Why Are Breath Holds Important for Athletic Endurance?

Why Are Breath Holds Important for Athletic Endurance?

Breath holds can be important for athletic endurance because they expose the body and mind to rising carbon dioxide and falling oxygen availability, helping athletes develop respiratory control and composure under pressure when used conservatively and in the right context.

Breath holds are not a shortcut to better endurance, and they are not appropriate as an unsupervised challenge. Their potential value lies in learning how the respiratory urge builds, recognizing the difference between discomfort and danger, and returning to efficient breathing without panic or overbreathing.

The Breath Source places breath holds inside a broader performance system that includes movement mechanics, recovery, nasal breathing, respiratory-muscle conditioning, and interoception. An athlete does not become more durable by holding longer at all costs. They become more durable by understanding what their breath is communicating at different intensities.

What Happens in the Body During a Breath Hold?

During a breath hold, oxygen stores gradually decline and carbon dioxide rises, activating chemoreceptors that increase respiratory drive and create the urge to breathe.

The early portion of a breath hold may feel manageable. As carbon dioxide rises and oxygen availability falls, the body produces stronger respiratory sensations, including contractions or involuntary breathing movements. A 2025 review describes this progression as an initial easier phase followed by a more demanding phase shaped by oxygen stores, oxygen conservation, and the individual’s tolerance of increasing respiratory drive.1

This is one reason breath-hold practice can be psychologically informative. It makes the respiratory urge visible. Instead of immediately reacting to discomfort with a large, panicked inhale, an athlete can learn to notice the cue, stay physically relaxed, and resume normal breathing with control.

How Do Breath Holds Relate to Carbon Dioxide Tolerance?

Breath holds relate to carbon dioxide tolerance because the escalating urge to breathe is driven largely by rising carbon dioxide and acidity, not simply by the moment oxygen begins to decline.

Carbon dioxide is a key regulator of breathing. During demanding exercise, higher metabolic rate increases carbon dioxide production, and the resulting respiratory drive can make an athlete feel as though they are losing control before their muscles have actually reached their physical limit.2

Breath-hold practice can introduce this signal in a controlled setting. The intended adaptation is not an ability to ignore every urge. It is a more accurate interpretation of respiratory discomfort, allowing the athlete to avoid unnecessary overbreathing when exertion rises.

Can Breath Holds Improve Athletic Performance?

Breath holds may support specific performance adaptations, but current research does not establish a single protocol that reliably improves endurance performance for every athlete or sport.

Repeated breath holds have been associated with short-term physiological responses, including transient increases in hemoglobin concentration and erythropoietin, as well as long-term links with greater hypercapnic tolerance and cardiorespiratory adaptations in breath-hold-trained populations.1 Those findings are promising, but the same review concludes that more placebo-controlled studies are needed to establish the efficacy, dosing, timing, and real-world value of breath-hold training as a performance strategy.

That nuance matters. A breath-hold sequence cannot replace a warm-up, endurance training, fueling, sleep, strength, or sport-specific skill. The most credible use is as a carefully designed supplement that helps athletes explore breath control, respiratory drive, and recovery.

Why Does Breath Holding Change Heart Rate and Blood Flow?

Breath holding can change heart rate and blood flow because the body initiates a protective oxygen-conservation response that includes parasympathetically mediated slowing of heart rate and peripheral vasoconstriction.

The acute response is not a relaxation exercise. It is a physiological adaptation to temporary interruption of breathing. The body directs available oxygen toward vital organs while conserving oxygen elsewhere, which is why breath holds should be practiced with respect rather than used as a contest.1

For athletes, the practical takeaway is not to seek the strongest possible response. It is to understand that breath holds are a distinct stressor. Their dose should fit the athlete, training phase, sport, health history, and coaching environment.

What Do Breath Masters Say About Breath Holds for Endurance?

Breath Masters teach that breath holds are useful only when they improve awareness, movement quality, and composure instead of becoming another way to override the body’s warning signals.

Breath Master Jesse Coomer makes carbon dioxide tolerance and breathing mechanics central to performance training. In his CO2 tolerance teaching, he recommends an exhale hold only after a regular exhale, ending at the first clear urge to breathe and returning to slow nasal breathing rather than treating the practice as a maximum test.5

“It’s not about pushing hard or holding your breath to extremes. It’s about consistency, awareness, and learning to listen to your body’s signals.”
Jesse Coomer, The Science of CO2 Tolerance: Why It Matters for Your Health and Performance

Breath Master Josh Seiler teaches athletes to read the body’s cues during exertion, prioritizing adaptive performance over blindly following a protocol. In a breath-hold context, that means noticing the first urge to breathe, jaw tension, shoulder lifting, and the point where focused effort becomes unnecessary strain.2

Breath Master AJ Fisher integrates breathing directly with movement through her Breathography method. Her work provides a useful counterbalance to static breath training by asking how respiratory control, core activation, posture, and functional movement work together during real exercise, including deliberately dosed hypoxic and hypercapnic exposure.2

Breath Master Ed Harrold frames breath control as a progressively trained rhythm rather than a test of will. His four-part breath teaching uses comfortable counts across inhale, hold, exhale, and the pause after exhale, placing breath holds inside a paced structure designed to build control and CO2 tolerance gradually.6

How Should an Athlete Practice Breath Holds More Safely?

An athlete should practice breath holds only in a low-risk setting, starting with short comfortable holds on land and stopping well before distress, dizziness, or loss of control.

Never practice breath holds underwater, while swimming, driving, climbing, cycling, lifting heavy loads, or alone in any environment where loss of consciousness could cause injury or death. Do not hyperventilate before a hold. Hyperventilation can reduce carbon dioxide sensation while oxygen continues to fall, increasing the risk of blackout without a proportionate warning.

People with cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, metabolic, or pregnancy-related concerns should seek medical guidance before adding breath-hold work. Anyone who experiences chest pain, fainting, severe dizziness, unusual palpitations, or persistent shortness of breath should stop and seek professional evaluation.

How Can Breath Holds Fit Into Endurance Training?

Breath holds fit into endurance training best as a brief, specific skill practice that follows sound fundamentals and never competes with quality movement, recovery, or safety.

A basic entry point is to notice your breath at an easy aerobic pace. Can you maintain a quiet nasal rhythm? Where does the first respiratory discomfort appear? Does your posture change before your breathing becomes inefficient?

Only after that foundation is established should a coach consider simple, dry, low-risk breath-hold exposure. For many athletes, a productive practice is not a longer hold. It is learning to release jaw, neck, and shoulder tension while the urge to breathe first appears, then returning to a calm, efficient breath.

What Should You Begin Noticing During Endurance Work?

You should begin noticing whether your respiratory discomfort is arriving before muscular fatigue, whether your shoulders rise under pressure, and how quickly your breath becomes organized after an interval.

These details help you separate useful intensity from fear-based overbreathing. They also identify when a breathing strategy may be inappropriate for the effort. At maximal intensity, the body may require oronasal breathing to meet ventilatory demand. Efficient performance is not rigidly nasal. It is responsive to context.2

The Breath Source calls this interoception in performance. Wearables can show pace, heart rate, and recovery trends. Breath helps the athlete feel what those numbers mean in the body right now.

Which Breath Source Practices Support Breath-Hold Awareness and Endurance?

The most useful practice is one that teaches respiratory control without asking you to ignore physical feedback or turn breath training into a maximal test.

Deep Dive Hypoxic Training (19 mins)

With Jesse Coomer and Josh Seiler. A guided space to explore controlled hypoxic exposure with body awareness and pacing.

Try This Session On The App

Hypoxic Hypercapnic (6 mins)

With AJ Fisher. Connect deliberate breath training with functional movement and graded respiratory challenge.

Try This Session On The App

Basics Of Breath Holds (4 mins)

With Travis Steffens. Establish a low-risk foundation for understanding the respiratory urge and returning to ordinary breathing with control.

Try This Session On The App

Jesse Coomer’s CO2 Trainer (16 mins)

With Jesse Coomer. Build CO2 awareness while keeping attention on recovery, pacing, and internal feedback.

Try This Session On The App

Breath Test (7 mins)

With Ed Harrold. Use a functional check-in to recognize your starting respiratory state before adding challenge.

Try This Session On The App

The Breath Source On YouTube

The Breath Source On YouTube can help athletes move from basic understanding into coach-informed context and a safe, practical experience.

• Discovery: A forthcoming overview will introduce breath holds, CO2 tolerance, and why respiratory discomfort is not the same as a performance emergency.

  • Breath holds for Endurance | Josh Seiler | Discovery

• Authority: A forthcoming Breath Master conversation will explore how experienced coaches dose hypoxic and hypercapnic work without making it a contest.
  • Breath Holds Explanation | Ed Harrold | Authority
• Practice: A forthcoming guided session will demonstrate a dry, low-risk awareness practice with clear safety boundaries and no maximal holds.
  • Breath Holds Practice | Ed Harrold | Practice

These three paths are intentionally separate. Discovery helps the athlete understand the topic, Authority adds coaching context, and Practice converts the information into a conservative experience when the video is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are breath holds good for runners?

Breath holds may be a useful supplemental skill for some runners, but they are not necessary for endurance development and should never interrupt safe running mechanics or awareness of the environment.

Runners should first establish appropriate pacing, aerobic conditioning, recovery, and functional breathing. Use professional coaching for any more advanced breath-hold protocol.

Should I hold my breath while lifting weights?

Some lifting techniques use deliberate bracing and brief breath control, but heavy loaded movement requires sport-specific instruction and should not be confused with endurance breath-hold training.

The safest strategy depends on the lift, load, experience level, health status, and coaching context.

Does hyperventilating before a breath hold make it safer?

No, hyperventilating before a breath hold can be dangerous because it can reduce the urge to breathe without preventing oxygen from falling.

Avoid hyperventilation and never use breath-hold practice in water without specialized supervision and safety procedures.

Which Authority Conversations and Research Can Deepen Breath-Hold Training?

The strongest next step is learning from coaches and researchers who keep respiratory challenge connected to performance context, progressive dosing, and safety.

• Ed Harrold’s Breath Research Library includes the research topic Training of Paced Breathing at 0.1 Hz Improves CO2 Homeostasis and Relaxation During a Paced Breathing Task, a useful counterweight to maximal breath-hold culture because it emphasizes paced control and CO2 homeostasis.7
• Ed Harrold with Nick Sweeney: How to Harness Your Inner Power for Peak Performance examines breathwork, biomechanics, injury recovery, and flow states through the experience of a former elite cross-country skier.
• Mike Maher’s Take A Deep Breath, #113: Gert Leroy, CO2 Secrets Free Divers Know That You Don’t Yet explores breath holds, CO2 tolerance, visualization, and performance resilience with a professional freediver.2
• Mike Maher with Jesse Coomer, #82: Decoding The Language of Breath offers a longer conversation around Jesse Coomer’s The Breath Language framework and the practical interpretation of breathing patterns.8

Related Resources

• Download The Breath Source App & Start Your Free Trial
• Join Live Classes and BreathXChange Events
• Explore the Breath Education Section
• Build Your Own My Flow Practices Inside The App

References

1. Elia, A., & Lemaître, F. (2025). The Application of Breath-Holding in Sports: Physiological Effects, Challenges, and Future Directions. European Journal of Applied Physiology.
2. The Breath Source. (2026). Breath for Exercise & Human Performance: The Definitive Guide. The Breath Source.
3. Illi, S. K., Held, U., Frank, I., & Spengler, C. M. (2012). Effect of Respiratory Muscle Training on Exercise Performance in Healthy Individuals. Sports Medicine.
4. Nicolò, A., Gruet, M., & Sacchetti, M. (2023). Breathing in Sport and Exercise: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Applications. Frontiers in Physiology.
5. Coomer, J. (2025). The Science of CO2 Tolerance: Why It Matters for Your Health and Performance. Jesse Coomer.
6. Harrold, E. (2026). Breathwork FAQ: CO2 Tolerance, Four-Part Breath, and Athletic Performance. Ed Harrold.
7. Szulczewski, M. T. (2019). Training of Paced Breathing at 0.1 Hz Improves CO2 Homeostasis and Relaxation During a Paced Breathing Task. PLOS ONE.
8. Maher, M. (Host), & Coomer, J. (Guest). (2024). #82 Jesse Coomer: Decoding The Language of Breath. Take A Deep Breath.

Editorial note: This article is educational. Breath holds carry real safety risks. Do not practice underwater, while operating equipment, or in any setting where loss of consciousness could cause harm.