You work out to enhance your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. But have you ever stopped to think about your breath?
“By learning to control your breathing, understanding how the respiratory system connects with your body, and using conscious breathing in all your activities, you can improve nearly every aspect of your life,” says Al Lee, co-author of Perfect Breathing (2009).
“Whether you're a casual gym-goer, mountain biker, actor, singer, or dancer, making breath central to your practice can help you achieve more than you imagined.”
“During exercise, the body needs more oxygen, so your breathing volume must increase,” explain Matthew Pine and Mark Watsford from the human performance lab at the University of Technology, Sydney. “This requires the muscles around your lungs to contract in a highly coordinated way.
As exercise intensity increases, these muscles work harder to match the body’s rising metabolism.”
Much like how a stronger heart pumps more blood with each beat, a stronger diaphragm and intercostals mean you can slow down your breathing while getting more oxygen to your muscles.
“When you strengthen your respiratory system, your breathing becomes more efficient and uses less energy—leaving more energy for your muscles and whatever task you’re performing,” says Lee. “You can take slower, deeper breaths, extract more oxygen, and work less to get it, reducing the number of breaths needed.”
Lee references studies involving competitive athletes that showed a 10% improvement in oxygen efficiency with respiratory resistance training. “Athletes were consuming 10% less oxygen at the same performance level and saw a 5-8% performance boost, cutting minutes off their race times.”
This improvement may be linked to enhanced focus. “Focusing on your breath connects you to your mind, body, and emotions, putting you in the moment and boosting performance,” adds Lee.
A study at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that breathing resistance training improved snorkel swimming times by 33% and underwater scuba times by 66%. “This aligns with previous studies on cyclists, rowers, and runners,” says Dr. Claes Lundgren, the study’s author. “Athletes in many sports can improve by training their respiratory muscles. The more stress on the respiratory system, the greater the performance boost.”
During high-intensity exercise, when respiratory muscles tire, the body reallocates oxygen away from working muscles to the respiratory system, which can lower performance. Strengthening these muscles through breathing exercises can help prevent this fatigue and boost endurance.
Lee notes that the diaphragm and intercostals can weaken if not exercised, just like any other muscle. “For most adults, their breathing has gradually shifted higher into their chests, so they’re taking shallow breaths and barely using the diaphragm. As you age, this becomes harder to reverse.”
Performance Breathing
Integrating breathing techniques into workouts isn’t new. Yogis have done it for centuries, and Pilates instructors have used it for decades.
Even in weightlifting, breathing is key—inhaling on the eccentric phase and exhaling on the concentric phase.
Like yoga, "performance breathing" (a term coined by Lee and Campbell) focuses on both centering the mind and strengthening the respiratory muscles.
“Relaxation is critical to optimal performance in any endeavor, not just sports,” says Karlene Sugarman, M.A., author of Winning the Mental Way (1999). “The person who is mentally and physically relaxed with ‘quiet intensity’ is the one who performs best.”
One way to achieve this is through controlled breathing.
“Try performance breathing during your next workout,” suggests Lee. “This technique can instantly enhance athletic performance and works well with repetitive-motion activities like running, cycling, or swimming.”
Focused breathing maximizes energy intake while keeping the mind grounded, clearing distracting thoughts. To start, follow the "Preparing to Practice" guidelines (see sidebar) and focus on completing deep, full breaths. Though it might feel unnatural at first, practice is key.
The breathing cycle for this exercise is divided into three parts:
Inhale (2 counts)
Hold (2 counts)
Exhale (4 counts)
Once comfortable, apply this to your activity. For walking:
Inhale for 2 steps
Hold for 2 steps
Exhale for 4 steps
For cycling, replace steps with pedal strokes, or use strokes for swimming. As you progress, find a pace and count that feels natural. As you improve, increase your counts while maintaining the same ratio, such as 4 counts for inhale, 4 for hold, and 8 for exhale. Experiment to find what works best for you.
Even if you're not completely sold on breathing exercises, Lee advises simply becoming more mindful of your breath. Practicing breath awareness—perhaps while lying in bed—can help bring you into the present moment.
As Campbell notes, “Focusing on your breathing] brings you back to the present moment.” “There’s no way you can think about yesterday or tomorrow when you’re concentrating on your next breath.”
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