Archive · 23 Jul 2025
Fitness Experts Explain Proper Breathing for Exercise Performance
When you exercise, your body needs more oxygen.
Breathing correctly can help you do better!
Deep belly breathing can give you more energy during workouts.
After exercising, slow your breathing down to recover faster.
Try breathing in for a few seconds, holding, and then breathing out.
Breathing through your nose might not always help during intense exercise.
Just breathe normally and enjoy your workout!
Diaphragmatic breathing can improve performance by 3-5% during aerobic activities.
Experts suggest avoiding short, shallow breaths during exercise for optimal oxygen intake.
Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, can be beneficial during workouts.
Slowing down breathing post-workout, like with box breathing, aids in faster recovery.
Breathing naturally often synchronizes with movement, reducing muscle fatigue during exercise.
- Who
- Fitness experts, including Dr. Brian Y. Kim and Judd Van Sickle.
- What
- How to breathe correctly to improve exercise performance and recovery.
- When
- During and after workouts.
- Where
- UC Irvine, UC Davis Health, Rice University (US).
- Why
- To enhance athletic performance, oxygen intake, and speed recovery.
Nasal Breathing Concerns
General Breathing
Nasal Breathing Impact on Performance
Nasal Breathing Concerns
Nasal breathing can benefit some, like asthma sufferers.
General Breathing
More research is needed to prove nasal breathing improves performance for all; it can also cause "air hunger" during intense exercise.
- Key Breathing Technique
- Diaphragmatic/Belly breathing
- Benefit of Diaphragmatic breathing
- May improve performance by 3-5%
- Recovery technique
- Slowing breathing
- Example of recovery technique
- Box breathing
- Box Breathing Technique
- Inhale (4s), hold (4s), exhale (4s), hold (4s)