Breathing Beyond Basic: A key to elevate performance
- Sheetal Patil
- May 5
- 6 min read
By Rahul Vaidya
In the previous blog, we explored the link between breathing and living better and the fundamental role of breathing in daily life. We uncovered and dwelled into the intricate connection between how we breathe and how we live.
What if I told you that breathing is not just a tool for relaxation and well-being, but also a gateway to enhanced athletic performance, adapting to extreme conditions, and even biohacking your own physiology?
If you are one of those who like to push your limits - be it planning to visit or partake in physical activities at high altitude, wanting to maximize your endurance, or simply exploring the boundaries of human potential - breathing techniques offer a profound yet often overlooked advantage.
Breathing to survive to breathing for superpower
Breathwork (the way we breathe) has always been a secret weapon known to humans for centuries. Be it the Pranayama breathing techniques developed in Ancient India, the Bajau tribe who for centuries used a special breathing technique enabling them to dive under water for over 5 minutes, or the controlled breathing of modern free divers, all of them rely on and use breathing as their superpower.
Those harnessing this superpower and mastering oxygen utilization demonstrate feats which in modern times can only be termed as Superpower.
Wim Hof, famously known as "The Iceman," demonstrated extraordinary potential of breath training and the power of breath in a landmark experiment. Scientists injected him with an endotoxin - a bacteria that in a healthy individual would causes flu-like symptoms.
Wim Hof, using a specialized breathing technique demonstrated the power of breathing and remained symptom-free, proving that breath control could directly influence the immune response. This technique, now widely studied, involves cycles of hyperventilation followed by breath-holding, leading to increased stress resilience and oxygen efficiency. The common theme in all of these techniques is the reliance on breath holding.
The physiology of a breath
When breathing practice involves holding breath, blood oxygen concentration -SpO2 temporarily drops, triggering a myriad of adaptive responses from our body. These responses are slow and adaptive in nature and helps your body to cope up with lower oxygen concentration as a long-term effect.
EPO release: Mild hypoxia (lower level of oxygen in the body) stimulates the release of erythropoietin (EPO), boosting red blood cell production and improving oxygen transport. Efficient oxygen transport plays a vital role and is essential and critical for endurance athletes and high-altitude climbers.
Effect on spleen: The spleen acts as a natural blood booster. A free diver who dives holding his breath relies on this effect; when oxygen levels drop, the spleen contracts, releasing oxygen-rich red blood cells into circulation, increasing endurance capacity.
CO2 tolerance and mental focus: Training for breath-hold tolerance increases carbon dioxide (CO2) resilience, which enhances the body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently while improving focus and stress control.
Want to have superpower(s)?
If you came to this blog after reading the previous blog about breathing, and are wondering what it would like to be to harness this power, and how you could benefit from it, you are probably not alone.
Let us dive deep into a few specific techniques which you can adapt and practice if your aim is race performance, getting ready for higher altitude or simply want to have higher energy and focus through the day.
Remember, each breathing technique serves a specific physiological demand and purpose, and the key is to integrate them effectively in your routine.
Mental focus and clarity
When to practice: Improve concentration before a competition, study or an intense work focus.
Why it works: Box breathing balances the autonomic nervous system, reducing stress while maintaining alertness. By controlling the breath in structured cycles, the body avoids erratic breathing patterns that could lead to anxiety or overexertion.
Technique: Box Breathing
Inhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Repeat for 2-5 minutes.
Pre-race or pre-workout breathing (energy and readiness)
When to practice: Activating the nervous system for optimal performance before a race or intense workout session.
Why it works: Increases blood alkalinity activating the innate stress response forcing positive adaptations, floods the body with oxygen, and activates the sympathetic nervous system. This primes the body for exertion, reducing fatigue onset.
Technique: Wim Hof Power Breathing
Take 30-40 deep breaths (inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth).
After the last exhale, hold your breath until the first strong urge to inhale.
Inhale deeply and hold for 10-15 seconds.
Repeat for 3-4 rounds.
High-Altitude Training and Acclimatization
When to practice: Preparing the body for higher altitude / low-oxygen environments
Why it works: Training in a low-oxygen environment (hypoxia) forces the body to adapt by increasing red blood cell production and improving oxygen utilization efficiency. While access to low-oxygen chambers is limited, breath-hold training can simulate some of these adaptations.
Technique: Hypoxic Breath Holds
Inhale deeply and exhale 50% of your breath.
Hold until mild discomfort.
Inhale, recover for 30 seconds, and repeat.
Start with 5 rounds, gradually increasing over weeks.
When to Start: To maximize adaptations, begin practicing hypoxic breath holds at least 8-12 weeks before a high-altitude event. Training should be progressive, starting with shorter breath-hold durations and increasing intensity over time.
Breathing for marathon performance
When to practice: Part of regular training when preparing for Marathon race, helps maintain endurance, preventing fatigue and practice cadence control during longer runs.
Why it works: Focus on nasal breathing which promotes efficient oxygen exchange, increases nitric oxide production helping vasodilation, and helps regulate and maintain effort levels. Cadence breathing synchronizes breath with movement to maintain a steady rhythm and prevent early fatigue.
Technique: Nasal Breathing + Cadence Control
Breathe only through the nose for as long as possible during training runs.
Sync breath with stride to start with (e.g., inhale for 3 steps, exhale for 3 steps).
In later stages of a run, switch to exhaling longer than inhaling (e.g., inhale 3 steps, exhale 5 steps) to prevent fatigue buildup.
The hidden key to unlocking potential
Mastering breathing and breath-control is a game-changer, whether you're racing up a mountain, pushing the limits of endurance, or simply aiming to optimize focus and recovery. The body adapts when trained, and through structured breathing techniques, you can enhance resilience, increase oxygen efficiency, and sharpen mental acuity.
So next time when you as plan to prepare for a race, summit a mountain or simply ace your performance at work, take a deep breath - the journey to your next level of performance starts now.
References
[1] Kox, M., et al. (2014). "Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(20), 7379-7384. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1322174111
[2] Richardson, A., et al. (2018). "Hypoxic training and its effects on endurance performance: A meta-analysis." Sports Medicine, 48(9), 1833-1847.
[3] Engan, H. K., et al. (2014). "Spleen emptying and venous hematocrit in humans during exercise and breath-hold diving." American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 307(7), R895-R899.
[4] Robertson, C. H., et al. (2002). "Adaptation to carbon dioxide stress in endurance training." Journal of Applied Physiology, 93(4), 1293-1300.
[5] Russo, M. A., et al. (2017). "The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human." Breathe (Sheff), 13(4), 298-309.
[6] Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). "How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psychophysiological correlates of slow breathing." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.
[7] Millet, G. P., et al. (2019). "Hypoxic training and adaptations: From molecular mechanisms to performance." Sports Medicine, 49(3), 341-356.
[8] Dallam, G. M., et al. (2020). "Influence of nasal versus oral breathing on endurance exercise performance." International Journal of Kinesiology and Sports Science, 8(3), 35-44.
About the author
Coach Rahul is a strength and conditioning coach specializing in heart rate zone-based training and endurance running. As a lead coach at Netrin Sports Tech, he helps athletes and beginners optimize their performance through structured, science-backed training plans. With expertise in injury prevention, rehabilitation, and physiological coaching, Rahul focuses on building long-term fitness and recovery strategies tailored to individual needs be it performance enhancement, weight loss, lipid control or just general fitness and health
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