It’s Boring, But It Will Skyrocket Your VO2 Max

Summary

The video argues that improving endurance and staying calm under pressure may require more efficient, often slower breathing—not simply taking bigger breaths. The presenter connects breathing habits with exercise recovery, stress, sleep, and force production. The central practical message is to use nasal, diaphragmatic breathing when comfortable, while allowing the mouth to open when effort demands it.

Key Strategies and Techniques

• Check your default breathing. Put one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen. Notice which moves first, without immediately trying to change it.
• Use the diaphragm and keep the torso mobile. Let the diaphragm move with each breath and allow the ribs to expand. The video suggests that a tense abdomen, restricted ribs, and habitual stomach-holding can make breathing shallower.
• Build brief breathing check-ins into screen time. Set an hourly reminder. Notice your posture, tongue position, and whether you are breathing through your chest or abdomen. Then try about a minute of gentle breathing with a longer exhale—for example, inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 6–8 seconds.
• Favor nasal breathing at rest and during manageable exercise. The presenter recommends keeping the mouth closed when nasal breathing feels comfortable, but says mouth breathing is normal during intense activity. If nasal-only exercise feels difficult, ease into it rather than forcing it; adaptation may take weeks or months.
• Practice breathing through effort, not only at rest. For many lifts, the suggested pattern is to inhale during the lowering phase and exhale through the hardest part of the effort. For isometric work, choose a steady breathing rhythm rather than automatically holding your breath.
  • The presenter distinguishes this from the Valsalva maneuver, which he says can be useful for very heavy lifts. He advises against relying on breath-holding as the only way to brace, especially during dynamic activities such as grappling or moving an awkward load.
• Train aerobic fitness mostly at an easy, repeatable pace. The video describes a polarized approach: roughly 80% lower-intensity work, 15–20% high-intensity work, and little time in the moderately hard “black hole” zone. Its five breathing “gears” range from quiet nasal breathing through stronger nasal and transitional breathing to mouth breathing at hard and maximal effort.
  • Suggested activities include walking, cycling, jump rope, sled work, running, rowing, and ski erg. The presenter recommends slowing down when nasal breathing no longer feels manageable and reserving all-out work for occasional sessions.
• Use a quick recovery breath when stressed or between rounds. The video describes a physiological sigh: two short nasal inhales followed by a long exhale.
• Consider respiratory-muscle exercises. Examples include a resistance breathing trainer, tongue movements and tongue-to-palate holds, humming, balloon inflation, and wind instruments such as the didgeridoo. These are presented as ways to work the breathing muscles or muscles that help keep the airway open.
• Be cautious with sleep and mouth-taping advice. The presenter discusses mouth taping as something that helped his own snoring, but explicitly warns against trying it if someone may have an airway problem. He recommends a sleep study for heavy snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, or persistent exhaustion despite adequate sleep. He also offers a temporary breath-hold technique for nasal stuffiness, but not as a substitute for medical evaluation.

The presenter reports that consistent low-intensity nasal-breathing practice improved his recovery and helped him feel calmer. These are his experiences and interpretations of cited research; the video does not establish that the methods will produce the same results for everyone or guarantee a higher VO₂ max.

Presenters and Sources Mentioned

• Presenter: Nsima Inyang (name rendered inconsistently in the subtitles); Scott appears as a skeptical conversational counterpart.
• Researchers, authors, and practitioners cited: Linda Stone; Rickson Gracie; Orlando Cana (transcription uncertain); Patrick McKeown; Steven Seiler; Rob Wilson; Brian Mackenzie; Andrew Huberman and Stanford researchers; Sandra Kahn; and Paul Ehrlich.
• Research referenced: A 2023 study of breathing patterns in athletes; a 2016 review of breathing during mental activity; studies on nasal breathing and exercise performance, including one involving adapted runners; a 1988 cyclist study; a 2006 didgeridoo and sleep-apnea study; a 2009 tongue/throat exercise study; a 2009 balloon-inflation study; and a 2020 review of wind-instrument musicians and sleep apnea. The subtitles do not provide full citations for most of these.
• Books and historical or sporting examples mentioned: Breathe by Rickson Gracie; Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown; Jaws by Sandra Kahn and Paul Ehrlich; The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi; and examples involving Roger Federer, Erling Haaland, Kevin Garnett, and Wim Hof.