he was only breathing 14 times a minute. He also maintained the same heart rate as what he started the test with. Even though the intensity of the exercise increased tenfold.
他得出結論：通過鼻子呼吸可以減低勞累感並增加耐力。受測試的運動員則回報說在只用鼻孔呼吸的測試後感覺精力充沛，而不是筋疲力盡。
“如果經由訓練和耐心，你可以用每分鐘 14 次呼吸而不是使用傳統技術進行 47 次呼吸來完成相同的運動負荷，那有什麼理由不這樣做呢？“ — Dr. John Douillard。
He concluded that breathing through your nose could cut down on exertion and increase endurance. The athletes reported feeling invigorated after the nasal test, rather than exhausted.
“If, with training and patience, you can perform the same exercise workload with only 14 breaths per minute instead of 47 using conventional techniques, what reason could there be not to do it? ” — John Douillard.
Breath-hold training 憋氣訓練
上面提到的第二本書的作者Patrick Mckeown 概述了如何在海平面模擬高海拔訓練(小編註：這裡提到的訓練方法是一種模擬，有很接近的效果，但不能跟實際高山訓練畫上等號)。方法很簡單，就是把你平日的訓練憋著氣進行(小編註：當然先是很短的試行10秒，再慢慢增長到20-30秒，不可能是全程憋氣)。 這可以降低您對體內二氧化碳堆積的敏感性，從而增加您對二氧化碳的耐受性。 這樣會讓您可以在更高強渡下操練而不會很快感到疲勞。 你的身體會更有效地使用氧氣(小編提醒： 前面的生理課程提到的，血液裡有足夠的二氧化碳會提高紅血球和氧分子的結合)，可以用更少的能量做更多的工作。 他在書裡列出很多好處，例如：
Patrick Mckeown outlines how you can simulate high-altitude training at sea-level. All you need to do is perform breath-hold exercises in your training. This works to decrease your sensitivity to carbon dioxide — which increases your tolerance to carbon dioxide. This allows you to work at higher-intensities without fatiguing. You’ll be more efficient with oxygen and can do more work with less energy. He goes through all the benefits in his book such as:
- “降低對二氧化碳的敏感度
- Lowering sensitivity to carbon dioxide
- 提升耐力
- Increasing endurance
- 減少肌肉中乳酸堆積產生的不適和無力感
- Reducing discomfort and fatigue from lactic acid build-up
- 提升血液攜帶氧分子的能力
- Increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
- 提升呼吸效率
- Improving breathing economy
- 提升VO2 max
- Improving VO2 max”
被 Runner’s World雜誌稱為“有史以來最偉大的跑者”的 Emil Zatopek 一直都很認真地使用這種訓練方法：他會屏住呼吸開始跑，直到他撐不住了，深呼吸幾口氣，然後繼續如此一遍又一遍地重複。 起初這可能會讓人感到不舒服並且有點幽閉恐懼症的感覺，但經過幾週的嘗試用後就會變得正常。
Emil Zatopek, famously dubbed the “greatest runner of all time” by Runner’s World magazine, used this practice religiously. He would run as far as he could on a breath-hold, take a few breaths and repeat over and over and over again. This can be uncomfortable and somewhat claustrophobic at first but it will become normal after a few weeks of trialling it.
Humming 用鼻孔發出哼哼聲
什麼……哼哼聲？ 你要我像和尚或練瑜伽的人最後那樣發出哼哼的聲音？
沒錯！你的鼻子(你從外面看到的部分)只佔它整個體積的30%，其餘部分位於您的頭骨內。 頭骨內的70%大約是一個小拳頭或枱球的大小。 如果老天爺設計人類的鼻子時在頭骨裡留了這麼大的空間，這空間一定有很重要的功能。
What… humming? You’re going to tell me to hum?
You betcha! Your nose — what you see from the outside — only accounts for 30% of its volume. The rest of the nose sits inside your skull. The remaining 70% is roughly the size of a small fist or billiard ball. It must be important if nature has designed this space to occupy so much of the skull.
鼻子執行的功能至少有30項，包括對吸入的空氣的加濕、過濾和加熱。 鼻子呼吸會限制氣流通過，相較於嘴巴呼吸少了50%。這會有助於維持二氧化碳與氧氣的最佳平衡比率。記住，過多的呼吸會排出過多的二氧化碳， 這樣對身體不好(這一點前面有討論過)。
The nose performs at least 30 functions including humidifying, filtering, and warming the air it takes in. It also restricts airflow 50% more than mouth-breathing which helps maintain the correct balance of carbon dioxide to oxygen. Remember, too much breathing will offload too much carbon dioxide.
透過鼻孔呼吸還有另外一個很關鍵的功能：會在體內釋放一種很重要的氣體，一氧化氮 (NO)。它會在鼻腔中產生，並在鼻孔吸氣時流入體內。(小編註： 透過嘴巴吸氣就不會產生這個神奇的效果，這一點很重要！)
Nasal breathing releases a gas into the body called nitric oxide. It’s stored in the nasal cavity and flows into the system during nasal breaths. (Coach Denys’ remark: Inhale through mouth does NOT have this critical and super beneficial effect!)
一氧化氮在血管調節(血管壁的舒張和緊縮)、體內平衡(homeostasis 身體裡一種保持穩定的生理平衡狀態以維持生命的方式)、神經傳遞(大腦內的信息傳遞系統) 、免疫系統、和呼吸系統裡都扮演重要的功能角色。它有助於預防高血壓、降低膽固醇、保持動脈年輕和靈活，並防止動脈被斑塊和凝塊堵塞。” – Patrick McKeown
Nitric oxide plays an important role in vasoregulation (the opening and closing of blood vessels), homeostasis (the way in which the body maintains a state of stable physiological balance in order to stay alive), neurotransmission (the messaging system within the brain), immune defence and respiration. It helps to prevent high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, keep the arteries young and flexible, and prevent the clogging of arteries with plaque and clots.” — Patrick McKeown
閉著嘴巴讓鼻孔在吐氣時發出哼哼聲是一種進階的鼻孔呼吸模式，可讓一氧化氮的釋放量增加15倍… 我建議您可以在訓練開始的熱身階段這樣做，以確保您的血管良好且有彈性。(小編註： 我的個人經驗是在訓練之中也可以這麼作，也會有幫助，但必須是在強度不是最高，呼吸頻率比較穩定的狀態下)。
Humming is a form of nasal breathing that increases the release of nitric-oxide 15-fold… I recommend doing this during the warm-up of your session to make sure your blood vessels are nice and elastic.
Breathe less 減少呼吸 (頻率和氣流量)
Chris Pei 是氣功和太極拳大師。他解釋了中國的氣功概念是如何看待呼吸的：
“一般來說，呼吸(的功力和境界)分為三個層次。第一個層次是輕柔地呼吸，站在你旁邊的人聽不到你的呼吸聲。第二個層次是輕柔地呼吸，連你自己都聽不到自己的呼吸聲。第三個層次是輕柔地呼吸，對自己的呼吸不是用聽的而是用感覺的。”
Chris Pei is a Qi Gong and Tai Chi master. He explains how breathing is viewed in the Chinese concept of Chi:
“Generally speaking, there are three levels of breathing. The first level is to breathe softly, so that a person standing next to you does not hear you breathing. The second level is to breathe softly so that you do not hear yourself breathing. And the third level is to breathe softly so that you do feel yourself breathing.”
呼吸過多會導致一系列健康問題，上面已有提到。 反之，減少呼吸會有助於生理系統中耐受更多的二氧化碳，對於激烈運動中體內積累的酸性廢物(例如肌肉中的乳酸堆積) 也會有緩衝的效果。
Breathing too much causes a cascade of health problems outlined above. But breathing less helps us tolerate more carbon dioxide in the system. We also get better at buffering the acidic waste products that build up in more intense activities.
十多年來世界400公尺短跑的佼佼者，拿過四次奧運金牌的 Sanya Richards-Ross 在比賽和訓練時也是用鼻孔呼吸 (見本文置頂的主題照片)。 她有一個很有名的形象，就是在越過終點線時雙唇緊閉，而她旁邊的競爭對手卻是每個看起來都快掛了的樣子！(點這裡去看另一張 Sanya Richards-Ross 雙唇緊閉衝刺終點線的經典照片！)
Sanya Richards-Ross — the top 400m runner for over a decade — who has 4 Olympic gold medals to her name, used nasal breathing when competing and training (See the photo at the beginning of this article). She can be famously seen crossing the finish line with her lips shut and her competitors looking absolutely crushed. (Here is another epic image of how Sanya Richards-Ross reached the finish-line.)
Sanya 用的是 Buteyko 訓練法。Buteyko 是一位極力推廣鼻孔呼吸越少越好的教練。他堅信你的呼吸應該安靜、輕鬆、柔和，並且始終只通過鼻子，就像中國太極拳傳統中如何看待呼吸一樣。 他發展出一套練習，名為輕呼吸才是對的呼吸。 步驟如下：
Sanya specifically used methods from the Buteyko Method. Buteyko was a big proponent of breathing less. Much less. He was adamant that your breathing should be quiet, effortless, soft, and always through the nose. Much like how breathing is viewed in the Chinese Tradition of Tai Chi. He developed an exercise called “Breathe Light to Breathe Right.” Here’s how you can do it:
- 坐直，肩膀放鬆。
- Sit up straight, your shoulders can relax a little.
- 想像有一根細繩輕輕地從天花板上吊起你的頭。
- Imagine a piece of string gently holding your head up from the ceiling.
- 將一隻手放在胸部，另一隻手放在肚臍上方。
- Place one hand on the chest and one just above your belly button.
- 吸氣時去感覺腹部輕輕向外移動，呼氣時向內移動。
- Feel your belly gently move outward as you inhale and inward as you exhale.
- 呼吸時，用手對腹部和胸部施加一點壓力。 這樣可以增加呼吸阻力。
- As you breathe, exert some pressure on your belly and chest with your hands. This adds resistance to the breath.
- 對著你的手呼吸(把呼吸專注在你的手上)，試著讓每一次呼吸變更小更柔和。
- Breathe against your hands and try to make each breath smaller and softer.
- 放慢速度，每次吸入的空氣逐漸減少。
- Slow it down andtake in less air than you would like to with each breath.
- 吐氣時放鬆，就像氣球自動放氣一樣。
- Make sure you relax on the exhale like a balloon deflating on its own accord.
- 你想要建立的是一種“可忍受的對空氣的渴望”。
- You want to build up a “tolerable hunger for air.”
- 當你的吸氣變柔和，吐氣也放鬆時， 胸腔和腹部因呼吸而移動的現象會越來越不明顯。 你可以對著鏡子做這個練習。
- When the inhale is soft and the exhale is relaxed, visible breathing movement will be reduced. You may wish to look in a mirror for this.
- 這樣做兩組，每組3-5分鐘，中間可以有幾分鐘的正常呼吸。
- Do this for 2 sets of 3–5 minutes. Have a few minutes of normal breathing in between.
- 如果您感到有壓力、頭暈或不斷深呼吸， 那表示你練過頭了。 正常的感覺應該只是輕微的“空氣飢餓”。
- If you feel stressed, dizzy, or you’re constantly taking in deeper breaths, you’re pushing it too far. There should only be a slight “air hunger.”
- 每天這樣練習可以幫助你重置你的呼吸模式。
- Do this every day to help reset your breathing pattern.
這樣練習，幾週下來你就會發現平日休息和訓練的時候比較不會感到呼吸困難或壓力很大。你可能會注意到你的臉頰有點紅，一股暖流傳遍全身，嘴裡口水可能會開始變多。這是好現象！ 這表示您正在進入副交感神經狀態 – 我們大部分時間都應該處於這種狀態。
(小編補充說明： 這裡我必須對作者的原文做個調整，不是翻譯的問題，而是作者原文的表達不是很精準。 原文裡面說的“這表示您正在進入副交感神經狀態” 應該更正為 “這表示您的自主神經系統正在從「交感神經系統過度活躍，副交感神經系統偏弱的不平衡狀態」移轉到「兩個系統平衡的狀態」“。 原文沒有提到的細節在於「鼻孔吐氣有提高副交感神經系統的作用」，而現代人絕大部分有「副交感神經系統偏弱」的問題。「副交感神經系統偏弱」會導致很多身體健康的問題，是現代人慢性疾病偏多的幾個根因之一(另一個是體內發炎inflammation)。 換句話說，鼻孔呼吸除了提升運動表現以外，還有其他跟運動沒有直接關聯的健康好處，以後我會另外發文分享。)
With some conscious work on this for a few weeks, you’ll notice less breathlessness and stress while at rest and during training. You may notice your cheeks get a little red, a warmth move through the body and your mouth may start to salivate. This is a good thing! It means you’re moving into a “parasympathetic state” — a state we should be in MOST of the time.
(Coach Denys’ remark: I would like to point out that the statement “It means you’re moving into a “parasympathetic state” ” in this article is confusing, if not incorrect. A more correct wording should be “It means your autonomic nervous system is moving from a state of ‘sympathetic nerve system over-driven‘ into a state that is ‘balanced between sympathetic and para-sympathetic systems’ “.)
Final thoughts 結語
嘴巴呼吸真的不是一個好主意。絕大部分的時間裡，我們應該只用鼻孔呼吸。如果你還是認為鼻孔呼吸你做不到，也許可以試試這段教學影片。 嘴巴呼吸應該只是保留在最高強度運動、受傷或生病的時候才使用。
Mouth breathing is bad news. The majority of the time, we should be breathing through our noses. If you’re adamant that you can’t breathe through your nose then try this nose unblocking exercise. We should only resort to mouth breathing during maximal intensity exercise or in situations such as injury or illness.
鼻孔呼吸可增強耐力、加速高強度訓練之間的恢復、提升免疫力並改善睡眠質量。 嘴巴呼吸會降低你的運動表現、導致頭部前傾、脫水、二氧化碳耐受性降低等問題。
Nasal breathing enhances endurance, recovery between high-intensity efforts, boosts immunity, and improves sleep quality. While mouth breathing is detrimental to your performance. It can cause forward head posture, dehydration, reduced carbon dioxide tolerance, and more.
為了充分發揮你的運動潛力，這個秘密絕招不應該被忽視。 鼻孔呼吸每一個人都做得到，不需要教練，也不需要特殊器材，而且你現在就可以開始練習。
To reach your athletic potential, it’s important not to neglect the “secret ingredient.” Nasal breathing is accessible to everyone. It doesn’t require a coach or equipment and it can be done right now.
最後提醒：如果你懷孕或是有其他的疾病，在你嘗試鼻孔呼吸訓練前請先諮詢您的醫師。 如果你在海邊或河邊、正在操作中機器或駕駛， 請勿嘗試這些練習。
If you are pregnant or have any medical conditions please consult your health care practitioner before trying these methods.
Don’t practice these techniques when near water, operating heavy machines, or while driving.
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