Even Elite Athletes Don’t Know How to Breathe – And It’s Holding Them Back
You’d think that after years of training, competing, and pushing their bodies to the limit, elite athletes would have mastered something as basic as breathing. But guess what? Most of them breathe just as poorly as the average couch potato.
Yep, even top athletes—Olympians, marathon runners, football stars—are out there "inhaling and exhaling" with inefficient breathing patterns. They may have six-packs, record-breaking speeds, and insane endurance, but many of them still rely on shallow chest breathing instead of diaphragmatic breathing.
The Problem with Chest Breathing
Chest breathing is like running a high-performance car on cheap fuel.
It’s inefficient, overworks the wrong muscles, and leads to tension, stress, and early fatigue.
Resulting to neck pain, and tension around the shoulders
It can also lead to muscles cramps
Instead of using their full lung capacity, many athletes take rapid, shallow breaths that trigger hyperventilation, throwing off oxygen delivery and making recovery harder than it should be.
Worse, over-breathing messes with carbon dioxide levels, reducing how much oxygen actually reaches the muscles.
The more you get rid of CO2 by hyperventilating the less you cells can absorb O2
So even though they look like superhumans on the outside, many athletes are unknowingly limiting their own performance simply because they never learned how to breathe properly.
"The website provides a detailed explanation of the physiological processes involved in breathing, including the roles of CO₂ and O₂, as well as the effects of hyperventilation.”
The Secret Weapon: Functional Breathing
Mastering diaphragmatic breathing—where you engage the lower lungs and optimize oxygen absorption—can completely change the game.
Athletes who train their breath experience:
- Have Better endurance (because muscles actually get the oxygen they need)
- Faster recovery (less stress = less inflammation)
- More control and focus (oxygen fuels the brain too, not just the muscles)
- Improved posture and core stability (breathing influences spinal alignment and muscle activation)
- Better oxygen distribution (by stimulating the alveoli more effectively)
- Less pain and musculoskeletal issues (by reducing compensatory tension)
- Lower stress levels (by regulating the autonomic nervous system)
- Reduced risk of injuries (especially forward head posture and instability-related issues)
Are You a Chest Breather? Try This Test
There’s a simple biomechanical test called the High-Low Test to determine if you’re breathing correctly.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Breathe normally.
Observe which hand moves more.
If your chest hand moves more, you’re a chest breather, meaning you’re likely not using your diaphragm efficiently.
If your belly hand moves more, congrats—you’re engaging your diaphragm properly!
"My Own Experience: Even High-Level Athletes Aren’t Taught How to Breathe"
As a former elite athlete in the French national team, and someone who has been involved in sports since childhood, I was never taught how to breathe correctly—even while competing at the highest level.
Coaches would yell, “Just breathe, breathe!”—but no one actually explained how. The reality is, breathing patterns in athletes could be far more efficient if we integrated biomechanical breath training into sports conditioning.
It’s Time to Rethink Breathing
Breathing isn’t just an automatic function—it’s a performance tool.
Learning how to breathe properly should be as fundamental as strength, mobility, and nutrition.
Whether you’re an elite athlete or just trying to survive a workout without feeling like a dying fish, training your breath is the ultimate game-changer.
- Breathe as often as possible through your nose.
- Let your breath be low, slow, and calm—rising from your belly and diaphragm, not your chest.
-Throughout your day, take a moment to ask yourself:
“How am I breathing?”
-During physical activity, stay connected to your breath.
It is your anchor, your rhythm, your guide.
At ZenitudeFitPilates, you’ll find all the tools and support you need to reconnect with your breath and body.
Take the time to explore it. Your well-being is worth it.
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Why drinking more water doesn’t always mean better hydration Most people believe that the more water they drink, the more hydrated they become. In reality, hydration is less about quantity and more about how well your body absorbs and uses water. Your body processes water gradually. Drinking large amounts at once often means the excess is quickly eliminated through urine, sometimes along with valuable minerals needed for fluid balance. This is why many people drink plenty of water and still experience signs of dehydration. The principle is similar to breathing: more isn’t always better. You don’t oxygenate your body by taking huge breaths, what matters is efficient exchange in the lungs. Hydration works the same way: steady, efficient absorption matters more than excess intake. Drink smarter Sip small amounts regularly throughout the day Start the morning with room-temperature water Avoid chugging large quantities all at once Support hydration with natural minerals and electrolytes Why temperature matters Ice-cold water may feel refreshing, but it’s not always ideal for digestion. Your stomach and intestines rely on smooth rhythmic contractions — Peristalsis — to move food and fluids efficiently. Very cold water can temporarily tighten these muscles and, in sensitive people, create heaviness, cramping, or digestive discomfort. ( If your kids are complaining about stomach pain, look at what they are dinking to rehydrate...) Your body also needs to warm very cold water before efficiently processing it, so this is a waste of energy. It is tiring your body unnecessarily. Room-temperature or slightly warm water is often easier on the body and gentler on digestion. Timing matters When you drink matters too. Hydrating between meals is often ideal. Drinking large amounts during meals may reduce the quality of your digestion by diluting gastric contents, which can make digestion feel heavier. A simple rhythm: Drink regularly through the day Hydrate before meals Resume after eating Avoid waiting until intense thirst appears When dehydration quietly happens Remember, you lose water constantly, often without noticing, especially: After sleep After exercise Sauna / heat exposure Alcohol High sugar intake Chronic stress Mouth breathers, or if you speak for hours ( teachers..) Long sun exposure Dry wind (which increases evaporation and respiratory water loss) Hydration should be continuous, not occasional. My personal hydration ritual I carry my water bottle with me everywhere. It has become part of my rhythm, not because I force myself, but because I know the body thrives on steady hydration. I often enrich my water naturally with: Fresh lemon A tiny pinch of mineral-rich salt Cucumber, mint, ginger a nd other natural blends I personally use, I’ll share the link on our what'sapp community I also like to drink coconut water as it hydrates very well the body For me, water is not just something to drink. It is daily nourishment for every cell in the body. Hydration is not about drinking more It’s about drinking better:
right amount, right timing, right temperature, right balance.
Have you ever noticed how your pain follows your life more than your posture? A back that locks just before a difficult conversation. A migraine that shows up every Sunday evening. Shoulders that feel light and free on holiday… then tighten the moment you return home. This is not random a nd it is not “just in your head.” It is your nervous system responding to your environment. The Geography of Stress In practice, I’ve seen this pattern again and again: Pain that moves. Pain that flares without clear injury. Pain that disappears when life feels lighter. We often call this psychosomatic pain, but that term is misunderstood. The pain is real, t he biology is real, t he experience is real. What changes is not the truth of the pain but where it comes from. It is no longer just about tissues or structure. It becomes an interaction between your nervous system, your emotional load, and your physical body. Biology, Not Imagination Stress is not abstract. It is physical. When your brain perceives pressure whether it’s a deadline, tension at home, or something you are trying to avoid, it activates your sympathetic nervous system. And the body responds immediately: • Cortisol and adrenaline rise • Muscles tighten, preparing for action • Heart rate increases • Recovery and repair are pushed aside This response is designed to protect you. But when it becomes constant … it starts to wear you down. The body never fully switches off. Muscles stay slightly contracted. Inflammation increases. Pain sensitivity rises. What began as protection slowly becomes burden. Why You Feel It in Your Joints Many people say, “stress goes into my joints.” Not exactly. Tension begins in the nervous system. It expresses through the muscles. But the joints… are where you feel it the most. Why? Because muscles control how your joints move. When muscles stay tight: Movement becomes restricted, j oint lubrication decreases, l oad is no longer evenly distributed And this creates a loop: Stress → Tension → Restricted Movement → Joint Stiffness → Pain → More Stress A perfect cycle. The Hips Don’t Lie At the center of your body is a deep, powerful muscle: the psoas. It connects your spine to your legs and i t reacts instantly to stress. You may have heard that the psoas “stores emotions.” The truth is that it does respond to them, fast. If your system is constantly on alert, your psoas stays engaged. Your hips tighten, y our posture shifts, y our lower back begins to compensate. Over time, this becomes discomfort… then pain. The Ones Who Carry the Most There is a pattern I see often. The caregivers. The ones who hold everything together. The ones who don’t stop. They take on more. They give more. They ignore their own signals. Until the body stops whispering… and starts shouting. If you see yourself here, understand this: Your pain is not weakness, i t is the result of staying “on” for too long. A Different Way to Look at Healing Pain is not always damage, s ometimes, it is a message. A reflection of how your body, your mind, and your environment are interacting. Healing, then, is not only about fixing tissue. It is about: • Reducing the load you are carrying • Restoring movement where things feel stuck, most of the chronic pain and excessive stiffness in your body are due to tension you are holding for too long • Becoming aware of what your body has been holding Your body is not against you, It is adapting. Trying to protect you in the only way it knows how. Small changes, done consistently, can completely change how your body feels. I will be sharing simple, effective stretches and mobility routines for your chest, shoulders, and hips inside your private WhatsApp community.
