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Breathing Exercises for Triathlon
Triathlon asks for three different breathing skills in one race: scheduled breaths in the swim, a folded position on the bike, and a footstrike rhythm on the run. The transitions are where breathing usually falls apart, as heart rate spikes and nerves take over.
Safety first
Breath-hold drills here are for dry land or a supervised pool only. Never practise breath holds or the breathe-up alone in open water, and never hyperventilate before going under — shallow-water blackout gives no warning.
How to use them
Build a daily base with Diaphragmatic Breathing. Train the swim with the Bilateral Swimmer Breath and, on land, the Hypoxic Swim Ladder; ride and run nose-only in your easy zones and switch to the 2:1 pattern when the effort climbs. On race morning, the Start-Line Reset is for the minutes before the swim start, when nerves cost the most.
New to this? Start with Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing: Deep belly breathing for oxygen efficiency and endurance.
Every day: build the base
Train daily, away from the action.
- Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing — Deep belly breathing for oxygen efficiency and endurance.
- Hypoxic Swim Ladder — Stroke-timed holds that train relaxed swimming on less air.
In training
Breath mechanics while you move.
- Nasal-Only Endurance Breath — Train aerobic capacity by breathing only through the nose.
- Rhythmic Running Breath (3:2) — Alternates foot-strike on exhale to balance impact.
- Bilateral Swimmer Breath — 3-stroke breathing pattern for balanced freestyle.
- Hard-Effort 2:1 Breath — Faster ratio for tempo, intervals, and threshold work.
Game day: before and between efforts
Before and between efforts.
- Start-Line Reset — Long exhales to tame pre-race nerves in the final minutes.
Get the app
dubchi is free in the browser at dubchi.com (it installs as an app and works offline) and on Android, on Google Play. No account is needed to practise.
Other sports
Breathing Exercises for Running · Breathing Exercises for Trail Running · Breathing Exercises for Cycling · Breathing Exercises for Rowing · Breathing Exercises for Hiking · Breathing Exercises for Endurance / Ultra · Breathing Exercises for Swimming · Breathing Exercises for Freediving · all sports
General information about breathing practices, not medical or coaching advice.