Breathe Better, Perform Better: How Breathing Strategies Can Optimize Your Athletic Performance

In the world of sports performance, we often prioritize strength, speed, and skill development. Yet, one of the most fundamental aspects of athletic success is often overlooked: breathing. How an athlete breathes impacts oxygen efficiency, recovery, and mental focus, making it a critical yet underutilized tool for performance enhancement.

Breathing is something we all do automatically, but for athletes, how you breathe can make a massive difference in performance. While mouth breathing might feel natural during intense exercise, research is stacking up in favor of nasal breathing as the superior option for endurance, recovery, and even mental sharpness.

Nasal breathing isn’t just about keeping bugs out of your mouth—it’s a performance enhancer. A 2018 study published in the International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science found that athletes who practiced nasal breathing during moderate-intensity exercise had a lower respiratory rate and improved oxygen efficiency compared to mouth breathers. Why does this matter? Lower respiratory rates mean your body uses oxygen more effectively, allowing you to maintain output with less effort. On top of that, nasal breathing boosts nitric oxide production, which enhances vasodilation, essentially widening your blood vessels, leading to better oxygen delivery to working muscles. More oxygen = more power and endurance.

However, it’s not just about oxygen coming in, it’s also about how your body handles carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 tolerance is a key factor in athletic stamina. A 2017 study from the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine revealed that athletes who regularly practiced controlled breathing exercises increased their CO2 tolerance, allowing them to delay fatigue and sustain performance longer. When your body can handle higher CO2 levels, you resist the urge to over-breathe, keeping your oxygen efficiency in check. The result? You stay stronger for longer.

Breathing techniques also play a major role in recovery. A 2017 study in Frontiers in Physiology found that focused breathing exercises stimulated the parasympathetic nervous system—the one responsible for “rest and digest” functions. By slowing the heart rate and promoting relaxation, this activation led to faster post-exercise recovery and improved heart rate variability (HRV). Better HRV indicates a more balanced autonomic nervous system, which means you bounce back faster and feel more ready to tackle your next training session.

And let’s not forget the brain. While training your body is essential, mental sharpness can make or break performance. A 2019 review in the Journal of Clinical Psychology showed that breathing techniques, such as box breathing or cyclic sighing, significantly reduced anxiety and boosted cognitive function. This gives athletes a mental edge, helping them stay focused and composed during high-pressure moments. When your breathing is steady, so is your mind.

Finally, for endurance athletes, breathing efficiency is everything. A 2020 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology highlighted that nasal breathing promoted diaphragmatic activation, improving overall breathing mechanics. By relying more on the diaphragm (instead of shallow chest breathing), athletes reduced the energy cost of ventilation. In simpler terms, they were able to run, cycle, or swim farther without wasting precious energy on inefficient breathing.

Nasal breathing and breath holding can be used to increase the “internal stress” on the body, and also for enhanced recovery. Both of these aspects can be critical for optimal performance during the long and vigorous in-season phases many teams experience. It should be noted as the intensity of the completed activity increases, there will become a point at which nasal breathing is simply no longer possible. It is only in these intense situations that mouth breathing should be utilized. This will ensure athletes are not “over-breathing” and are, at the very least, maintaining their tolerance to carbon dioxide and are utilizing oxygen efficiently. - Cal Dietz

Take a Deep Breath, and Try some of these Breathing Strategies

There are several evidence-based breathing techniques that have been shown to improve athletic performance. Here are some of the most effective:

Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing

Purpose: Enhances oxygen exchange and core stability.
Perform: Inhale deeply through the nose, expanding the diaphragm rather than the chest. Exhale fully, engaging the core.
Benefits: Improves oxygen delivery, reduces stress, and supports spinal stability during heavy lifts or dynamic movements.

Nasal Breathing

Purpose: Increases oxygen efficiency and promotes relaxation.
Perform: Breathe exclusively through the nose during both inhalation and exhalation.
Benefits: Improves respiratory muscle strength, reduces respiratory rate, and enhances CO2 tolerance, which can delay fatigue.

Box Breathing

Purpose: Regulates stress and promotes focus.
Perform: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and repeat.
Benefits: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, improving mental clarity under pressure.

CO2 Tolerance Training

Purpose: Improves breathing efficiency and stamina.
Perform: Perform breath-holding exercises to gradually increase tolerance to higher CO2 levels.
Benefits: Boosts anaerobic capacity and reduces the sensation of breathlessness during maximal efforts.

Wim Hof Method

Purpose: Enhances endurance and mental resilience.
Perform: Repeated rounds of deep, rhythmic breathing followed by breath-holds.
Benefits: Increases oxygen saturation, reduces lactic acid buildup, and boosts resilience to stress.

Takeaway for Coaches and Athletes

Train your breath the same way you train your muscles—consistently and progressively.
Use nasal breathing for low-intensity training to boost aerobic efficiency.
Deep, full breaths help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, creating a calming effect that can help reduce anxiety before or during competition.
Implement recovery breathing post-training to speed up your recovery process.
Leverage tactical breathing during competition to stay composed under pressure.

Breathing as a Performance Multiplier

Breathing is more than just an unconscious bodily function, it’s a performance tool that can be consciously trained and optimized. Athletes who incorporate structured breathwork into their training programs experience enhanced endurance, improved mental resilience, and faster recovery. So, if you’re looking for a competitive edge, it might be time to pay attention to how you breathe.

Nathan Albright is the owner of XI Sports Performance, where he works with youth, high school, and college-level athletes offering a wide variety of training with various sports, including Soccer, Football, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, and more. Nathan has a BSc. in Exercise Kinesiology from the University of Toledo and currently resides in Northwest Ohio.