How poor breathing might be impacting your cycling.

I’ve been reading a book recently called “Breath” – The new science of a lost art.

Breath book by James Nestor

In this book, the author uncovers during human evolution that our breathing has changed, and not for the better. He also brings into focus how it can have a dramatic impact on our ability to perform from an endurance and cardiovascular perspective.

So, it got me thinking, are we leaving potential performance on the table if all we are doing is just focusing on pushing a certain power or working at a given heart rate. Afterall without breathing none of that is even possible. So if we’re not doing that bit well then chances are we aren’t maximising our potential.

I've done a bit of further digging around and gone a bit deeper to see if i can try and break down what might be a good approach for us as athletes to improve this aspect of our performance. I think given the time you need to invest it’s worth a go, even if you just do the off the bike for recovery and relaxation.

The key is to use different techniques for different phases: preparation, during activity, and recovery.

Here’s a breakdown of breath work we as endurance athletes can incorporate into the routine.

1. For Training & Preparation (Building the Engine)

These techniques are done during rest days, warm-ups, or as a standalone practice to improve baseline function.

A. Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing

This is a foundational skill. Most people are shallow chest breathers. Diaphragmatic breathing improves oxygenation and trains the primary breathing muscle.

How to do it:

o Lie on your back with knees bent or sit comfortably.

o Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.

o Inhale slowly through your nose, focusing on expanding your belly so the hand on it rises. The hand on your chest should stay relatively still.

o Exhale slowly through your mouth or nose, feeling the belly fall.

Why it helps:

o Increases lung capacity and efficiency.

o Engages the parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest"), reducing baseline stress.

o Strengthens the diaphragm, making it more fatigue-resistant.

B. Box Breathing (Four-Square Breathing)

This is excellent for focus, emotional regulation, and building CO₂ tolerance a key factor in delaying the breathlessness sensation.

How to do it:

o Inhale through your nose for a count of 4.

o Hold your breath with lungs full for a count of 4.

o Exhale smoothly through your nose or mouth for a count of 4.

o Hold your breath with lungs empty for a count of 4.

o Repeat for 5-10 cycles.

Why it helps:

o Improves mental focus and calmness under pressure.

o The breath-holds train the body to tolerate higher levels of CO₂, which can reduce the panic response during high-intensity efforts.

C. Physiological Sigh (Cyclic Sighing)

A rapid and potent way to de-stress before a race or after a hard day.

How to do it:

o Take a full, deep inhale through your nose.

o Without exhaling, take one more sharp, short inhale to top off your lungs.

o Follow with a long, slow, and complete exhale through your mouth.

o Repeat for 3-5 cycles.

Why it helps:

o This double-inhale maximally inflates the alveoli (air sacs in the lungs), improving oxygen saturation most efficiently.

o The long exhale strongly activates the parasympathetic nervous system, dropping heart rate, and calming nerves.

2. During Activity (Pacing, Power, and Panic Management)

These techniques are used while you are training.

A. Rhythmic Breathing (Cadence Breathing)

This involves syncing your breath with your movement cadence. It promotes efficiency and can help distribute impact stress more evenly.

How to do it :

o The 3:2 Pattern (Easy/Moderate sessions): Inhale for 3 crank rotations, exhale for 2 rotations.

o The 2:2 Pattern (Tempo/Threshold): Inhale for 2, exhale for 2. This is a higher turnover breath for more intense efforts.

o The 2:1 Pattern (Sprints/Intervals): Inhale for 2, exhale for 1. For maximum intensity.

Why it helps:

o Creates a meditative, efficient rhythm.

o Prevents breath-holding during hard efforts. (this is more common than you’d imagine)

o May help balance musculoskeletal stress.

B. Power Breathing (For Bursts of Effort)

Used strategically for short, powerful moves like a hill surge or a final kick.

How to do it:

o Take 2-3 quick, powerful inhales through the nose or mouth to fully oxygenate.

o Follow with one strong, forceful exhale (often through the mouth) coordinated with the peak of your effort. This is especially helpful when doing any strength work.

Why it helps:

o Mimics the "Valsalva maneuver" light, providing transient core stability without the dangerous blood pressure spike of a full hold.

o Psychologically primes the body for a powerful output.

C. Panic-Breaking Breath (For "Redlining")

When you hit a wall, your heart rate spikes, and you start to panic-breathe.

How to do it:

o Force a long, controlled exhale. This is the most important part. Make your exhale longer than your inhale.

o Inhale through your nose for 2-3 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 3-4 seconds.

o Focus only on extending the exhale until your heart rate begins to come down.

Why it helps:

o The long exhale is the fastest way to stimulate the vagus nerve and lower your heart rate.

o It breaks the cycle of panic and shallow breathing, bringing you back to a manageable state.

3. For Recovery (The On-Ramp to Repair)

These techniques are used immediately after a workout and on rest days.

A. Extended Exhale Breathing

The gold standard for post-exercise recovery. It shifts the nervous system from "fight or flight" (sympathetic) to "rest and digest" (parasympathetic).

How to do it:

o Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4.

o Exhale slowly and completely through your nose for a count of 6, 7, or 8.

o The goal is to make the exhale significantly longer than the inhale.

Why it helps:

o Rapidly reduces heart rate and cortisol levels.

o Promotes blood flow to the digestive and repair systems.

o Calms the mind and body, signaling that the work is done.

B. Coherent Breathing (or Resonant Frequency Breathing)

This is a specific, highly effective pattern to optimise heart rate variability (HRV).

How to do it:

o Breathe at a rate of 5 breaths per minute.

o Inhale for 5 seconds.

o Exhale for 5 seconds.

o Use a metronome app or visual pacer to help. Practice for 10-20 minutes.

Why it helps:

o Synchronizes heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rhythms.

o Maximizes HRV, a key marker of recovery and fitness.

o Deeply calming for the entire nervous system.

Sample Integration Into a Weekly Routine

o Daily (5-10 mins): Diaphragmatic Breathing upon waking or before bed.

o Pre-Workout (2-3 mins): Box Breathing during warm-up to prime focus.

o During Workout: Practice rhythmic breathing, especially on easy runs.

o Post-Workout (5 mins): Sit quietly and Extended Exhale Breathing to kickstart recovery.

o Rest Days (10-20 mins): A dedicated session of Coherent Breathing to build resilience.

Important Note: Start slowly just practicing new techniques at rest before trying them during activity.

I appreciate that on the face of it this all might sound a bit woo woo and to be honest until i started reading this book i would have been skeptical. But having done a bit more research, and tried it out a bit myself there is clearly evidence pointing towards some benefit.

Even if it has the effect of reducing cortisol levels before bed, this will then likely help you sleep deeper and longer assisting in the recovery process.

Nasal breathing instead of mouth breathing has also been shown to increase the amount of nitric oxide – NO. This nasal-derived NO has several health benefits, including vasodilation (widening blood vessels), increased oxygen delivery to tissues, and antiviral and antibacterial properties. Mouth breathing bypasses this process, leading to lower NO levels and reduced health benefits. This is why you are probably seeing more of the pro peloton now wearing the nasal strips to help open the nasal passages.

As always, the key takeaway from this is that what you do off the bike is just as important as what you do on it. So in this case if your breathing is all off then chances are you’re not maximising on the recovery benefits, not to mention the potential on bike benefits of increased lung capacity and efficiency etc.

Hopefully you find this helpful and if you have any questions then please let me know.