I Did Breathing Exercises Before Every Workout for a Week and Here’s How It Affected My Performance
I used to think breathing exercises were just for yoga class, meditation apps, or winding down before bed. They didn’t seem like something that belonged in a gym. However, after hearing more and more athletes, coaches, and trainers swear by breathwork to enhance focus, recovery, and even performance, I became curious. Could something as simple as breathing, something I do without even thinking, actually change how I train?
I decided to put it to the test. For one full week, I committed to performing breathing exercises before every workout. I didn’t change my programming. I didn’t add supplements or get more sleep. The only variable was breathwork, and what happened genuinely surprised me.
What My Breathing Routine Looked Like
Each day, I spent about 3–5 minutes on breath-focused prep before I touched a weight or started moving. I kept it simple and consistent, using two basic techniques:
- Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing: Deep belly breaths through the nose, slow exhales through the mouth, focusing on relaxing my body and lowering my heart rate.
Sometimes I sat cross-legged in the corner of the gym, other times I did it in my car before walking in. Wherever I was, I made the space for it. No music. No distractions. Just focused breathing.
Day-by-Day Highlights From the Week
Rather than detailing every single workout, here’s how it played out across the week: what changed, what surprised me, and what I honestly didn’t expect.
- My Mind Was Way More Focused: By Day 2, I had already noticed a shift in my mental state. I walked into the gym with a racing mind full of to-dos and stress, but after a few rounds of slow breathing, I felt grounded. Centered. I wasn’t fidgeting with my phone between sets or jumping into lifts distracted. The breathwork acted like a mental reset, almost like flipping a switch from “busy mode” to “training mode.”
- My Warm-Ups Felt Smoother: Normally, it takes me a few sets to feel fully ready, especially during early morning sessions or after a long workday. But something about breathing first seemed to accelerate that readiness. My joints felt looser, my mind more in sync with my body. The transition from breathwork to movement felt fluid.
- I Handled Intensity Better: This one caught me off guard: during tough sets, high-rep squats, longer cardio intervals, I felt more in control of my breathing. I wasn’t gasping through my mouth or panicking to catch my breath. Instead, I could regulate it. That translated to smoother sets and more consistent effort throughout. It didn’t make the workouts easier, but I felt more composed as I pushed through them.
- Recovery Between Sets Was Faster: I don’t wear a heart rate monitor, but I could feel it: I was recovering faster between sets. On strength days, especially, I found that taking a few slow breaths between sets helped bring my heart rate down more quickly and kept me calm as I transitioned into the next round. I wasn’t pacing the gym or overhyping myself; I was just breathing and getting back to work.
My Biggest Takeaways
By the end of the week, I was genuinely surprised by how much of a difference just a few minutes of focused breathing made. It didn’t just calm me down—it helped me feel more prepared, more present, and more in control during every workout. What started as a simple experiment turned into a powerful reminder that sometimes the most effective tools are the ones we overlook.
Here’s what stood out the most:
- Stronger Mental Focus: Breathwork helped me block out distractions and fully lock in before I trained.
- Smoother Warm-Ups: I felt more connected to my body right from the start, which made warm-ups feel more efficient and effective.
- Better Breathing During Intensity: I handled hard sets with more composure and less breathlessness.
- Faster Recovery Between Sets: A few slow breaths between rounds helped bring my heart rate down and kept me steady.
- More Intentional Training Sessions: I walked into each workout with a clearer head and a better mindset.
If you’re someone who rushes into workouts, struggles with nerves, or has trouble staying focused, breathwork might be exactly what you need to bridge the gap between just showing up and truly showing up prepared.
Will I Keep Doing It?
Yes, and probably more consistently now.
I’m not saying breathwork is magic. But it absolutely helped me show up with more intention. I felt stronger, calmer, and more present every time I trained. And for something that takes less time than scrolling Instagram between warm-up sets, it’s a no-brainer.
