It’s completely normal to feel out of breath while running, especially if you’re pushing yourself by increasing your speed or running up a steep hill. This is natural because your muscles will be working harder, requiring more oxygen. Your breathing rate needs to increase to meet this demand.
Some people will feel their breathing is holding them back from progressing and getting faster. Knowing how to improve breathing while running may help improve your overall running performance. This article will provide practical tips on how to do that, including using a POWERbreathe Inspiratory Muscle Training Device. POWERbreathe IMT devices have for example, been clinically proven to improve middle-distance running performance.
Making a few changes to how you breathe while running, alongside targeted inspiratory muscle training (IMT), can help you breathe more efficiently and manage breathlessness as your running develops. Whether you take part a weekly parkrun, or you’re training for a specific event, this article will provide advice for anyone who runs, whatever your level. So, how can I improve my breathing when running?
Why Am I Out of Breath While Running?
Running increases the demand on your cardiorespiratory system compared to sitting still, walking, or completing everyday tasks. Your muscles need more oxygen to produce more energy. Your body also has to expel more carbon dioxide than it normally would.
As a result, breathing becomes more intense. If you become breathless after a sprint, then that’s expected. But if you’re becoming extremely out of breath during what you would classify as an “easy” or “regular” run, then that would suggest there’s room for improvement.
Running Faster Than Normal
Sometimes, it’s a really basic change. If you’re running faster than normal, your respiratory system is working harder than normal. This may be more noticeable for newer runners, who haven’t yet developed their fitness to optimum levels.
With regular running, your cardiovascular fitness will adapt over time alongwith the amount of time you can run comfortably. You will naturally become more efficient the more you run.
Shallow Breathing
When you start to find it harder to breathe when running, it’s easy to tense your shoulders and begin taking quick, shallow breaths from the upper chest. This might actually feel like a natural response, but this isn’t necessarily effective, and can cause you to be more out of breath while running.
It might snowball further because shallow breathing can reduce the amount of air and oxygen moved with each breath. The body then breathes more frequently to meet the demand. This increases the work done by the breathing muscles, which can contribute to feeling breathless more quickly.
Your diaphragm is your main breathing muscle. Rather than relying on shallow upper-chest breathing, allowing your diaphragm to move effectively can help you maintain a more controlled breathing pattern.
Similarly, your running posture may change, and this can influence how comfortably you breathe. As you become tired, you may hunch over. Again, this may feel like a natural reaction, but it doesn’t help efficiency. Hunching forward can make it harder for your rib cage and respiratory muscles to move freely.
Breathing Muscles Are Becoming Tired
A lot of people forget that respiratory muscles fatigue in a similar way to how leg muscles fatigue. The diaphragm and intercostal muscles are responsible for helping draw air into your lungs. As activity increases, these muscles contract more frequently. Respiratory muscle fatigue can negatively affect your running performance and can make you feel out of breath while running.
How Can I Improve My Breathing When Running?
You can improve your breathing while running, by practising nasal breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, maintaining good posture, and consistently performing inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe. Most runners will need to combine several aspects together in order to see a new personal best time.
Warm Up Before Running
Runners should warm up before starting because it helps to prepare all muscles in the body, including your respiratory muscles. A warm-up can reduce the chances of getting out of breath while running.
A progressive warm-up allows your heart rate, circulation, and breathing rate to increase gradually rather than demanding a sudden, rapid response. You can also warm up your respiratory muscles before exercise using an inspiratory muscle training device.
Practise Diaphragmatic Breathing
Practising diaphragmatic breathing can help encourage fuller, more controlled breaths and improve awareness of your breathing pattern. The diaphragm is your main breathing muscle. Focusing on diaphragmatic breathing helps move air more efficiently and makes your breathing feel more comfortable as your running intensity increases.
Maintain Good Posture for Running
As mentioned above, it’s easy for your running posture to change without you even noticing it. This often leads to you being out of breath while running. Check your posture throughout your run, especially when you start to get tired.
Ask yourself whether your shoulders have risen towards your ears, whether you are clenching your hands or jaw, or whether you have started leaning forwards from the waist. Relax your shoulders, keep your chest open and allow your arms to move naturally. Reducing unnecessary tension will not suddenly transform your running performance, but it gives your breathing muscles the freedom to work without fighting against poor posture.
Inspiratory Muscle Training to Improve Running
Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) using a POWERbreathe breathing training device can be extremely useful for runners. The POWERbreathe range of IMT devices, like the POWERbreathe K5, create resistance to your in-breath. This makes the diaphragm and intercostal muscles work harder and they will strengthen over time.
The principle is exactly the same as resistance training for other muscles in the body. For example, people lift weights to strengthen their biceps. This challenge forces their biceps to adapt and become stronger. IMT applies the exact same method to your inspiratory muscles. Think of POWERbreathe IMT devices as dumbbells for your diaphragm.
It is important to note that you are training your breathing muscles, rather than strengthening your lungs directly. Lungs are organs, not muscles, and therefore cannot be trained or strengthened. Adult lung capacity is largely fixed but you can improve the functional volume that you breathe in and out.
How Can Inspiratory Muscle Training Help Runners?
Inspiratory muscle training can reduce the feeling of being out of breath while running. It is designed to improve breathing muscle strength and stamina, helping the inspiratory muscles become more resistant to fatigue.
UK Athletics Running Coach Tom Hollis used a POWERbreathe K5 with Breathe-Link® Live Feedback software in preparation for the 2023 Valencia Marathon. He attributes his improved cardiovascular endurance to the POWERbreathe K5. Read Tom’s POWERbreathe journey in his own words.
A 2025 study including 32 high-level middle-distance runners found that eight weeks of inspiratory muscle training with POWERbreathe significantly improved inspiratory muscle strength. The researchers concluded that high-intensity IMT with POWERbreathe could be successfully incorporated as a complementary part of training for middle-distance runners (Okrzymowska & Mackala, 2025).
“The incorporation of the POWERbreathe device training into the running regimen resulted in statistically significant adaptations in VO2max, VO2/kg, VE, RER, FEV1, PEF, PImax, and PEmax in both women and men.”
Now that you know how to improve breathing while running, you may be considering a POWERbreathe inspiratory muscle training device to improve your breathing while running. Choosing the right device and resistance level is important. The POWERbreathe team is available to help you during your journey. Contact the team today for more information.
