Performance & Recovery

Why HYROX Athletes Are Switching to Nasal Breathing

Discover why HYROX athletes are ditching mouth breathing for nasal breathing — and how XLR8+ nasal strips give you better pacing, faster recovery, and a stronger finish on race day.

Cathy Jones | 19 July 2026

HYROX isn't like traditional running races — no offence to running races, but nothing about sprinting between sled pushes, wall balls, and burpee broad jumps says "gentle jog." Your body's working anaerobically one minute, then you need to recover fast for the next push. That's where nasal breathing comes in, and it's quietly become one of our favourite topics to talk about (yes, we know how that sounds).

The HYROX Breathing Problem

  • During high-intensity efforts, mouth breathing feels natural — you're working hard, so it makes sense to gulp in air however you can. The catch is that mouth breathing means expelling more CO2 than your body actually needs, which is a very science-y way of saying you're making your own life harder right when you need your legs and lungs working together, not against each other. Nasal breathing works differently. It keeps things controlled, stabilises your core, improves oxygen uptake, and keeps your nervous system calm when the clock is very much not on your side.
  • Nasal breathing keeps your breathing controlled and rhythmic. It stabilises your core, improves oxygen uptake, and keeps your nervous system calm under pressure — exactly what you need when you're moving between brutal station work.

How Nasal Strips Help During Training and Race Day

  • XLR8+ strips open your nasal passages, making it easier to breathe through your nose consistently. During training, they help you build the habit — you train how you race. On race day, they're doing the same quiet work: keeping you oxygenated, reducing mouth dryness from intense effort, and letting you focus on technique instead of gasping for air like it's your first burpee ever.

The Station-by-Station Edge

  1. Sled push and wall balls: Nasal breathing keeps your core stable and your power output consistent
  2. Burpee broad jumps: Controlled breathing means better body control mid-movement
  3. Recovery stations: Nasal breathing accelerates parasympathetic activation — you recover faster between efforts

Building the Habit

  • Start training with nasal strips 6-8 weeks before race day. Your body adapts quickly. By the time you line up for HYROX, nasal breathing will feel natural. You won't be thinking about it; you'll just be racing smarter.

Race Day Checklist

  • Fresh XLR8+ strips on race morning
  • Use them in training first — no surprises on race day
  • Breathe through your nose at the start line and settle into your rhythm

Why This Matters

HYROX is brutal. But breathing right gives you an edge. Nasal breathing + XLR8+ strips = better pacing, faster recovery, and a stronger finish.

The difference between a strong finish and hitting the wall often comes down to pacing and breathing. Nasal breathing + XLR8+ strips isn't a shortcut — it's a tool that lets you race smarter, recover faster, and finish stronger. Train with them, trust the process, and let your breathing work for you instead of against you.

Shop XLR8+ Strips

Frequently Asked Questions

They help you breathe more comfortably through your nose by keeping the nasal valve open, especially during warm-ups, steady running, and recovery windows between stations. They don't replace breathing or fitness training — think of them as support for the technique you're already building, not a shortcut around it.
Both. Train with them so your body gets used to nasal breathing under load, then wear them on race day so the habit and the airflow support carry over. Always test a strip in training before race day — don't try anything new on the start line.
At maximum effort, your body needs to clear carbon dioxide fast, and mouth breathing allows more airflow than the nose can manage. That's normal and expected during the hardest efforts. The strip's job is to make nasal breathing easier during the parts of the race where it's realistic — warm-ups, steady running, and recovery — not to force nasal-only breathing throughout.
Not by themselves. Strips support airflow; they don't change your CO2 tolerance, breathing mechanics, or fitness. The biggest gains come from pairing them with the pacing and breathing habits in this guide, built over weeks of training, not from the strip alone.
Give yourself 6–8 weeks. Most athletes adapt to nasal breathing under load within two to three weeks, which leaves time to fine-tune pacing and station technique before race day.
Yes. There's no learning curve to wearing the strip itself — apply it as directed and start incorporating nasal breathing into easy training sessions first, then bring it into harder efforts as it starts to feel natural.