Do you know the difference? I find this topic so interesting when I hear it come up, most notably the responses from people. I listened intently as a triathlon coach talked to his clients on the pool deck yesterday. Curious to see what the Masters world thinks about this rarely discussed topic.
For anyone who has had their aerobic engine tested in a lab environment please don't spoil the thread b/c you already know!
If I understand it correctly, diaphragmatic breathing is the same as pilates breathing, for which you train your inhalation to expand the chest laterally out to the side, and your exhalation is powered by incorporating deep core muscles to push upward against the diaphragm. By doing it, you get your body used to an inhalation with a higher capacity and an exhalation with greater power, all resulting in stronger, more efficient, and higher volume turnover.
My swimming got LOTS faster after I started doing pilates regularly. When I practice this breathing when I swim, I believe that I engage my core more, I drive with my hips better, and ride higher in the water. I know tthat when I use it in a long run, I feel much more efficient. It could be that I'm imagining things, and the efficiencies I see are just from having a stronger core, but I'm pretty sold on it.
