Swimming is one of my favorite forms of cardio, but if you are going the distance swimming laps of freestyle you're going to want to learn how to breathe to both sides. I know trying to breathe on the side you aren't used to feels extremely awkward and uncomfortable, but in the long run it is well worth conquering the skill of bilateral breathing. You know it is skill since it has such a fancy sounding name!

The benefits of breathing both ways are that it:

1. Balances out your stroke, so you are not working out lopsided.
2. Builds symmetrical musculature on your back and arms (asymmetrical strength can lead to over use injuries).
3. Eases neck pain from always rotating to just one side.
4. If you swim in open water (as you would in a triathlon), you will be able to check for landmarks, avoid splashes from other swimmers as well as waves.

So next time you are swimming laps, practice breathing on your other side - once you are in the pool you will know immediately which side that is.

Interested in a few drills you can try? Well, read more

Here are a few approaches to the learning process:

• Breathe to your right side on one length and to your left on the next. That way you get the oxygen you need but still develop a symmetrical stroke.
• Breathe to your weaker side on warm-ups and cool-downs.
• Experiment with 3 breaths to the left, then 3 to the right.

Once you have mastered bilateral breathing, or at least become comfortable with it, you want to breathe every 3 or 5 strokes when swimming freestyle, so you are alternating sides.

Fit's Tip: I remember when I was learning this skill, it felt almost like I was drowning. Pay attention to how it feels to breathe on your usual side and try to re-create that feeling on the other side. Most days I cannot remember which one side I used to breathe on.

Source