Breathing Technique Affects Not Only How You Feel, But Also Your Workout Results
It doesn’t matter what type of activity you’re doing—cardio, stretching, or strength training. If you uncover the secret of alternating inhalations and exhalations, learn to control the process, and understand what proper breathing is, the effectiveness of your training will increase, and post-workout fatigue will feel pleasant. Regardless of the type of physical activity a person prefers, the most important rule is—don’t forget to breathe.

Consequences of Improper Breathing

If you perform several exercises on a single breath or hold the air in your lungs, your well-being will quickly deteriorate. Oxygen won’t enter the body in the necessary amount, and your working muscles need it badly. To keep your energy from fading and to make your post-workout sensations close to euphoria, you don’t need much—just proper breathing. It's important to monitor all the indicators: the depth of inhalation and exhalation, the sequence of phases, proper frequency, etc.

What happens if you breathe incorrectly?

• Headache and dizziness
• General weakness
• Increased blood pressure
• Hypoxia
• Low workout efficiency

To fully understand how breathing affects the body, it's worth considering human physiology. On average, the lungs can hold about 500 ml of air per inhalation. During intense physical activity, this amount increases to 3 liters. In other words, exercise improves the functioning of the respiratory system, but does not increase lung volume—because that is physiologically impossible.

Why Is It Important to Breathe Properly?

During exercise, you should focus not only on how to perform the movement but also on how to breathe correctly. Breathing exercises can even be practiced without physical exertion and still bring benefits to the body. That’s why the importance of breathing in sports should not be underestimated.

Benefits of Proper Breathing Technique:

• Improved blood circulation and heart function
• Reduced carbon dioxide production by muscles
• Normalized amount of air required for each set
• Better control over all muscles during a workout

Although breathing is considered an automatic process that doesn't need conscious control in daily life, during exercise, experts recommend paying close attention to it. Deep inhalations and exhalations will not only boost productivity, but also relieve stress, stabilize blood pressure, and improve overall well-being.

Proper Breathing Technique

Each type of sport and activity has its own standards and requirements, so let’s first look at the general rules. When performing any type of exercise, it is important to inhale at the moment when the muscles relax, and exhale when they contract.

While you’re doing ab exercises, jumping, stretching, or lifting weights, diaphragmatic breathing should prevail.
That means each phase of your inhale and exhale should be deep and as comfortable as possible for your body. When you breathe in, your belly expands—this allows you to take in the maximum amount of oxygen for an effective workout.

Another important point: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. To exhale more powerfully and effectively, you can slightly purse your lips. As for the breathing tempo, it’s more individual. If your rhythm is slow, try to stretch each phase of breathing to its maximum, filling every cell with air. During cardio, strength training, and other active exercises, your breathing tempo will naturally speed up.

Diaphragmatic Breathing: Why Is It Important?

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located below the lungs. When you inhale, it becomes more tense and lowers. This pushes on the abdominal organs and gives the lungs space to expand. With improper, shallow breathing, the diaphragm makes many unnecessary, ineffective movements. This can cause pain in the chest and back.

In everyday life, we tend to breathe shallowly—and that’s normal. But diaphragmatic breathing is essential during exercise. Even if you’re doing online fitness classes with a trainer instead of going to the gym, you must follow the correct breathing technique to make your efforts worthwhile.

You can practice diaphragmatic breathing on your own. Place your hands on your lower ribs on both sides. You should feel them rise and fall. Try to take the deepest breaths possible and remember the sensations, so you can replicate them during your workouts. Once you’ve trained this pattern, you won’t need to think about how to breathe diaphragmatically in 360°—it will come naturally.

Breathing Tips for Different Types of Workouts

We’ve discussed the general breathing rules, but there are specific nuances to consider during fitness sessions and other types of physical activity. If you learn to control your body—and especially your breathing—exercise will become a pleasure, not a struggle.

Running and Cardio Exercises.

During running and cardio, it’s important to breathe rhythmically. For every few steps, you take the same number of inhales/exhales. This is known as the 2:2 technique. It’s not mandatory to stick to it strictly; it’s enough to breathe deeply and at a moderate pace. Beginners may struggle to find an effective breathing rhythm right away, as this requires experience and physical conditioning. Synchronization will reduce pressure on the diaphragm, improving overall well-being. It’s best to breathe through your nose while running—this helps regulate body temperature.

Strength Training.

The key rule, as mentioned earlier: inhale during relaxation, exhale during effort. Balance and control over your body must go hand-in-hand with proper diaphragmatic function. If you don’t control the timing of your inhales and exhales, your blood pressure can rise significantly, which could lead to dizziness, fainting, or even a stroke.

High-Intensity Workouts.

Your breathing must be as even and controlled as possible. Inhale should be 2–3 times shorter than the exhale. Don’t try to breathe as fast as you’re moving—the lungs won’t be able to handle that kind of load.

Warm-Up and Stretching.

The foundation here is slow, deep breathing. Each inhale and exhale should last no less than 4–5 seconds. Try to go deeper each time and expand your lungs more and more to increase the effectiveness of your session.

If you struggle to breathe properly and often hold your breath, try counting out loud to control the duration of your inhales and exhales. Prepare your lungs during the warm-up—breathe deeply and find your natural rhythm. The same applies to rest periods between sets and the cool-down phase after a workout. Don’t push yourself too hard. If you experience pain or difficulty breathing, pause and catch your breath.

By following these basic guidelines, you not only improve your physical fitness and training efficiency, you also build discipline and learn to listen to your body. And that’s where the real truth lies!

Be strong, beautiful, and confident—
Your fitness coach, Alevtina Titarenko 😉