Breathwork and Athletic Performance
Breathwork can support athletic performance by helping athletes regulate arousal and focus, reduce perceived exertion, speed recovery between efforts, and in some cases improve repeated sprint ability through specific patterns such as voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume. Evidence also points to benefits of heart rate variability biofeedback for precision skills under pressure, while inspiratory muscle methods and warm humidified nasal breathing are useful in certain contexts. Not every method fits every sport, and results vary by intensity, duration and athlete profile, so the approach should match the task.
What breathwork means in sport
In sport settings the term covers several distinct practices. These include paced slow breathing to modulate the autonomic nervous system, resonance frequency breathing with biofeedback to increase heart rate variability, tactical breath holds during sprint training, nasal breathing at low to moderate intensities, and task specific bracing in strength work. Each affects physiology in different ways and should be used for the situation at hand. PMC+2PMC+2
How breathing affects performance physiology
Breathing patterns influence carbon dioxide levels, chemoreflex drive and the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. Slow breathing near the individual resonance rate increases heart rate variability and baroreflex gain, a pattern linked to calmer arousal and steadier attention that many athletes use before skill execution or competition.
Breath control can change the work of the respiratory muscles. High breathing frequency raises the oxygen cost of ventilation, which may siphon blood flow from locomotor muscles at hard efforts. Shifting toward larger tidal volumes at a given workload can reduce that cost, although evidence during heavy continuous exercise remains mixed.
Evidence snapshot by goal
Reduce pre-event anxiety and steady focus
Randomized and controlled work shows that resonance breathing with HRV biofeedback can improve sport skills and fine motor execution in several athlete groups, and a 2025 randomized study in university baseball players reported lower cognitive anxiety with improved batting scores after ten days of HRV biofeedback. Pre-performance routines that include breathing tend to help under pressure by limiting distraction.
Improve repeated sprint ability in team and racket sports
A 2025 meta analysis found that repeated sprint training performed with voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume produced small but meaningful gains in fatigue resistance across sprints compared with the same training with normal breathing. Mechanisms are still under study, but higher peak blood lactate suggests a larger glycolytic stimulus. Sport-specific trials in swimmers and field athletes show similar patterns. This approach is best treated as a planned training block rather than a race day trick.
Manage breathing during endurance work
At rest and at easy to moderate intensities, nasal breathing can be sufficient and may reduce exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in susceptible athletes. At higher intensities many athletes will need mouth or mixed breathing to meet ventilation demands, and performance can drop if a nasal-only rule is forced when pace climbs. Recent controlled work confirms that pure nasal breathing is often workable at lower intensities, with a shift toward mouth or mixed patterns as effort rises.
Aid recovery between sets or intervals
Slow breathing between strength sets or after high-intensity work is used to bring heart rate down and subjectively reduce effort. Experimental studies report that slow breathing increases vagal markers and lowers heart rate, although performance effects can be context dependent, with some trials showing no extra performance gain over training alone. If used, keep the method short and rhythmical so it does not cool muscles or break focus.
Build respiratory capacity with devices or targeted drills
Inspiratory muscle training and related methods can improve inspiratory strength and sometimes endurance performance, though findings are not uniform across sports and populations. Reviews in 2024 and 2025 report improvements in inspiratory pressures and selected performance outcomes, with debate about magnitude and transfer. These methods differ from breathwork pacing practices and should be programmed like any accessory training.
Practical methods you can use
Paced slow breathing for arousal control
Goal
Settle pre-event anxiety and steady attention for precision tasks such as batting, putting, serving or starts.
How to do it
Sit or stand tall with the jaw relaxed and shoulders down. Inhale through the nose for about five to six seconds. Exhale for about five to six seconds. Keep breaths light and quiet. Continue for five to eight minutes. If you have access to HRV biofeedback, breathe at your resonance rate where heart rate oscillations peak. Use this during pre-competition routines or during timeouts.
What the research says
Randomized and controlled trials show performance benefits in skills under pressure and lower cognitive anxiety with short HRV biofeedback blocks. Meta analytic work across populations links slow breathing to higher time-domain HRV and lower systolic blood pressure.
Voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume for sprint blocks
Goal
Improve fatigue resistance across repeated short sprints in trained athletes.
How to do it
This method should be coached. During specific sprint sets, exhale near end expiration before the sprint, then limit breaths during the sprint and early recovery. Use sparingly within a 3 to 4 week training block with careful monitoring of dizziness or undue breathlessness. Avoid in heat, at altitude or with any medical condition that affects breathing.
What the research says
A 2025 meta analysis reported greater improvements in sprint decrement scores compared with normal breathing training, with unclear mechanisms and high individual variability. Treat it as a targeted stimulus, not as a constant habit during games.
Nasal first at low intensity then mix as pace rises
Goal
Support airway comfort and ventilatory efficiency in steady work and manage symptoms in athletes prone to exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
How to do it
Use nasal breathing at easy or conversational pace runs and rides. As intensity climbs past moderate, allow a natural shift to nose in and mouth out or full mouth breathing. In cold dry air warm up longer and consider face covering during warm up. For athletes with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, continue medical care and consider nasal breathing during warm up to humidify and warm inhaled air.
What the research says
Controlled studies show nasal breathing can maintain performance at light to moderate intensities and may reduce bronchoconstriction, while high-intensity efforts usually need higher ventilation than pure nasal breathing can support. Clinical guidance on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction supports warm humidified inhalation and graded warm ups.
Between-set breathing in strength sessions
Goal
Drop heart rate faster between sets and keep attention on technique.
How to do it
After each set take 60 to 90 seconds for quiet nasal inhales with long relaxed exhales. Two short counts in and four to six out is a simple pattern. Resume normal lifting breath, including bracing as needed, for the next set. PMC
What the research says
Physiology studies show slow breathing increases vagal influence and lowers heart rate. Performance effects likely depend on lift type, load and rest length.
Strength work and bracing
Heavy lifts require coordinated bracing. The Valsalva maneuver increases intra-abdominal and intrathoracic pressures which stiffen the trunk and protect the spine during near-maximal attempts. This also spikes blood pressure, so lifters with cardiovascular risk should follow medical advice and use submaximal loads with coached breathing. Even in healthy lifters, prolonged straining is unnecessary. Use the brief brace during the sticking point then return to relaxed breathing.
Special cases for airway-sensitive athletes
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction can affect athletes with or without chronic asthma. Management includes medical care, extended warm up and strategies that humidify and warm inhaled air. Several trials show that nasal breathing during exercise reduces the fall in lung function in susceptible individuals, likely by warming and humidifying air before it reaches the lower airways.
What not to expect
Not all breathwork produces direct performance gains. Controlled studies of hyperventilation-based methods and some popular routines show limited or no benefit for endurance economy or repeated sprint output in trained athletes. Use caution with claims that a single session will change speed or power, and treat breathwork as one tool among many.
Sample programs by sport
Team sports with repeated sprints
Two days per week for three to four weeks add a small block where one or two sprint sets use voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume under a qualified coach. Keep total exposures limited inside a normal repeated sprint program. During matches or scrimmage do not restrict breathing. Use two to five minutes of paced slow breathing in the pre-game routine to steady arousal.
Endurance running and cycling
On easy days breathe through the nose or nose in and mouth out. On threshold and interval days allow mixed or mouth breathing as needed to meet demand. Use five to eight minutes of relaxed paced breathing in cooldown or before sleep to settle the nervous system. Athletes with airway reactivity can combine nasal breathing in warm up with medical management.
Strength and power
In warm up, two to three minutes of easy nasal breathing helps focus without fatigue. Between heavy sets, use quiet slow breathing to recover while keeping rest periods consistent. Use a brief brace during heavy efforts for trunk stiffness and then return to relaxed breathing.
Safety notes
Anyone with cardiopulmonary disease, syncope history, uncontrolled blood pressure or pregnancy should seek medical guidance before trying breath holding or intensive bracing drills. Stop any breath practice if you feel dizziness, chest tightness or unusual shortness of breath. Athletes with diagnosed asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction should continue prescribed treatment and ask their clinician before changing breathing strategies in training.
Measurement and tracking
Track practice time, perceived exertion and performance metrics that match your sport. If you use HRV, watch the trend, not day-to-day swings. Slow breathing can acutely raise HRV, so compare similar conditions and keep notes on timing and context.
We note that breathwork is also practised in retreats plant medicine hosted by ONE. To learn about that context we share ONE Retreats and a location reference for Jamaica.
Conclusion
Use slow, paced breathing for arousal control before skills and starts. Evidence supports HRV biofeedback for precision tasks and for lowering competitive anxiety in short interventions.
Consider short blocks of voluntary hypoventilation during repeated sprint training if you are experienced, healthy and supervised.
Prefer nasal or mixed breathing during easy endurance work, then allow mouth breathing when intensity climbs.
Between sets, quiet breathing can help recovery, but do not expect it to raise bar speed on its own.
For heavy lifts, bracing has a place, balanced with safety. Match the tool to the task and keep any breath method inside a grounded training plan.
