Breathing for Endurance Athletes: How Better Breathing Can Support Performance
Understanding the role of breathing in endurance performance, recovery and resilience.
Whether you're training for your first fun run, riding long distances, competing in triathlons or preparing for an ultra-marathon, your breathing is working just as hard as your muscles.
Most endurance athletes spend countless hours improving their strength, endurance and technique, yet very few spend time learning how they breathe.
While breathing is automatic, it isn't always efficient.
Learning to breathe more effectively won't replace consistent training or good coaching, but it may help support endurance, recovery and overall performance.
Let's explore what current research tells us.
Why Breathing Matters During Endurance Exercise
Breathing has one primary purpose: to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.
During exercise, this process becomes increasingly important as your muscles require more oxygen and produce more carbon dioxide.
To meet these demands, your breathing rate and depth naturally increase.
In healthy individuals, the respiratory system has a remarkable capacity to respond to exercise. However, inefficient breathing habits can sometimes increase the work of breathing unnecessarily, contributing to fatigue or discomfort during training.
Optimising breathing is not about breathing more.
It's about breathing more efficiently.
The Respiratory System Is Trainable
Just like your cardiovascular system and muscles adapt to training, aspects of your breathing can also improve with practice.
Breathing education may help athletes develop greater awareness of:
Breathing mechanics
Breathing efficiency
Breathing rhythm
Recovery breathing
Breathing awareness under physical and mental stress
For some athletes, targeted breathing training may also improve respiratory muscle function, particularly when respiratory muscle training devices are used under appropriate guidance.
Nasal Breathing: Does It Improve Performance?
Nasal breathing has received considerable attention in recent years.
The nose performs several important functions.
It helps:
Filter airborne particles
Warm and humidify incoming air
Increase nitric oxide production within the nasal passages
Support efficient airflow
For low to moderate exercise intensities, many people can comfortably maintain nasal breathing.
As exercise intensity increases, however, mouth breathing often becomes necessary to meet the body's increased ventilatory demands.
Current evidence does not support the idea that athletes should force nasal breathing during high-intensity exercise if it limits performance or causes discomfort.
Instead, breathing should be appropriate for the intensity of the activity.
For many athletes, improving nasal breathing during rest, recovery and lower-intensity training may provide valuable benefits without unnecessarily restricting airflow during maximal efforts.
Carbon Dioxide Matters Too
Many people think breathing is simply about taking in more oxygen.
In reality, carbon dioxide (CO₂) plays a vital role in regulating breathing and supporting oxygen delivery to working muscles.
Healthy CO₂ levels help facilitate the release of oxygen from haemoglobin to body tissues through a process known as the Bohr effect.
Some athletes habitually over-breathe, particularly when they become anxious before competition or during demanding training sessions.
Excessive breathing may reduce carbon dioxide levels below what's optimal, potentially contributing to symptoms such as dizziness, increased breathing discomfort or a feeling of being "out of breath" that exceeds the body's actual physiological demands.
Functional breathing education often focuses on developing calmer, more efficient breathing rather than simply encouraging bigger breaths.
Breathing and Recovery
Performance doesn't improve during training.
It improves during recovery.
Following intense exercise, breathing gradually returns towards resting levels as the body restores balance.
Gentle recovery breathing may help athletes:
Transition more efficiently out of high sympathetic activation
Promote relaxation after training
Support recovery routines
Increase awareness of breathing patterns
Recovery breathing should be comfortable and individualised rather than forced.
The Diaphragm: More Than Just a Breathing Muscle
The diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing.
During endurance exercise, it performs thousands of contractions.
Like any muscle, the diaphragm can become fatigued during prolonged or intense exercise.
Research suggests respiratory muscle fatigue may contribute to exercise limitation in some endurance athletes, particularly during longer events.
Improving breathing mechanics and, where appropriate, incorporating respiratory muscle training may help reduce the work of breathing for some athletes.
However, respiratory muscle training should complement—not replace—a well-designed endurance training program.
Breathing Under Pressure
Endurance performance isn't only physical.
Competition often brings increased pressure, anticipation and uncertainty.
These psychological demands can influence breathing patterns before an event has even begun.
Some athletes notice:
Faster breathing on the start line
Breath holding before difficult climbs
Increased tension in the shoulders and neck
Difficulty settling into a comfortable breathing rhythm
Developing greater awareness of breathing can become part of an athlete's broader preparation for competition, helping them recognise these patterns and respond more effectively.
Practical Breathing Strategies for Endurance Athletes
Breathe Through Your Nose at Rest
Where comfortable, use nasal breathing during everyday activities and lower-intensity exercise to support healthy breathing habits.
Avoid Unnecessary Tension
Many athletes unknowingly lift their shoulders or tighten their jaw while breathing.
Relaxed breathing often supports more efficient movement.
Match Your Breathing to Your Effort
Rather than forcing a particular breathing pattern, allow your breathing to naturally respond to the demands of your training.
Prioritise Recovery
After training, allow your breathing to gradually slow rather than stopping abruptly.
Gentle recovery breathing may support relaxation and prepare you for your next training session.
Build Awareness
The best breathing strategy is the one that's appropriate for your body, your sport and your current level of exertion.
Learning to notice how you breathe is often the first step.
Common Misconceptions
"Taking bigger breaths always improves performance."
Not necessarily.
Large, forceful breaths may increase breathing effort without improving oxygen delivery.
Efficiency is often more important than volume.
"You should always breathe through your nose."
Nasal breathing offers many benefits, particularly at rest and during lower-intensity exercise.
However, during high-intensity exercise, mouth breathing is often a normal physiological response to increased ventilatory demand.
"Breathing techniques replace fitness."
Breathing education complements good training.
It doesn't replace endurance conditioning, strength training, nutrition or recovery.
How The Guided Breath Can Help
At The Guided Breath, performance breathing begins with understanding how you currently breathe.
Functional Breathing Assessments explore breathing patterns, breathing mechanics and habits to identify opportunities for more efficient breathing.
Sessions are tailored to your individual goals, whether you're preparing for competition, returning from injury, improving recovery or simply looking to better understand your breathing.
The focus isn't on teaching one breathing technique for every athlete.
It's about helping you develop breathing strategies that are practical, evidence-informed and appropriate for your training and performance goals.
Key Takeaways
Breathing plays an essential role in endurance performance and recovery.
Efficient breathing focuses on quality rather than simply breathing more.
Nasal breathing offers benefits but may not be appropriate during maximal exercise.
Carbon dioxide regulation is an important part of healthy breathing physiology.
Performance breathing should complement—not replace—well-designed training.
Breathing awareness can support both physical performance and psychological readiness.
References
American College of Sports Medicine. (2021). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
McConnell, A. K. (2013). Respiratory Muscle Training: Theory and Practice. Elsevier.
Powers, S. K., & Howley, E. T. (2024). Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Shei, R. J. (2018). Recent advancements in our understanding of the ergogenic effect of respiratory muscle training in healthy humans: A systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(9), 2665–2676.
Dallam, G. M., McClaran, S. R., Cox, D. W., et al. (2018). Effect of nasal versus oral breathing on cardiorespiratory responses during submaximal and maximal exercise. International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science, 6(1), 22–29.
