How to breathe properly during your workout?

Breathing and physical activity

Breathing encompasses all the processes involved in how living organisms obtain energy. In the context of humans, this term usually refers to two types of processes:

1. External breathing – involves taking air into the lungs, gas exchange in the alveoli, transporting gases between the lungs and tissues, and removing carbon dioxide through the airways.
2. Internal (cellular) breathing – the process of oxidising (burning) organic compounds to produce energy.

Although these processes are often discussed separately, it's clear that they are connected and interdependent. Gas exchange between the body and the environment aims to constantly take in oxygen from the air and remove carbon dioxide from the system. Oxygen is needed to produce the energy required for all other vital functions and any activity of the body.

On average, a healthy adult man takes about 12 breaths per minute at rest. Each inhale brings in about 0.5 litres of air to the lungs, which adds up to a resting ventilation of around 6 litres per minute. During intense physical activity, the demand for oxygen increases – breathing quickens and heart rate rises. At 30 breaths per minute with a volume of 3.5 litres, ventilation can exceed 100 litres of air per minute. Skilful breathing therefore has a key impact on our ability to keep the body performing under physical strain and on the physiological efficiency of exercise. The more oxygen we can deliver (and use at the cellular level), the more efficient our performance becomes.

However, proper breathing isn’t only a matter of physical fitness. It also involves the work of many other organs engaged in maintaining the body’s natural, biological balance. Deep, rhythmic breathing harmonises with the optimal rhythm of the heart and blood pressure. It also affects the muscles responsible for proper posture and movement patterns performed during exercise. Moreover, breathing is linked to blood cortisol levels, which in turn affects how much stress we feel.

Breathing patterns

Proper breathing can be learned. The problem is that many of us – especially those who are not physically active – often learn to breathe in unhelpful patterns:

• Chest breathing – in this case, we suck in the stomach, pull the shoulder blades together, and push the chest forward. As a result, only the upper part works, while the lower part remains still.
• Abdominal breathing – in this case it is the opposite – the abdomen rises upwards and forwards, while the shoulder girdle does not engage.

Both patterns are ineffective. They limit the use of the full lung capacity, don’t support proper postural stabilisation, restrict mobility, and cause us to tire more quickly.

For health and fitness, diaphragmatic breathing is best. It involves directing air to the diaphragm, rather than the abdominal cavity, during inhalation. This activates the lower intercostal muscles and the abdominal muscles – during diaphragmatic breathing, you can feel them gently contracting. At the same time, the chest rises while the abdomen remains stable. This makes our breath deeper and freer, while also helping to maintain proper body posture – which is crucial during physical activity.

Breathing during strength training

During strength exercises, proper breathing is an element closely linked to technique. Above all, it allows you to move through the full range of motion and supports the stabilisation of proper posture during training. If we don’t breathe correctly, we train less effectively and also put ourselves at risk of injuries.

The most common breathing rule in the gym is to exhale during the exertion phase of an exercise. Although this is a big simplification, it works for many basic exercises that have two main phases:

1. Eccentric – when we stretch the exercised muscle.
2. Concentric – when this muscle is tensed.

Inhalation is done in the eccentric phase, exhalation in the concentric phase. If we follow trainers’ advice and inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, it helps us control our movements better. Exhaling through the mouth lets you control the air more precisely and helps sync your breathing with the exercise pace – it’s important to finish the exhale at the point of maximum effort.

When doing multi-joint exercises (with weights or bodyweight), working with heavy loads, or increasing training intensity (e.g., HIIT or circuit training), it’s important to maintain proper body posture throughout the exercise. In such situations, we use the so-called Valsalva manoeuvre. It involves briefly holding your breath while performing the exercise (breathing in between repetitions). Holding your breath helps keep the abdominal and lower back muscles engaged when lifting heavier loads, which supports proper technique.

Breathing during cardio training

During cardio training we can track how the body's oxygen demand increases and how this is linked to the heart and circulatory system. The most popular method among amateur endurance athletes is to set effort zones based on maximum heart rate (HRmax). The more intensively we exercise, the more air our body needs. We can see this in the example below:

• Zone 1: up to 60% of HRmax – breathing is very easy; this is usually warm-up or recovery after exercise.
• Zone 2: 60-70% of HRmax – breathing is comfortable, and we can talk easily, for example during a relaxed run in the park.
• Zone 3: 70-80% of HRmax – breathing is a bit harder, but we can still keep a steady rhythm – this is aerobic endurance training.
• Zone 4: 80-90% of HRmax – breathing becomes difficult, and the exercise is intense, near the aerobic threshold.
• Zone 5: 90% of HRmax and above – breathing is very fast and irregular, and we need a moment to regain rhythm, for example during a hard sprint or interval training.

The popular rule “inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth” works well for low-intensity training. As exercise intensity increases, we start breathing through the mouth. This is completely natural, as it allows more air to reach the lungs. This can feel uncomfortable during exercise in cold weather, when chilly, unfiltered air hits the throat directly, but over time you can (and should!) get used to it. However, the most important thing is regular breathing – its depth and rhythm. These factors determine how effective the workout is and how comfortable it feels.

During cardio training, diaphragmatic breathing works best – it makes maintaining proper posture and joint mobility require less effort.  Diaphragmatic breathing is deeper, helping to avoid common beginner mistakes like shallow breaths, panting, or quick, greedy inhalations. Proper posture, however, doesn’t maintain itself – it requires our conscious attention. Slouched or hunched back can make it harder for the diaphragm to work and reduce the efficiency of gas exchange.

A key factor in cardio training is ventilation – that is, how many litres of air our lungs can move per minute. It also matters what breathing rhythm we use to make the most of our lung capacity. The phenomenon of movement-breathing coupling has been observed in runners. Conscious, rhythmic breathing, evenly timed with each step, results in:

• greater energy efficiency in breathing – we use less effort for it,
• higher maximum aerobic capacity,
• easier maintenance of running pace,
• a lower likelihood of shortness of breath, fatigue, or side stitches,
• greater workout comfort and a faster sense of being in the flow,
• a gentler perception of fatigue.

When training rhythmic breathing, it’s best to start with simpler patterns like 3:3 or 2:2 (steps on inhale: steps on exhale) during lower-intensity runs. More advanced runners use different patterns depending on the type and intensity of training, adjusting their breathing to the number of steps – which is why you might see rhythms like 2:1, 5:1, or 7:1 (steps:full breath), where the length of inhalation and exhalation depends on individual preferences and training goals.

Yoga and other breathing exercises

There are many forms of activity that are relaxing, meditative, or stress-relieving. In each case, breathing exercises form an important part of working with both body and mind. It’s thanks to the fascination with the broader concept of the East and yoga that many breathing techniques have become popular – which is why we dedicate a separate section of this article to them.

Controlled breathing in yoga is part of pranayama – the practice of harnessing and expanding life energy. The characteristic slow, deep breath is meant to deepen awareness and mindfulness of our body. Breathing in pranayama consists of four phases. Each inhalation (puraka) and exhalation (rechaka) is separated by brief pauses (kumbhaka), where the lungs are held at full capacity after inhaling and at minimal capacity after exhaling. The basic exercises are almost identical to learning diaphragmatic breathing while lying down. More advanced breathing practices are performed in specific positions and involve consciously directing air to different areas of the body. They can also be enhanced with phonation – distinctive sounds made during exhalation.

At the core of pranayama is diaphragmatic breathing – which means better lung ventilation and its natural benefits. Its goal, however, is not to boost our physical performance, but rather to bring relaxation and calm, which conscious breathing allows us to incorporate into daily life. Besides reducing stress and easing anxiety, yogic breathing lowers blood pressure and improves sleep quality. The practice of pranayama also supports the process of quitting smoking. We can find similar assumptions and effects in many breathing exercise systems.

How to train diaphragmatic breathing?

Simple exercises are helpful in mastering diaphragmatic breathing. They can be performed almost anywhere.

1. Lie on your back. Lie flat, pressing your shoulder blades to the ground.
2. Bend your legs at the knees, placing your feet flat.
3. Place one hand on the sternum and the other on the navel.
4. Take a slow, deep breath in so that your arms don’t lift up – only the part of your body between them should lift!
5. Exhale slowly. Repeat the exercises until you have full control of your breathing.

We encourage you to practice every day!

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