Nose Breathing

Introduction

Following on from my N=1 series of becoming a stronger cyclist for less than a cup of coffee a day, it was time try something new. I regularly listen to the Roadman Podcast, whose interview with Dr Andrew Sellars on breathwork got my attention. Dr. Sellars explains that training the diaphragm and intercostal muscles can boost a cyclist's functional threshold power by up to 6%. The episode details how managing CO2 levels through nasal breathing and using a 30-breath resistance protocol can delay fatigue and improve overall cycling performance. 

The protocol from the French study Sellers references ran for 48 weeks, broken down into eight six-week blocks: diaphragmatic breathing and nasal breathing first, then coordination work, then resistance training, then aero-position-specific breathing. The pro cyclists in that cohort increased tidal volume from 6.5L to 7.7L, a 10% improvement, and averaged 6-8% FTP gains.

Summary of the known Benefits

With some help from AI, I pulled together this table on the known benefits of nose breathing


Purpose

This is an individual analysis of the results of practising "nose breathing" an average of eight times a week during my daily commute of 8.5km for a period of 4 weeks to see if any improvements were noticeable.

Control and Measurement

I rode the same route daily. Most commutes were completed on my Lekker Amsterdam commuter bike, which has a good range of gears to keep the pedalling easy. 

I used a Garmin Fenix watch to observe my heart rate to understand  what my HR was when I had to slow down and to measure my average overnight Heart Rate Variability (HRV).

I used a spider based Quarq power meter on my gravel bike and a Favero Assioma Duo power meter on my road bike to capture power data. These devices are widely acknowledged to be some of the most accurate consumer power meters.

Data Analysis

For the purpose of comparison, the data analysis used 3 x 28 day periods, which included races and training rides.

Pre-Intervention (12/9 - 9/10): Gravel crit (37min): Road Crit (63min): Handicap Race (1h:53m)

During Intervention (10/10 - 06/11): Gravel race (5h): Road Race (3h:42)

Post Intervention (07/11 - 4/12): Road race (1h13m): Road Crit (63min): Handicap Race (1h:46m): Gravel Crit (44min) 

HRV data shows that my HRV from pre-intervention to post-intervention improved by 4.9% as an average and 6.4% as a 7 Day average.


Power Data 

Sprint Power: Endurance sprint duration for 21-30 seconds was best in the post-intervention period


Average Power: Power records from just over 2min through to 1h45m were best in the post-intervention period


Anecdotal observation of HR data: Heart rate data was not actively tracked during all "nose breathing rides" so the feedback here will be anecdotal only. What I observed was that on the cooler days, my heart rate would get to about 117 BPM (just out of Zone 1 for me, as measured in a lab on 4/9/2026) when my effort began to feel laboured and I had to slow down to maintain nose breathing. On warmer days my heart rate would get to about 127 BPM when my effort began to feel laboured.

Limitations

There were several caveats:

- N=1 design: No control group or blinding, so results might be influenced by other training factors

- Training load fluctuation: Minor shifts in workout intensity and volume weren’t always perfectly controlled

- Generalizability: Results may differ for other cyclists depending on age, training load or training style

- Correlation is not causation: It's possible that the structure of my training plan and additional activities caused small changes

The Results

The data from the post intervention showed a significant improvement in average cycling power during longer sprints and over extended durations (2min - 1h45m), when compared to the pre intervention and the intervention period. No personal bests were recorded during the 3 periods, however at a racing level I was  competitive in the events that I competed in during the periods.  

The Cost

Free

Conclusion

Would I recommend doing this? Absolutely! Nose breathing is the perfect way to keep control of your effort during your commute, recovery or easy ride day. So often as riders we get sucked into the Commuter Cup and before you know it, you have blown what should be an easy ride into zone 3 or 4 and harmed your recovery.

Related Articles

Training Peaks article






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Almost Free Cycling Gains

Image
What if you could become a stronger cyclist for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day, would you do it? 365 days and $5 per cup comes out at $1825, which might buy you a nice set of wheels or some more aero gear, which makes you go faster, but power or watts per kilogram is the name of the game in cycling. Over the past year, I've introduced a range of different interventions into my training and diet, most of which are either free or cost less than a cup of coffee a day. During the next five weeks I'm going to cover off what they are, explain why I did them and what the results were. Have you event considered yourself a human experiment? I guess each of us in our strange way is an experiment of n=1. Over the past year, I've been listening, learning and applying different training interventions, curious to see what can make a difference to my cycling performance and overall health. As my favourite science communicator Dr Karl from Triple J radio always says, the ...
Read more

Brunswick Cycling Club - Club Championships 2025

Image
Hands down the hardest road race I’ve ever done. The BCC road champs attracted riders from the youngsters, the up and comers, the newbies, defending title holder che d and the old’uns. Just think of a field of 27 riders between the ages of 9-69 and from A to E grade. Before the main event got underway the juniors raced a shorter 12km loop chaperoned by the main peloton and  few parents. In fairness to the older riders, they were given a choice of one or two laps of the Granite Rd course. My request for 4 laps was declined by Mr Pink and very welcomed in hindsight. Right from the start the posse of u19s like a herd of young bulls, were keen to assert their dominance over their older rivals, but we weren’t about to rollover and let them take an early break.  Stewart Hay, Phil Naidoo, Andrew Gannon and myself got into an early break and worked well together, until Stewart’s intensity shredded the attempt. I soon paid for it by falling out the back of the bunch scrambling to sta...
Read more

N=1 Series Part 5 Polarised Training and Masters Training Plan

Image
Introduction This is part 5 of 10 of the N=1 series of becoming a stronger cyclist for less than a cup of coffee a day. In this series I am going to take you through my journey from my local Masters C to Masters A in the space of 18 months, at the age of 57. If you are reading this series for the first time, you can go back and read the  Introduction Part 1, where I start with a daily smoothie and Creatine. Part 2, where I incorporated sprint training into a weekly Zone 2 ride Part 3, where I introduced strength training Part 4, where I started taking sodium bicarbonate before races and strong group rides Following the Tour of Bright in early December 2024, I decided that I needed to put the fun back into cycling and take a break from structured training. In fact from the beginning of December until the end of March, I only did 5 indoor rides on the trainer. I just rode my bike wherever and whenever I liked. Road, gravel and even some track. I wasn't working at the time, so I would...
Read more