How you breathe while exercising matters. Learn the best breathing techniques for your workouts.
Unless you’re regularly swimming laps, you might not pay much attention to your breath. And yet, this physiological process is involved in practically everything you do, whether you’re sitting at your desk, running through your neighborhood, or lifting heavily loaded barbells.
“The overall role of respiration is to provide oxygenated blood throughout your body, which is needed for every chemical reaction — including the reactions we need for exercise,” says Rachelle Reed, M.S., Ph.D., A.C.S.M.-E.P., an exercise physiologist. “We oftentimes need the presence of oxygen to create fuel to move the skeletal muscles or to replenish the oxygen right after.” During aerobic exercise, for instance, your body uses oxygen to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the main energy source for cells.
When your body is at rest, you have a slower respiratory rate of about 12 to 15 breath cycles per minute. Once you start exercising, that respiratory rate jumps up to about 40 breath cycles per minute, depending on the intensity of your workout and your personal fitness level, says Reed. “The need for getting oxygen to the tissues increases as the intensity of exercise increases,” she notes.
As your breathing rate and heart rate pick up, you’ll reach your first ventilatory threshold — the point at which it’s difficult to carry on a conversation while exercising. “That’s the point where it becomes harder for the person to maintain consistency with breathing, where the inhales are going to start to be longer than the exhales,” says Reed. “You’re starting to reach a point of fatigue that's not a sustainable pace.”
With continuous exercise, your respiratory and cardiovascular systems become more efficient, so you’re able to do the same level of work at a lower ventilation rate, says Reed. “You're so much more efficient at getting oxygen where it's needed and also at getting rid of the carbon dioxide, the waste product from all those chemical reactions,” she adds. You’ll also be able to work at greater intensities before reaching your ventilatory threshold. An untrained person might feel like it’s challenging to talk while on a long incline walk, while a more experienced individual may need to jog up that hill in order to feel a bit out of breath.
However, how you breathe — not just the fitness of your cardiorespiratory system — can influence your performance, too.
Here, your guide to breathing better while exercising, including how to practice diaphragmatic breathing, the Valsalva maneuver, and more.
Technique #1: Diaphragmatic Breathing
What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Diaphragmatic breathing (AKA deep breathing) involves consciously using your diaphragm — the muscle located just below your lungs — to breathe. It’s also called belly breathing, as your stomach will expand in and out as you breathe.
You can think of diaphragmatic breathing as taking a 360-degree breath, says Reed. “When you inhale, you’re actively contracting the intercostal muscles around your ribcage, so you're not only inflating the chest but also the top of the belly, around the sides, and around the back,” she explains. Essentially, your shoulders and collarbones shouldn’t be the only parts of your body “lifting” as you fill up your lungs with air, she notes.
Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing doesn’t always come naturally, but it enables you to move a greater volume of air in and out of the lungs — and thus be able to supply your muscles with more energy-producing oxygen, says Reed. This translates to better stamina and endurance.
Other diaphragmatic breathing benefits include:
Improves lung function. Diaphragmatic breathing in athletes has been linked to better lung function results, including higher spirometry values. In other words, after taking a deep breath, the participants who did diaphragmatic breathing were able to breathe out more air overall, and when limited to one second of exhalation, compared to those who did thoracic (chest) breathing.
Enhances exercise performance. A steady, controlled breathing pattern (like diaphragmatic breathing) can regulate the heart rate, eliminate more carbon dioxide from the body, and deliver more oxygen to the muscles, all of which can improve athletic performance. (To enhance recovery for better performance, try adding red light therapy to your routine.)
Reduces stress. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises have been shown to reduce stress, as measured by salivary cortisol levels, blood pressure, and self-reports.
Try a Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise
Here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing for the first time:
1. Lie face-up on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
3. Slowly inhale through your nose, abdomen expanding under your hand.
4. Exhale with control through pursed lips, abdomen drawing in.
5. Repeat for five to 10 breaths.
“As you breathe in and out, see if you can minimize the movement in the hand that's on the chest and really maximize that movement in the hand that's placed on the belly to show the difference between diaphragmatic and shallow breathing,” says Reed.
Applying Diaphragmatic Breathing to Training
Once you’re able to successfully breathe diaphragmatically at rest, start incorporating it into your training.
Before a workout: Perform diaphragmatic breaths while seated or lying on the floor to connect mind, body, and breath.
During a workout: Between heavy or fast-paced sets, which are likely to trigger short inhales, spend time doing diaphragmatic breathing, says Reed.
After a workout: Post-training, do diaphragmatic breathing exercises to kickstart mental recovery. Pair it with contrast therapy to promote physical recovery, too.
RELATED: The Beauty of Breathwork
Technique #2: Valsalva Maneuver
During resistance training, it’s typically recommended to exhale while your muscles contract (think: while pulling a dumbbell up to your shoulder during a biceps curl) and inhale while they lengthen (think: while lowering the dumbbell back to your thighs), says Reed. When practiced quickly, this technique can help you generate more force, according to the American Council on Exercise.
However, the opposite may be recommended in certain scenarios. Folks who have pelvic floor issues may be advised to inhale on the effort during barbell back squats, for instance, to reduce the amount of pressure on the musculature (along with using a lighter load), Reed says. When in doubt, listen to your body, take note of any discomfort, and adjust your breathing technique if necessary.
You’re best off using the Valsalva maneuver — taking a diaphragmatic breath, then trying to push that air out while keeping your mouth and nose closed — while heavy lifting. This breathing technique increases intra-abdominal pressure, which can help stabilize the spine during resistance training, research shows. The maneuver has also been found to reduce the amount of time in the concentric phase (while the muscle is contracting) and time spent in the “sticking region” of the one-rep max bench lift. In other words, the Valsalva maneuver may help you complete your reps quickly and with ease.
RELATED: Maximize Your Dumbbell Workouts
Breathing Tips for Better Performance
Aside from selecting the correct breathing technique, using these tips can help enhance exercise performance.
Keep Your Breaths Consistent
When doing aerobic training, such as running, cycling, or rowing, try to keep your breath consistent, Reed suggests. In other words, aim to keep the duration of your inhales and exhales the same. You might breathe in for two to three seconds, then exhale for the same amount of time, she notes. If counting is difficult, try connecting your breath to your movement. “If you're running, you might inhale every second strike of the right foot,” she adds.
If you’re taking a lot of short inhales and are barely exhaling while exercising — aka hyperventilating — you’re likely to fatigue very quickly, says Reed. “That's not sustainable for very long because of the energy systems used to generate that kind of movement,” she adds.
When you can’t keep your inhales and exhales consistent, reduce your intensity to allow yourself to catch your breath. Then, do 30-second intervals at the more challenging effort to build up your tolerance, suggests Reed.
Don't Worry About Breathing Nasally vs. Orally
When you’re working at all-out efforts, it’s going to be nearly impossible to breathe out through the nose, says Reed. “You need to force the carbon dioxide out to be able to suck more oxygen in next,” she explains. The problem: You’re not able to move nearly as much volume of air out of your nose as you can through your mouth, says Reed.
As you become more well-trained, breathing nasally at higher intensities may become easier, says Reed. “If you think about what's happening from an anatomy point of view, you're inhaling through the nose and mouth, and the air is going down through the larynx, into the bronchi, and then into the alveolar sacs, where the gas exchange actually occurs,” she notes. “All of that is getting trained as you exercise more, becoming more efficient at the gas exchange, so you might still be able to pull it off with less volume going in and out."
Some research shows that nasal breathing can increase running economy, which is linked with faster racing times, and time to exhaustion. But it can take anywhere from 10 weeks to six months to successfully learn how to breathe nasally and for it to feel comfortable while running, according to a review. Essentially, breathing only through your nose while exercising may be beneficial, but don’t stress if you need to breathe orally to give your muscles the oxygen they need.
Diaphragmatic Breathing FAQs
What is diaphragmatic breathing?
Diaphragmatic breathing is when you consciously engage your diaphragm while taking a deep breath. You’re focused on inflating the top of the belly, your sides, and your back, not just your chest. That’s why it’s often called belly breathing.
How do you practice diaphragmatic breathing?
While lying face-up on the floor, place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Breathe in and out deeply, focusing on inflating the belly so it rises beneath your hand while keeping chest movement to a minimum.
What are the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing?
Diaphragmatic breathing can enhance your athletic performance, improve lung function, and ease stress.
Does diaphragmatic breathing improve athletic performance?
Diaphragmatic breathing is a valuable exercise breathing technique for athletes as it can regulate the heart rate, remove more carbon dioxide from the body, and deliver more oxygen to the muscles. The Valsalva maneuver, which involves taking a diaphragmatic breath and holding it, can help stabilize the spine and get you through “sticking points” during heavy lifts.
How often should you practice diaphragmatic breathing?
There’s no set guidance on how often to practice diaphragmatic breathing. Try diaphragmatic breathing exercises before training to promote mindfulness, during a workout to reset your breath, and after a session to kickstart recovery.
Performance isn't just built through training. Recovery, breathwork, and movement quality all play a role. Explore the coaching, classes, and wellness experiences available at Equinox Clubs.