Other/Mixed A routine for a strangely low control pause (hypoxic breathing)

[Pasibrzuch]

Hello,
I'm an asthmatic kettlebell and Muay Thai practitioner. My asthma has never manifested via an attack. For a long time I treated it as a misdiagnosis.

Almost one year ago I came across the notion of hypoxic breathing exercises and got interested in the Buteyko method. I was puzzled by my Control Pause result (it was under 10 seconds). It was a cold shower for me - despite being quite sporty I had a very mediocre result which signaled me there's sth wrong. I've been practicing buteyko/oxygen advantage since then. My routine is mostly breath-holding while walking my dog (I mostly manage 10 holds of 20-30 steps) and 10 minutes of 4-6-5sec (inhale-exhale-hold) minimal breathing every day. However, my control pause is only ten second-ish (until the very first twitch of the diaphragm) and around 20 until I feel a definite urge to breathe.

The breathing exercises definitely work for me: I almost got rid of anxiety, I'm generally more resilient, my brainfog has seriously decreased, I don't feel the need to binge-eat or eat junk food or to drink ridiculous amounts of coffee. Generally, I'm enjoying a life way more balanced life than before. However I am worried about my Control Pause. Can it be a sign of something really bad going on inside my body? Or maybe my routine is just suboptimal?

Is there any advice I can expect from SF folks regarding this? Is Or it's too serious a condition and I should contact a pulmonologist?

 

[Steve Freides]

@Pasibrzuch, it’s never a bad idea to see a doctor to rule out something serious. I’d start there.

I teach Buteyko breathing, one-on-one, to people all over the world. If you’re interested in talking more about that, PM me and we can continue the conversation.

-S-

 

[Oscar]

Hello,
I'm an asthmatic kettlebell and Muay Thai practitioner. My asthma has never manifested via an attack. For a long time I treated it as a misdiagnosis.

Almost one year ago I came across the notion of hypoxic breathing exercises and got interested in the Buteyko method. I was puzzled by my Control Pause result (it was under 10 seconds). It was a cold shower for me - despite being quite sporty I had a very mediocre result which signaled me there's sth wrong. I've been practicing buteyko/oxygen advantage since then. My routine is mostly breath-holding while walking my dog (I mostly manage 10 holds of 20-30 steps) and 10 minutes of 4-6-5sec (inhale-exhale-hold) minimal breathing every day. However, my control pause is only ten second-ish (until the very first twitch of the diaphragm) and around 20 until I feel a definite urge to breathe.

The breathing exercises definitely work for me: I almost got rid of anxiety, I'm generally more resilient, my brainfog has seriously decreased, I don't feel the need to binge-eat or eat junk food or to drink ridiculous amounts of coffee. Generally, I'm enjoying a life way more balanced life than before. However I am worried about my Control Pause. Can it be a sign of something really bad going on inside my body? Or maybe my routine is just suboptimal?

Is there any advice I can expect from SF folks regarding this? Is Or it's too serious a condition and I should contact a pulmonologist?

My control pause was about 15 seconds as well, when I started. Practicing on my own I managed to increase it to about 25, but it wasnt very easy. I mostly did walking practice.

I then started a course one on one with @Steve Freides and reached a CP of 65 in about 1 month. That lead me to think that buteyko is best practiced with an instructor. I say that even though I'm usually reluctant to hiring an instructor, I have worked with kettlebells for about 4 years with little instruction, for instance.

I dont want to add to your preoccupation, but a CP of 10 is something I would definitively try to improve.

 

[Jeff Vece]

Glad to know I'm not the only one with a strangely low CP.

Measured mine for the first time today and it's around 14 sec. I'm not asthmatic, never experienced shortness of breath, and I can jog / ride an exercise bike for 30+ minutes while maintaining controlled nose breathing -- definitely didn't expect to have a terrible CP number.

@Steve Freides I'm curious about your opinion regarding Buteyko vs the Second Wind Express course that's about to be released. I assume Second Wind Express has more performance-related info than Buteyko. Any differences in terms of which one is better for raising your CP?

 

[Steve Freides]

@Jeff Vece, welcome to the StrongFirst forum.

14 seconds is a common American CP. It's not strangely low but, of course, it's not anywhere near what we're all able to achieve. (We could probably make a similar statement about a lot of things, e.g., what's the average deadlift of a person who just, out of the blue and with no training, tests their deadlift? Probably not much, either.)

I assume Second Wind Express has more performance-related info than Buteyko.

Absolutely.

Any differences in terms of which one is better for raising your CP?

The purpose of Second Wind Express isn't to raise your CP. It's to give you a wide range of tools, drills, ideas, etc., related to your breathing. Buteyko training as I teach it has nothing to do with athletic performance.

@Oscar's post above is right on the money, IMO.

I think a person doing either one would have a small head start on the other. If you can, I'd do both, and I don't think order matters.

-S-

 

[Jeff Vece]

Thanks @Steve Freides, great info.

I guess I got thrown off by all of the information I've seen suggesting that a CP under 15 means you're probably in mediocre to poor health, when I'm fairly certain I'm in better health than the vast majority of people I know.

Also, I've been doing Wim Hof breathing for a few years, so I would have thought that would boost CP. Is it possible it actually lowers it by training you to overbreathe? That would suck.

I'm definitely interested in trying both Buteyko and the SWE program. Very intrigued to see how much different I might feel if I raised my CP from <15 to the 40-60 range.

 

[Steve Freides]

Thanks @Steve Freides, great info.

You're welcome.

I guess I got thrown off by all of the information I've seen suggesting that a CP under 15 means you're probably in mediocre to poor health, when I'm fairly certain I'm in better health than the vast majority of people I know.

Health isn't monolithic. If you can get your CP up, you will feel better. Health is somewhat in the eye of the beholder - you'll feel healthier.

Also, I've been doing Wim Hof breathing for a few years, so I would have thought that would boost CP. Is it possible it actually lowers it by training you to overbreathe? That would suck.

Other than a few YouTube videos, I haven't gone anywhere near Wim Hof's approach so I cannot comment.

I'm definitely interested in trying both Buteyko and the SWE program. Very intrigued to see how much different I might feel if I raised my CP from <15 to the 40-60 range.

We look forward to hearing of your progress.

My own experience with CP numbers is that 40 made me feel better, but, e.g., I reduced the dosage of my asthma medicines but couldn't get off them completely. 60 and I was off them completely. 75 is about where I keep mine. 85 is a level I got to but it felt kind of weird - my own Buteyko teacher said the professor liked 60-80, and that more than 80 could be compared to having a Formula 1 car as your daily commuting vehicle - great but not exactly what you want to be driving every day in traffic. I'd aim for at least 50 as a moving average, 60-75 is ideal.

-S-