Thomas Tiemann
Targeted breathing drills train your respiratory muscles, raise your CO₂ tolerance, and help your body use oxygen more efficiently under effort. For most athletes, adding two or three structured breathing exercises for athletes to a weekly routine is enough to notice a measurable difference in how hard each breath feels during competition. You do not need special equipment-just consistency and a quiet ten minutes.
- Breathing can be trained like any other physical skill-specific drills produce specific adaptations.
- Diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, nasal-pace runs, and breath-hold walks each target a different part of respiratory performance.
- Your BOLT score gives you a repeatable baseline to track progress over weeks.
- Nasal breathing is central to most endurance-focused drills; mouth breathing has its place at maximal effort but is not the default to train toward.
- A nasal strip can reduce airflow resistance during training, making nasal drills easier to sustain-especially early in the process.
Why Breathing Mechanics Matter for Athletic Performance
Most athletes train their legs, lungs (cardiovascularly), and muscles-but the mechanics of how air gets in and out of the body rarely get deliberate attention. Respiratory muscle fatigue is real: when breathing muscles compete with working limbs for blood flow late in a race or a hard set, performance drops. Training the mechanics directly addresses that limiting factor.
Breathing training for endurance athletes specifically targets two things: the efficiency of each breath and the body's tolerance of rising CO₂. Carbon dioxide is not just a waste product-it is the primary signal that drives the urge to breathe. Athletes who have trained higher CO₂ tolerance can sustain effort longer before that urge feels urgent, and they oxygenate working muscles more effectively because CO₂ governs how readily hemoglobin releases oxygen to tissue.
Better mechanics also means less energy wasted on inefficient, shallow chest breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing-where the belly expands on the inhale-moves more air per breath at lower muscular cost than upper-chest breathing, which is a common default under stress.
For a broader look at what nose breathing does for the body during exercise, see the full guide to benefits of nasal breathing-it covers the physiological mechanisms that underpin most of the drills below.
The Nasal vs. Mouth Breathing Split During Effort
- Low-to-moderate intensity: Nasal breathing is achievable and produces most of the conditioning adaptations described in this guide. Training yourself to stay nasal at these intensities is the core goal.
- High intensity: At or near VO₂ max, most athletes switch to mouth breathing because the volume demand exceeds what the nose can comfortably supply. That is normal and not a failure.
- The training goal is not to breathe nasally at all costs-it is to raise the intensity threshold at which the switch happens, so you spend more of a race or session in the more efficient nasal zone.
- See the full explanation of nasal breathing during exercise for how this threshold shifts with practice and why athletes in multiple sports use external nasal support to stay there longer.
Know Your Baseline: The BOLT Score
Before drilling into specific exercises, it helps to have a number that tells you where your breathing control currently sits. The BOLT (Body Oxygen Level Test) score measures how long after a normal exhale you can comfortably hold your breath before the first distinct urge to breathe. It reflects CO₂ tolerance, not lung capacity, and it responds to consistent breathing training over weeks.
A short score records an early urge to breathe, not a diagnosis of poor breathing control. A score above 30 seconds does not establish more efficient exercise breathing. The full method, what the numbers mean, and how to track change over time are covered in the dedicated guide to the BOLT score-worth reading before starting any structured breathing program.
Breathing Exercises for Athletes: The Core Drills
Each drill below targets a specific adaptation. Start with one or two and add others as the first become comfortable. None of these require any equipment, and all can be done at home or at the track.
1. Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing
What it trains: Efficient breathing mechanics, respiratory muscle recruitment, reduced energy cost per breath.
- Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
- Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 seconds. Your belly should rise; your chest should stay relatively still.
- Exhale through your nose or pursed lips for 6 seconds, letting the belly fall.
- Repeat for 5 minutes. The goal is to make belly-rise the default, not an effort.
- Gradually move this pattern into seated, then standing, then walking, then easy running.
Frequency: Daily, 5–10 minutes. Progress is measured by how automatically the pattern appears under low exercise stress.
2. Box Breathing for Pre-Competition Calm
What it trains: Nervous system regulation before a race or heavy session; reduces over-breathing and pre-event anxiety.
- Sit upright, close your mouth, and breathe through your nose throughout.
- Inhale for 4 counts.
- Hold for 4 counts.
- Exhale for 4 counts.
- Hold for 4 counts.
- Repeat the cycle 4–6 times. As the pattern becomes comfortable, extend each phase to 5 or 6 counts.
When to use it: 10–20 minutes before competition or a hard training session. Also useful between heavy sets in the gym to reset between efforts.
3. Nasal-Pace Runs and Low-Breathing-Rate Intervals
What it trains: The nasal breathing threshold-the exercise intensity at which you can sustain nasal-only breathing. This is the central drill for breathing training for endurance sports.
- During an easy or moderate run, commit to breathing exclusively through your nose.
- Slow your pace until you can do so without gasping. This will feel slow at first-that is expected and temporary.
- Hold that pace for 20–40 minutes. If you break to mouth-breathe, slow down further rather than giving up nasal breathing.
- Over weeks, you will find you can sustain nasal breathing at progressively faster paces.
- Track the pace at which the switch to mouth breathing becomes necessary-this is your current threshold, and watching it move over months is a direct measure of progress.
Frequency: 2–3 sessions per week at easy to moderate intensity. Reserve hard sessions for full effort without breathing restrictions.
4. Breath-Hold Walks (CO₂ Tolerance Training)
What it trains: CO₂ tolerance, the urge-to-breathe threshold, and calm under oxygen stress. This drill directly raises your BOLT score over time.
- Exhale normally through your nose. Do not force a full exhale-just a relaxed, natural one.
- Pinch your nose closed and walk at a comfortable pace.
- Hold until you feel the first clear urge to breathe-a distinct contraction in the throat or belly. Do not push through discomfort.
- Release and breathe through your nose only, gently and slowly, for 10–15 breaths to recover.
- Repeat 4–6 times per session, with full recovery between holds.
Important: Do not practice breath-hold drills in water, during cycling, or at any other time when losing consciousness would be dangerous. Never push to blackout. If you have a cardiovascular condition, check with your doctor before adding breath-holding to training.
Nasal Breathing Exercises for Endurance Training
Nasal breathing exercises overlap with the drills above but are specifically designed to condition the nose-breathing pathway-not just cardiovascular fitness. They are the foundation of breathing training for endurance athletes because the nose filters, warms, and humidifies air, and produces nitric oxide that supports vasodilation.
If you want a dedicated program focused entirely on nasal technique and conditioning, the guide to nasal breathing exercises goes deeper-covering breath-light drills, reduced-breathing patterns, and how to sequence these exercises across a week of training. That guide owns the full technique detail; what follows here is how these exercises integrate into an athlete's broader training plan.
Two points specific to athletic use:
- Nasal resistance is an asset at low intensity. Breathing through a narrower passage at rest and during easy effort builds respiratory muscle strength, much like resistance training. Do not try to eliminate all resistance.
- Congestion is the enemy of nasal training. When your nasal passages are physically narrowed by swelling or congestion, nasal breathing drills become frustrating and less productive. Clearing physical obstruction before a session makes the training more consistent.
For athletes who find that nasal airflow is the bottleneck-not respiratory muscle strength or CO₂ tolerance-a nasal strip can make a practical difference during drills. Nelamant Air provides a broader, more balanced lift across the nasal bridge, which helps open the nasal passages mechanically without any drug. That makes it easier to sustain nasal breathing at the paces where these exercises deliver the most benefit, rather than switching to mouth breathing because of airflow restriction rather than true physiological need.
How to Build These Drills into a Training Week
The table below shows one way to integrate the four drills without adding significant time to an existing training schedule. All of these can be layered onto current workouts rather than replacing them.
| Drill | Frequency | Duration per session | Primary goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diaphragmatic breathing | Daily | 5–10 min | Efficient mechanics |
| Box breathing | 2–3 × per week, or pre-competition | 5–10 min | Nervous system regulation |
| Nasal-pace runs | 2–3 × per week (easy/moderate sessions) | 20–40 min | Raise nasal threshold |
| Breath-hold walks | 3–4 × per week | 10–15 min (4–6 reps) | CO₂ tolerance / BOLT score |
A sensible entry point is to start with diaphragmatic breathing daily for two weeks, add nasal-pace runs in week three, and introduce breath-hold walks in week four once you have a BOLT score baseline. Box breathing can slot in before any hard session from the start.
Using a Nasal Strip to Support Breathing Drills
A nasal strip does one thing: it lifts the sides of the nose outward, reducing the resistance at the nasal valve-the narrowest point of the nasal airway. During breathing training for endurance workouts, especially nasal-pace runs where every breath must come through the nose, reduced airflow resistance makes it easier to hold the nasal pattern at a useful training pace rather than a frustratingly slow one.
Nelamant Air is designed with a broader lift profile across the nasal bridge, which distributes the opening force more evenly than a single-point pull. The extra-hold adhesive is made to stay on through sweat and movement, so the strip is still doing its job at mile three of a training run. It is drug-free, single-use, and made from materials. For athletes building a nasal breathing habit, removing one physical obstacle-restricted nasal airflow-lets the training focus land where it should: on CO₂ tolerance and breathing mechanics, not just whether enough air is getting through.
What to Expect as Your Breathing Improves
Progress in breathing training for endurance athletes is gradual and nonlinear. Possible changes to track include easier nasal breathing at easy paces, a calmer response to the urge-to-breathe signal, and a slightly higher BOLT score. Significant threshold shifts-where you can sustain nasal breathing at genuinely moderate paces-do not follow an established eight-to-twelve-week timetable.
What this does and does not do: better breathing mechanics will not replace cardiovascular fitness, strength, or sport-specific skill. It removes a ceiling that inefficient breathing places on how well those other adaptations express themselves during effort. Athletes who were already efficient breathers will see smaller gains than those starting with poor mechanics or a very low BOLT score.
Track two numbers over time: your BOLT score (weekly, same time of day, before training) and the pace at which you are forced to switch from nasal to mouth breathing on an easy run. Both should trend upward over months of consistent work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for breathing exercises to improve athletic performance?
Track changes such as calmer breathing at easy effort without expecting a fixed two-to-four-week result. Meaningful performance-relevant shifts, like a higher nasal-breathing threshold on runs, cannot be promised within eight to twelve weeks. Consistency matters more than session length: choose a routine you can maintain.
Should athletes breathe through their nose or mouth during hard efforts?
At low-to-moderate intensity, nasal breathing is the training target: it is more efficient, produces nitric oxide, and conditions the CO₂ tolerance system. At genuinely high intensities-near-maximal efforts, sprint intervals, competition peaks-mouth breathing is normal and appropriate because the volume demand exceeds nasal capacity. The goal of breathing training is to push the crossover point higher, not to enforce nasal breathing at all costs.
Can breathing exercises help with high-altitude performance?
CO₂ tolerance training and improved breathing efficiency should not be assumed to accelerate altitude acclimatization. However, breathing exercises are not a substitute for actual altitude acclimatization or altitude tents. The guide to nasal breathing during exercise covers high-altitude contexts in more detail.
How often should athletes practice breathing drills?
Diaphragmatic breathing can be done daily with low fatigue cost. Nasal-pace runs fit naturally into two or three existing easy sessions per week. Breath-hold walks three or four times a week is a reasonable starting point. Box breathing as needed before hard sessions. The table in the "How to Build These Drills into a Training Week" section above maps this out by goal.
What is CO₂ tolerance and why does it matter for endurance athletes?
CO₂ tolerance is the body's ability to remain calm and functional as blood CO₂ rises during effort. A low tolerance means the urge to breathe becomes overwhelming at relatively low CO₂ levels, causing athletes to over-breathe-taking fast, shallow breaths that feel urgent but are not actually more effective. Higher tolerance lets you breathe more slowly and deeply under effort, which is more efficient and less fatiguing. Breath-hold walks and nasal-pace runs are the primary tools for raising it. The BOLT score is the simplest way to measure where yours currently sits.
The Bottom Line
Breathing exercises for athletes are not a gimmick or a marginal add-on-they address a trainable system that most athletes simply ignore. Diaphragmatic mechanics, CO₂ tolerance, and the nasal breathing threshold all respond to specific, repeatable practice. Start with a BOLT score baseline, pick one or two drills, and build from there. The adaptations are real, measurable, and transfer directly to how sustainable hard effort feels.
