What Is the Oxygen Advantage®? The Science and Benefits Explained
You already know that breathing impacts both mind and body, but you want to explore a method that targets both with clear results.
The Oxygen Advantage® method focuses on three pillars: body, mind, and sport, to improve breathing efficiency, reduce stress, and support physical performance.
It is based on scientific principles and offers practical techniques that many people have found helpful.
This article introduces the science behind the Oxygen Advantage method and the benefits you can gain from learning and practicing it.
The Science Behind the Oxygen Advantage®
The Oxygen Advantage is a science-based breathing program that retrains how you breathe by focusing on three interconnected pillars: Body, Mind, and Sport.
It is designed to make breathing appropriate to what your body needs: quiet and economical at rest, controlled during exercise, and adaptable under stress. It trains breathing across three dimensions: biomechanical (how the diaphragm, ribs and airway move), biochemical (matching breathing to the body's needs) and psychophysiological (how you perceive and respond to breathing sensations).
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Body
Focuses on functional breathing: breathing lightly, slowly, and deeply through the nose. Nasal breathing carries nitric oxide from the nasal airways into the lungs, where it plays a role in airway and blood vessel function.
It encourages good use of the diaphragm, which supports posture and core stability. Retraining breathing muscles and encouraging nasal breathing can help reduce unnecessary breathing and support recovery.
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Mind
Highlights the link between breathing and mental state. Slow, controlled nasal breathing helps shift the nervous system toward parasympathetic activity, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Oxygen Advantage also incorporates elements of mindfulness.
Slow breathing increases heart rate variability during practice, a marker linked to resilience and emotional balance. It can help you stay calm and focused under stress.
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Sport
Applies breathing principles to physical activity. Nasal breathing during exercise at easy and moderate intensities and controlled breath holds help you breathe more economically and stay calmer as effort builds.
Breathing training can reduce breathlessness, strengthen the breathing muscles, and help you stay in control under physical stress. Repeated breath holds can also cause a short-term rise in erythropoietin (EPO), the hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, although evidence for lasting increases in red blood cells is mixed. The method also supports recovery by calming the nervous system after exertion.
A key tool is the Body Oxygen Level Test (BOLT), which measures how quickly you feel the first clear urge to breathe during a comfortable breath hold after a normal exhale. The score is influenced by several factors, including chemical sensitivity, breathing pattern, respiratory sensation and psychological state.
BOLT is a useful personal baseline, not a diagnostic test or a predictor of athletic performance. An improving score, alongside calmer breathing day to day, is a helpful sign of progress.
Who Is the Oxygen Advantage® For?
The Oxygen Advantage suits a wide range of people:
- Elite athletes seeking better breathing control and endurance
- Casual exercisers wanting to reduce breathlessness and increase energy
- Individuals managing conditions like asthma or anxiety, using gentle exercises alongside medical care
- Anyone looking to improve breathing during sleep, exercise, or stress.
The method offers practical tools that fit into daily life and existing routines.
10 Key Benefits of the Oxygen Advantage®
Here are some benefits of Oxygen Advantage:
1. Reduces breathlessness during exercise:
By retraining your breathing to be slower and through the nose, you reduce over-breathing. This can help you feel less out of breath during physical activity.
2. Supports healthy airways through nose breathing:
Breathing through the nose filters, warms and humidifies the air, and carries nitric oxide into the lungs, where it supports airway and blood vessel function.
3. Increases tolerance to carbon dioxide and air hunger:
In Oxygen Advantage, CO2 tolerance is a practical training term for staying comfortable as air hunger builds. Training it helps you stay calm and avoid the urge to breathe rapidly when you don't need to.
4. Improves breathing efficiency during exercise:
More efficient breathing can reduce the energy cost of breathing, helping exercise feel more controlled and sustainable. Breathing training is unlikely to raise your VO2 max on its own, but it can help you use your current fitness more efficiently.
5. Supports endurance adaptations through breath-hold training:
Structured breath-hold exercises apply brief, controlled hypoxic stress that may encourage adaptations linked to breathing control, respiratory muscle strength, and tolerance to effort.
6. Supports running economy:
More efficient breathing patterns can reduce wasted energy, and some studies link reduced-breathing training to better running economy. Race times depend on many factors beyond breathing.
7. Helps you manage fatigue:
Calmer, more controlled breathing and stronger breathing muscles may help delay the sense of fatigue and support recovery between efforts.
8. Strengthens respiratory muscles:
Focused breathing exercises engage and strengthen the diaphragm and accessory muscles, improving breath control and reducing muscle tension in the neck and shoulders.
9. Aids in pre-match preparation:
The method offers breathing routines that help calm nerves, improve focus, and optimize physical readiness before competitions or stressful events.
10. Reduces anxiety and promotes calm:
Slow, nasal breathing activates the relaxation response, lowering heart rate and reducing feelings of anxiety and stress.
Safety Tips for Practicing Oxygen Advantage ®
- Keep breathing gentle and natural.
- Avoid forced breath holds or rapid breathing that cause dizziness or discomfort.
- Use slow, light nasal breaths that feel comfortable and sustainable.
- Gentle functional breathing exercises are safe for most people. Advanced exercises such as strong breath holds are not suitable for everyone (see contraindications below).
- Consult a healthcare provider if you have medical concerns.
- Always listen to your body and stop if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable.
- Ensure you work with a certified breathwork instructor if unsure.
Contraindications:
Certain groups should avoid or modify Oxygen Advantage exercises:
- Pregnant women should avoid breath-holding and any exercise that creates air hunger during the first trimester. Gentle nasal breathing, relaxation and very soft, slow breathing are fine later in pregnancy, but breath-holding and moderate or strong air hunger remain contraindicated.
- Children and adolescents with serious conditions like pulmonary hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, or other serious or unstable medical conditions should not practice breath-holding. Children with severe asthma may use breath holds only if they are very light and comfortable, with good breathing control afterwards.
- Adults with serious medical or cardiovascular conditions, including heart disease or arrhythmias, high or low blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, anxiety or panic disorder, chronic fatigue, Long COVID, dysautonomia, active cancer, or unstable breathing (BOLT score <12 seconds) should avoid strong breath holds and controlled hyperventilation. Adults over 60 should use caution unless cleared by a doctor.
- Water safety: All breath-hold and reduced-breathing exercises must be performed on dry land only.
- People with a history of fainting, concussion, severe POTS, uncontrolled asthma, severe COPD, active infections, eating disorders, stroke, or sickle cell disease should avoid strong air hunger or extended breath holds.
Following these guidelines helps ensure safe, effective practice of the Oxygen Advantage method.
How to Start with Oxygen Advantage ®
- Practice nasal breathing only: inhale and exhale through your nose.
- Focus on light, slow breaths instead of deep, forceful ones.
- This approach helps you become comfortable with mild air hunger and encourages good diaphragm use.
- Use guided breathing exercises from videos or apps to learn correct techniques.
- Incorporate exercises into daily life, exercise sessions, and before sleep for best results.
- Download the Oxygen Advantage® app to practice breathing exercises.
Experience the Power of Oxygen Advantage®
Effective breathing is a fundamental skill that supports your health, mental clarity, and physical performance. Oxygen Advantage offers research-informed techniques that improve breathing efficiency, reduce stress, and support endurance, providing tangible benefits for everyday life and athletic training.
Enroll in our online courses that equip you with practical tools to improve energy, recovery, and well-being, making it ideal for anyone ready to enhance their breathing habits.
Expand your professional skills and credibility by getting OA certified. The certification program provides in-depth training and official recognition, empowering health and fitness professionals to confidently teach and apply this powerful breathing method.
Work directly with a certified Oxygen Advantage instructor for personalized support tailored to your goals. This hands-on coaching accelerates improvement, ensures safety, and offers expert advice for those seeking focused, expert-led guidance.