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The Lungs: The Unsung Heroes of Endurance Training 🫁

Writer's picture: Sonya BrothertonSonya Brotherton

Phot credit : P3T Photography
Phot credit : P3T Photography

When we think of improving athletic performance, the heart ❤️ often takes centre stage. From enhancing VO2 max to raising lactate thresholds, the focus is usually on pumping more oxygen-rich blood 🩸 to working muscles and clearing waste products. But where does this oxygen come from? The answer lies in the lungs 🫁 and the effectiveness of your breathing.

The lungs are not merely passive air pumps; they are critical, dynamic players in endurance, helping athletes harness oxygen 🌬️ and maintain performance under pressure.




Why the Lungs Matter 💡

Your lungs are responsible for taking in oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. The process begins with air entering the lungs, where oxygen is transferred to the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide—a waste product of metabolism—is expelled. While the heart and muscles can improve their efficiency, they are entirely dependent on the lungs to supply oxygen in the first place.

An efficient respiratory system ensures:

  • Better oxygen delivery to working muscles 🏋️‍♀️.

  • Improved clearance of waste products like carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions 🧪, reducing muscular fatigue.

  • Optimised lactate recycling, ensuring the body can continue to produce energy ⚡.

Under high-intensity or prolonged activity, the respiratory system often becomes a limiting factor, especially if breathing mechanics are inefficient.


360 Breathing: A Game Changer 🔄

One of the most effective ways to optimise your breathing is through 360-degree breathing. This technique engages the diaphragm fully, encouraging the ribs to expand not just forwards, but also outwards to the sides and backwards towards the spine. Proper diaphragmatic breathing not only increases oxygen intake but creates a functional, strong, and responsive core system.—key for posture and power in endurance sports 💪.

How to Practise 360 Breathing 🧘‍♀️


The connection between your breath and pelvic floor is a powerful yet often overlooked aspect of athletic performance and core health. Proper 360 breathing ensures full diaphragm engagement, promotes better oxygen intake, and helps maintain a balanced pelvic floor that’s neither over-tightened (hypertonic) nor too relaxed (hypotonic). This guide will help you master 360 breathing safely and effectively, with special emphasis on protecting and optimising your pelvic floor.


When done incorrectly, breathing can lead to excessive downward intra-abdominal pressure, causing strain on the pelvic floor or creating imbalances.


Step-by-Step Guide to 360 Breathing

1. Set Up for Success

  • Choose a Comfortable Position: Start lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Alternatively, sit upright on a chair or stability ball 🪑, ensuring your pelvis is neutral (neither tilted forward nor backward).

  • Find Neutral Alignment: Align your ribs over your pelvis. Imagine a vertical line running from your ears through your shoulders, ribs, and hips. Avoid flaring your ribs or arching your back.


2. Understand the Pelvic Floor and Diaphragm Connection

  • On an inhale, the diaphragm moves downward to draw air into the lungs, and the pelvic floor mirrors this movement by gently lengthening and descending.

  • On an exhale, the diaphragm rises as air is expelled, and the pelvic floor naturally lifts upward, returning to its resting position.

This synchronised movement ensures the pelvic floor works dynamically with your breath, avoiding excess strain or tension.


3. Start Breathing with Awareness

  • Position Your Hands: Place one hand on your lower ribs and the other on your lower back. Alternatively, wrap a resistance band lightly around your ribcage for tactile feedback.

  • Visualise Expansion: Picture your ribcage as an umbrella opening on the inhale, expanding outward, sideways, and backward.


4. Inhale Gently Through Your Nose

  • Breathe into Your Ribs, Not Just Your Belly: Direct your breath into your belly, lower ribs, sides and back.

  • Feel the Pelvic Floor Descend Naturally: As you inhale, allow the pelvic floor to "lengthen" and descend gently without bearing down on it. Focus on allowing the breath to distribute evenly around your torso.

  • Avoid lifting your shoulders and sucking in; focus on the ribcage expanding like a balloon 🎈.


5. Exhale Fully Through Your Mouth

  • Slow and Controlled: Exhale fully and slowly through your mouth, creating a gentle "shhh" or "haaa" sound to regulate the outflow of air.

  • Pelvic Floor Ascends: As you exhale, feel your pelvic floor gently lift upward to its resting, neutral, position.

  • Engage the Deep Core: Lightly activate your transverse abdominis (deep core muscle) by drawing your bellybutton slightly inward without sucking in or clenching. Imagine pulling a supportive band snugly around your waist. The sensation should feel secure but not restrictive.

    Think “Hug Inward”: Picture your lower abdomen gently hugging your spine for support, rather than forcing it inward aggressively.

    Avoid Holding Your Breath: Maintain smooth, steady breathing as you engage your TA.

    Monitor Your Pelvic Floor: Ensure your pelvic floor is lightly lifting as you engage your TA, not bearing down.


6. Check for Rib and Pelvic Floor Balance

  • Avoid Rib Flare: Keep your ribs aligned with your pelvis. If your ribs pop upward or your lower back arches excessively, adjust your posture.

  • Monitor Pelvic Floor Movement: Ensure your pelvic floor movement feels natural and subtle. If you notice excessive clenching or pressure, reduce the intensity of your breathing.


Key Tips to Perfect Your 360 Breathing

  • Practice Patience: It may take time to feel the pelvic floor’s natural rhythm. Practise daily for 5–10 minutes to build awareness and coordination.

  • Use Visualisation: Imagine your ribcage expanding like a balloon 🎈 or your pelvic floor gently stretching like a hammock. On the exhale, visualise everything recoiling upward smoothly.

  • Adjust Pressure: If you feel strain in your pelvic floor, ease up on the depth of your inhale and focus on even, relaxed expansion around your torso.

  • Progress Gradually: Start with shorter breaths and gradually deepen your inhales and exhales as your control improves.

  • Incorporate Movement: Once you master the basics, practise 360 breathing during dynamic movements like squats or lunges, running and paddling to integrate it into your workouts.


Tips! Wrap a light band around your ribs to feel the expansion. Push gently into the band as you inhale to ensure 360 movement.

Sit against a wall and focus on breathing into your back ribs. This can help activate underused areas.


Practising this daily strengthens the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, improving lung capacity and control.


Note: At low intensity below the Ventilatory Threshold (Rate of Percieved Exertion RPE) 7), breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth is optimal. Once you go into higher intensities at Lactate Threshold / Maximal Aerobic Speed / VO2 Max of RPE 8 and above you will need to breath through the mouth to get enough oxygen in.


Training the Intercostals 💪

The intercostal muscles, located between the ribs, play a vital role in expanding the ribcage during inhalation. These muscles often fatigue during intense exercise 🏃‍♀️, limiting breathing efficiency. To improve intercostal strength, incorporate the following:

  1. Back-focused Breathing: Place resistance bands around your lower ribs and focus on expanding into the bands as you breathe in.

  2. Thoracic Mobility Exercises: Improve ribcage mobility with movements like cat-cow stretches 🐈, thoracic rotations, and side bends.


Breathwork for Endurance 🏅

Breathing isn’t just about oxygen intake; it’s also about maintaining a calm nervous system 🧘 and optimising performance. Breath-work sessions can enhance lung function, focus, reduce RPE and overall endurance.

Tips for Effective Breathwork Training 🧠

  • Nasal Breathing: Train yourself to breathe through your nose during exercise under the Ventilatory Threshold (VT) 👃. This increases oxygen uptake, filters the air, and reduces the risk of over-breathing.

  • Controlled Exhalation: Extend the duration of your exhale to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, improving recovery and lowering stress response 🛌.

  • CO2 Tolerance Training: Work on holding your breath post-exhalation to build a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide, enabling better performance during intense efforts 🚴‍♀️.

Breathing During Endurance Events 🏃‍♂️

During prolonged efforts, breathing becomes critical for maintaining energy levels and mental clarity. Here’s how to optimise it:

  1. Match Your Breathing to Cadence 🎵: Find a rhythm that aligns with your stride or stroke, such as a 2:2 pattern (inhale for two steps, exhale for two). This will depend on the intensity.

  2. Deep, Controlled Breaths 🌬️: Avoid shallow, rapid upper chest breathing, which is poor for oxygen delivery at max efforts, leads to a higher SNS activation and can lead to hyperventilation. Focus on deep diaphragmatic breaths.

  3. Stay Relaxed 🧘‍♂️: Tension in the shoulders or upper chest can restrict breathing. Maintain an open posture and relaxed upper body. The chest should be open with shoulders back and down but without flaring the ribs or arching the back.


Square breathing, also known as box breathing, is a structured technique that complements 360 breathing, promoting calmness, focus, and better breath control.

How to Practise Square Breathing

  1. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, expanding your ribs in all directions.

  2. Hold your breath for 4 counts, keeping your shoulders and neck relaxed.

  3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 counts, lifting your pelvic floor gently.

  4. Hold your breath again for 4 counts, staying calm and steady.

Repeat 5–10 cycles, or for 2–5 minutes.

Do for a lower count initially and build up gradually.


When to Use It

  • Pre-race or workout to stay focused.

  • Post-training to speed recovery.

  • Anytime for stress relief or mindfulness.

  • Bedtime to aid going to sleep.


Square breathing pairs seamlessly with 360 breathing, helping regulate your nervous system while enhancing core and pelvic floor coordination.


The Bigger Picture 🌍

The lungs and breathing efficiency are often overlooked in endurance training, yet they play a foundational role in overall performance. By training the respiratory muscles, practising 360 breathing, and incorporating breathwork into your routine, you can unlock untapped potential and improve endurance dramatically 🚀.

"Optimising respiratory mechanics and efficiency enhances oxygen transport, delays fatigue, and allows athletes to perform at higher intensities for longer" (Harvard Medical School, 2023).


By focusing on the lungs as much as the heart, athletes can gain a competitive edge and improve performance in both training and competition 🏆.


References 📚

  • Harvard Medical School. (2023). The Role of Breathing in Athletic Performance. Harvard University Press.

  • McKenzie, D. C. (2012). "Respiratory physiology: adaptations to high-level exercise." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(6), 381–385.

  • Sheel, A. W. (2002). "Respiratory muscle training in athletes." Current Sports Medicine Reports, 1(5), 236–241.


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