ythe1300

Hey guys,
I have been trying to train up for some longer events (200+) and I have found myself in need of some wisdom. Over the last few months I have been trying to log at least 150 miles a week on the road and then spend some quality time on my trainer. I have been doing mainly solo rides because of my work Schedule and something I have noticed on longer rides anything 60 miles+ with forced cadence over 95) with heavy pushes into the wind I have started having trouble breathing, My legs feel great still and the rest of my body is fine but I have real trouble with my lungs getting to the point when where I am wheezing to the point where it is very hard to take deep breaths. Are there any breathing exercises I should be doing, Or should I just keep practicing high cadence training?

Thanks,
--Phil

Steamer

What you are describing with 'having trouble breathing' doesn't sound good or normal. You probably should have a doctor check you out. Exercise induced asthsma. perhaps?

Also, on a much less important note, you probably shouldn't try so hard to force yourself to maintain some particular minimum or maximum cadence. Self-selected cadence (based on what feels right to you) typically results in the most efficient and effective riding.

10 Wheels

Time to seek medical Help.

I had that problem a few years back.

Dr checked lungs.. Only able to use 65% of capacity.

She had me back in business in two weeks.

unterhausen

Fred, what was it in your case? There is such a thing as exercise induced asthma.

10 Wheels

It comes on you real slow, so that you don't know about the problem until you can't keep up with your riding buddies.

Inflammation and reversible asthma.

I now take 5 mg of Montelukast Sodium when I ride. No problems now even in cold weather.

So I am having fun breathing and pedaling this year.

Looking for some big miles this year.
Have 2040 miles in ytd.

ThermionicScott 

+1. I have very mild exercise-induced asthma as well, although it usually just manifests during running. Really, I think the old advise was best -- if your lungs are burning, choose a higher gear; if your legs are burning, pick a lower gear.

Carbonfiberboy 

Riding LD however oxygen is unlimited and glycogen is very limited. Most LD riders I ride with use cadences around 100 on the flat, 90 climbing. There are exceptions, but very few. EIA. See a doctor and get a prescription. Mild cases where it's occasional on a steep climb will usually get albuterol. More persistent cases will get a prescription for something one takes every day. Asthma damages the lungs and can lead to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Not something to fool around with.

ythe1300

This is only after a particularly hard effort, I use to have this issues on shorter rides but as I have started to lose weight it has gone away. And I don't seem to have the issues if I drop my cadence for a bit to say the 70's range, so after a little bit of mashing ( 5 min maybe ) I feel good again.

It also only seems to happen when I am pushing into hard at high cad into the wind, low cad, is fine in high cad and no wind is fine, high cad and wind is a bad combo for some reason..... I was just thinking that I was fat and out of shape (5'6" 190lbs)...

I should also add that it's not my lungs that hurt it's kind of the muscles around the rib cage and my upper abdominal area.

I don't have this issue in "Cold" weather actually easier for me to breathe when it's cold...... Though this being FL cold is like 55...

The wheezing my also be coming from sinus issues, this time of year my nose is dripping constantly.


Never had any issues with Asthma before and I have had a few sports physicals over the years where they tested for that so I don't think that's the issue but if it gets worse I will talk to my doctor about it.

Chris516

It also depends maximizing both, the best gear(s) for your capability, and how much cadence is needed.

I am 5'6" 155. But I feel like I need to lose weight. So, I have been lengthening my rides, without going extreme on the cadence.

Homeyba

Assuming you're healthy, forget trying to maintain some fictionally "correct" cadence. Everyone is different and we all have different natural cadences. It will vary somewhat on your conditioning as well. I'd toss the cadence function on your confuser and go with this:

If your lungs are limiting your performance lower your cadence.
If your legs are limiting your performance raise your cadence.

When I do a long distance event my cadence is all over the place depending on what terrain I'm in and how I'm feeling.

Machka 

1) Get checked for Exercise Induced Asthma

2) If you're really struggling to breathe, slow down a bit.

ythe1300

The ground around here is basically flat so I don't get much terrain based cadence fluctuation.. That being said I do have 20 gears on my bike so I may as well use them.

Thanks Machka I will talk to my doctor about it.

Homeyba

I run a really big gear, 60-11 and when I'm on the flats during a long distance event I will put the bike in that big gear and lope along at 22-25mph. That allows me to recover and use different mucsles. A lot of really fast ultra distance racers push big gears like that, Pete Pensyers and Seana Hogan to name a few. You don't need to be cruising along in the flats at 100RPM all the time. You need to be able to change what you are doing on the bike to help your body maintain performance over longer periods of time especially if you are running at max or near maximum exhertion all the time.

Carbonfiberboy 

Oh. Yes, probably just out of shape. The chest muscles are just like any other muscle and need to be conditioned. It's normal. It's also normal for the lungs to "hurt" when going really hard for a while. As long as you're getting air, don't worry about it, just do it more. With EIA, there's difficulty in getting the air to go in and out and the bronchial tubes make a distinctive wheezing noise. With EIA, when you stop for a moment and breathe out forcefully, you'll hear the wheeze. No wheeze, no EIA.

To definitely self-diagnose, you can carry a peak flow-meter (get it from your doctor) in your jersey pocket. Establish your normal peak flow, then if you have trouble breathing, pull it out and test yourself on the spot.

Hydrated

If you feel that something's amiss... you need to see a doctor. Sometimes we tell ourselves to HTFU to our own detriment, when there is really something wrong that only medical attention can remedy. Don't ask us how to fix it... that can be downright dangerous.

Example:
A couple of years ago, I was having coughing fits after I let up from hard exertions on the bike. But when I quit coughing and settled back into a steady cruise everything seemed OK again. I was putting in about 150 miles a week this way for about 6 or 8 weeks.

Then one morning during my commute I went into a coughing jag that resulted in my vomiting. Then I got back on the bike and settled into my comfy steady pace... but I decided to ask a physician friend about it. He sent me to get a lung x-ray, and it revealed that I had pneumonia in one lung. And that is something that doesn't get better when, like me, you're too stupid and stubborn to stop and get properly evaluated.

So if it's bothersome enough to make you worry... then it's time to see a doctor.

Machka 

And for me, fortunately they diagnosed all the wheezing, inability to get my breath, etc. as EIA (Exercise Induced Asthma). The other option, given my heart issues, was congestive heart failure.

Since then I've had trouble breathing, not related to EIA, one other time ... I had a serious case of DVT and was hospitalised for 2 weeks.

That's why I'm suggesting to get it checked first. They can run heart and lung tests and find out for sure. Could be you're just out of shape, could be a mild case of EIA ... or ... and you'll be glad you went to the Dr.

cafzali

Do you literally mean having trouble breathing or does it just feel a bit labored? A lot of people have shallow breathing and don't take as much air in as they think, but if you breath from the bottom of your belly that shouldn't happen. Also, it's counterintuitive, but use the times where you don't require as much literal effort to take deep breaths in and push out on the tougher periods. If you've done any weight training, you'll know what I mean. You can use the same approach on the bike and it will be really helpful.

Also, a big agree to those who say don't force the cadence. Unless you're very fit, a 95 cadence on a big climb will be a huge effort, one that's impossible for a lot of people. There's no real reason to do that unless you're really looking to race. Even in that case, you need to get some qualified training assistance or partner up with someone with experience for a while to get good training tips and knowledge.

Lastly, try just relaxing. Lots of things involving exercise are mental, not physical. By relaxing a bit if you're not already, you'll find your body will take over and automatically move to the right breathing technique.