Endurance research ·
Can Breath-Hold Training Improve Endurance? Inside the 32% Study
A percentage can make a research finding memorable. It can also hide the details that make the finding useful. Before treating “32% better endurance” as a training promise, look at the intervention, participants, and test behind the number.
The short answer
In a 2020 study involving 20 team-sport athletes, the group performing high-intensity cycling with low-lung-volume breath holds increased its average Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 test distance from 1,111 to 1,468 metres. That is approximately 32% above its starting distance, not a 32% improvement across all measures of athletic performance.
Read the study: Woorons, Billaut and Vandewalle (2020).
What training did the athletes complete?
Over three weeks, participants completed six cycling sessions with repeated eight-second efforts at 150% of maximal aerobic power. One group used voluntary hypoventilation at low lung volume; the comparison group breathed normally. This was an exercise-training intervention, not a resting breathing routine.
What improved—and what did not?
Yo-Yo test distance improved in the breath-hold group, with no change reported in the normal-breathing group. Some late repeated-sprint performance and fatigue measures also improved. Mean and best repeated-sprint speeds and 200-metre performance did not improve.
How to interpret the headline
The 32% is a within-group change from baseline, not a reported 32% advantage over the comparison group. A small, short study is a starting point for further investigation, not a guarantee for every athlete or breathing protocol.
For any training claim, ask three questions: does the training resemble what I will actually do, does the test match my goal, and does the comparison isolate the benefit being advertised? Those questions make a headline more useful than the percentage alone.
Where Ayro fits
Ayro organizes guided breathing practice and tracks a BOLT baseline. Neither that app experience nor BOLT improvement was established as the cause of this study’s result. Use the research to understand a specific training approach, rather than as a promised outcome from an Ayro session.
Related guide: CO₂ tolerance vs. VO₂ max.
Frequently asked questions
Does this mean I can improve endurance by 32% with daily breathwork?
No. The percentage belongs to the measured group, protocol, and running test. It is not an individual forecast.
Is this an exercise to copy from a blog?
This article explains research; it is not a training prescription. Seek qualified supervision before attempting exercise with breath holds. Never practice breath holds in water or while driving, and stop if you feel dizzy or unwell.