How to Breathe Better During Hyrox (And Why It's Your Biggest Competitive Edge)

If you've competed in Hyrox — or even just watched a race — you know that the limiting factor for most athletes isn't strength, isn't power, and often isn't even pure aerobic fitness. It's the ability to manage breathing under accumulated fatigue. The athlete who can control their breath through station seven when everything is burning is the athlete who goes fastest.

Breathing strategy is one of the most undercoached aspects of Hyrox preparation. Most athletes focus heavily on movement efficiency and aerobic base, but very few deliberately train or optimise their breathing mechanics. That gap is where competitive edges are found.

Why Hyrox Is a Breathing Problem

Hyrox involves 8km of running interspersed with 8 functional fitness stations: ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer's carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. The run-to-station transitions are particularly brutal — you arrive at each station with an elevated heart rate and respiratory rate, then immediately begin a movement that demands significant muscular force output.

The challenge isn't just the aerobic demand. It's the concurrent need for both high airflow (to support running) and respiratory stability (to maintain form and force production during the stations). Athletes who can't manage this transition effectively will see their times deteriorate dramatically in the second half of the race.

This is where breathing mechanics matter. And this is where nasal strips can make a measurable difference.

The Science of Nasal Breathing During Functional Fitness

The nasal valve accounts for approximately 50% of total airway resistance. During high-intensity functional fitness, when breathing rate is elevated and airflow demand is high, this resistance becomes a genuine performance limiter. Greater nasal resistance = more muscular effort required to move air = more energy diverted from working muscles to the respiratory system.

External nasal dilators like HiStrips mechanically widen the nasal valve, reducing this resistance and allowing more air per breath with less effort. The practical effect during Hyrox is that your breathing feels more controlled and less laboured — especially during the station efforts, where you need to maintain output while managing gas exchange.

Brian Wallack: Breathing for Hyrox Performance

Brian Wallack — competitive Hyrox athlete and HiStrips ambassador — uses nasal strips as a core part of his race kit. His experience reflects what the physiology would predict: better airflow control through the stations, less perceived respiratory distress during the runs, and improved recovery between efforts.

"In Hyrox, your breathing is your engine management system," Brian has noted. "If you lose control of your breath, you lose control of your race." For Wallack and athletes at his level, every tool that keeps the engine running efficiently matters.

Station-by-Station Breathing Strategy

Here's how to approach breathing during each Hyrox station:

Ski Erg

The ski erg rewards a steady, rhythmic breathing pattern. Match your breath to your stroke cycle — exhale on the pull, inhale on the recovery. Nasal breathing is achievable at moderate intensities; as pace increases, transition to nasal-in / mouth-out, and at maximum effort, dual-channel breathing while keeping nasal passages dilated.

Sled Push & Pull

The most strength-dominant stations. Breath-holding under load is common but should be minimised. Exhale on the push phase, inhale on the recovery. HiStrips keep the nasal passages open even under the physical strain of a loaded sled effort, supporting continuous airflow rather than forced apnoea.

Burpee Broad Jumps

Arguably the most aerobically demanding station for most athletes. The continuous, ballistic nature of burpees drives heart rate and breathing rate up rapidly. Focus on rhythmic breathing — don't hold your breath on the jump, don't panic-breathe on the recovery. Nasal strips help sustain nasal airflow contribution even as mouth breathing becomes necessary at high intensities.

Rowing

Similar to ski erg. Drive the pace with your exhale. The rhythmic, cyclical nature of rowing allows for deliberate breathing synchronisation. Nasal breathing at moderate paces; dual-channel at race pace.

Wall Balls

Typically the final station — and the one most athletes dread because they arrive already deeply fatigued. Exhale on the throw (the effort phase), inhale on the catch. Managing breathing here is almost entirely a mental challenge at this point in the race; having optimised nasal airflow throughout makes it marginally less awful.

Training Your Breathing for Hyrox

The best time to train breathing mechanics is in the weeks before your race, not during it. Three practices worth incorporating:

• Nasal-only low-intensity runs: Force nasal breathing during your Zone 1-2 runs. This trains respiratory muscle efficiency and CO2 tolerance over time.
• Station simulations with HiStrips: Wear nasal strips during your Hyrox station training. Train as you race.
• Post-WOD breathing practice: Immediately after a hard training session, focus on nasal breathing as part of your cool-down. This trains the body to switch to parasympathetic recovery mode faster.

The Gear That Stays On Through Everything

A critical requirement for Hyrox use is that your nasal strips actually stay on through sweat, exertion, and the physical intensity of the race. HiStrips' extreme-hold adhesive is engineered specifically for athletic use — it holds through high-sweat conditions and the full duration of a Hyrox race without peeling or repositioning.

Other nasal strips often fail mid-race. HiStrips are designed to finish what they start.

Your Competitive Edge

Most of your competitors at your next Hyrox race will have done the same running, the same strength work, and probably the same nutrition. The athletes who improve their position in the second half of the race are the ones who've done something different — and breathing optimisation is one of the most impactful, least-crowded spaces left in Hyrox preparation.

Get HiStrips before your next race. Train with them, race with them, and find out why serious Hyrox athletes don't show up without them.

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