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We breathe without thought. It’s automatic, constant and essential. But could the way we breathe also affect how you perform in your specific sport? Marginal changes to your breathing have an impact when it comes to endurance, strength or recovery?

This paradox has stood out for scientists and athletes. Breathing has been looked at over the years not only as a biological necessity, but as a potential performance tool; something that could boost a person’s ability to work out or even prevent fatigue. The answers are not always straight forward as you’d think.

Two breathing patterns

There are two common breathing patterns: diaphragmaticor belly, and upper-costal or chest. Diaphragmatic is a deeper, slower breathing using the diaphragm to fill the lungs. Upper costal breathing, on the other hand is shallower, quicker and more dependent on accessory muscles of the chest and neck.

For example, in a sample of healthy subjects aged 30 or younger, researchers found that most women adopted the upper-costal pattern, especially when at rest. Men were significantly more likely to use diaphragmatic breathing.

In physical activity, however, women and men moved away from abdominal toward upper-costal breathing. This change creates an interesting paradox. Is upper-costal breathing and natural reaction of exertion, or is it a less effective normalcy?

In the same study, breathing frequency and oxygen adjustment were also examined. Diaphragmatic breather users had a lower rate of breaths per minute and longer. Body Oxygen Level Test or BOLT, is used to measure breathing efficiency. Subjects with shorter BOLT scores breathed more often. This implies that the body’s efficiency for using oxygen may vary with pattern of breathing.

Does this lead to improved physical performance?

Incredibly, the decision is not a complete no-brainer. In the young adult group, those who breathed diaphragmatically were no higher in VO₂ max, the gold standard of aerobic fitness, than those who did not. So, although breathing pattern influenced oxygen control and frequency, it did not directly affect performance in this instance.

One other study did something different. The researchers conditioned a group of previously sedentary men on a cycle ergometer over a period of three to four weeks. They were curious whether physical training could alter how these men breathed when they exercised. Their fitness may result into a slower, deeper breathing pace.

Men demonstrated all the classic signs of enhanced fitness after each training session. This includes increased peak oxygen uptake, decreased heart rates at submaximal workloads and lower carbon dioxide output. However, there was no change to their breathing at equivalent levels of ventilation. Their tidal volume, the volume of air per breath in and out, stayed the same. Instead of taking deeper breaths, they were simply taking more of them; more breaths for every second.

This flies in the face of the notion that training automatically results in better breathing. Even with pros of cardiovascular and metabolic function, the body doesn’t immediately convert to the slower, deeper form of breathing.

What does this all mean for the athletes and coaches?

It’s an indication that people may not change such breathing patterns of their own accord. If we want to breathe more efficiently, we very well might have to go through the labour of training our breathing, directly and in the way we train muscles or even movement skills.

Enter breathing techniques. A big search examined various approaches, like slow breathing, fast breathing, voluntary hyperventilation and breath holding. The idea was to find out which methods really do enhance athletic performance.

Slow breathing, especially when used over many weeks, had promising effects. Those who actually tried it out did better on endurance tests, strength exercises and sport-specific drills. Breathing at a rate of fewer than 10 breaths a minute, usually 5 to 7. The pace activates the vagus nerve, which is helpful for heart rate regulation and relaxation. This also increases heart rate variability, a marker of resilience and quicker recovery.

Notably, short-term slow breathing didn’t lead to the same level of change. One session before a workout did not increase performance. This indicates that the benefits of slow breathing derive from steady practice rather than quick fixes.

Holding your breath, especially at low lung volumes, appeared promising. Professional athletes who practiced breathing holding improved their ability to repeat sprints and recover quickly between drills. These breathing exercises replicate the effects of hypoxia and high-altitude training, which can enable the body to adapt to environments with low oxygen. However, short breath holding did exhibit the same results and in fact, did not enhance, and sometimes decreased, performance. Without a successful adaptation to holding your breath while exercising, you can limit the amount of oxygen you take in and function of your muscles.

And voluntary hyperventilation, a technique of breathing deeply and rapidly that didn’t work for everyone. One or two studies reported small effects of sprint performance, whereas other studies found no effects or negative effects. This may delay effects from fatigue because hyperventilation may induce respiratory alkalosis, decreased blood carbon dioxide level and increased blood pH. This can also lead to dizziness, muscle cramps and decreased coordination. It’s a high-stakes strategy that requires more research before it can be widely recommended.

Fast-paced breathing, such as alternatively slow and quickened breathing, used regularly in yoga or karate, was the least described. One particular trial found improvements in grip reaction time and grip strength, but the evidence was insufficient for a confident conclusion.

Where does this leave us?

The truth is that how we breathe matters for physical performance. Your breathing pattern, the rhythm and timing are very important. Diaphragmatic breathing may assist with oxygen management and stress reduction, but it does not lead to improve fitness levels. Slow breathing may improve performance, but not right away. Breath holding and hyperventilation are possibilities, but they are risky and must be under close supervision both physiologically and behaviourally.

Even more important is that breathing is trainable. Much like strength, speed or flexibility, breathing can be enhanced with purpose and practice. Athletes who train breath hold and figure out how to control their breath might have an edge not just in competition, but in recovery, focus and overall resilience.

So, the next time you tie up your laces or take the field, you’d do well to ask yourself: how are you breathing? And would it matter to change it?