Nasal Breathing + CrossFit?
Should you be training yourself to breath through your nose during Fran?
Every Monday, we revisit one of the listener questions we've answered in a previous episode. We've edited it for clarity & brevity here, but if you want to get the full version, links to the full episode are below the text.
Patrick: Here's a question from Diego in our Move category: “What are your thoughts on nasal breathing during CrossFit workouts that require being in zone four or five? Would you recommend it?”
Ben: Zones four and five refer to the highest intensity levels during a workout, where you're breathing heavily and can only get out a word or two between breaths. To give the complete picture:
Zone 2: You can hold a conversation comfortably while working out. Zone 3: You can get out a few sentences before needing a breath. Zone 4: It's challenging to speak more than a word or two at a time. Zone 5: You're essentially too breathless to talk.
Nasal breathing has gained popularity for its potential benefits, including training the respiratory system more effectively and increasing oxygen intake. Many people use nasal breathing during sleep and low-intensity activities like easy runs.
But, during CrossFit workouts, I don't recommend it.
While there are benefits to incorporating nasal breathing into a training program, attempting to breathe only through the nose during a metcon will limit your performance capacity.
It's like trying to teach a swimmer not to breathe anywhere except between flip turns. Yeah, there's a benefit to that. It's called hypoxic training, and it's a part of the training program. But if you only do that, you will limit her speed and progress. It's the same thing with this.
You won't be able to reach your full potential due to the limited oxygen intake. Nasal breathing can be part of a well-rounded training program, but I don't recommend doing it during CrossFit, where maximum effort is required.
The key is understanding when nasal breathing is appropriate (low-intensity activities, recovery periods) and counterproductive (during all-out efforts in CrossFit).
Incorporating nasal breathing strategically into your routine can be beneficial, but it should never come at the expense of performance during your most demanding workouts.
Original Episode: