How To Boost Your Repeated Sprint Ability

Repeated sprint ability (RSA) is a critical performance factor in rugby, football, basketball, tennis, cycling and any sport requiring repeated maximum efforts. The athlete who can keep sprinting close to full power in the dying minutes of a match has a real advantage.

This article explains how breath hold training after exhalation creates hypoxia at sea level, and how research suggests it can improve repeated sprint ability, without a hypoxic chamber, altitude camp or additional training volume.

Key terms used in this article:

• Hypoxia: blood oxygen saturation of below 90%
• High altitude training: training at high elevation where atmospheric oxygen pressure is low
• Voluntary hypoventilation: breath holds after exhalation, used to achieve hypoxia at sea level

Emil Zátopek: The Original Breath Hold Athlete

The year is 1952. The setting, Helsinki Olympic Games. Emil Zátopek, the runner known as the Czech Locomotive, has already claimed gold in the 5,000 and 10,000-metre events. He decides to enter the marathon. Zátopek has never run a marathon. But he wins, coming in more than 2 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor and breaking the Olympic record by around 6 minutes. In footage of his victory, he looks remarkably composed as he approaches the finish line.

How did he do it?

Zátopek trained with enormous volume and intensity, and he was also one of the first athletes known to practice holding his breath during exercise. He would set a distance using a marker such as a tree, and hold his breath until he reached it. Once, his breath hold was so long he passed out.

The Czech runner was ahead of the field in more ways than one. In 1968, Mexico hosted the Olympics. Sports scientists became interested in high altitude training and began to explore how hypoxia affects performance.

Zátopek was a distance runner. We have already looked at aerobic and anaerobic endurance. But research now suggests breath holding can also support repeated sprint ability, which is vital for team sport athletes like rugby players and football players.

Sprinting is anaerobic exercise, and team sports demand your most intensive performance, repeatedly and reliably. Sprint power and fatigue resistance can mean a game won or lost.

What Happens When You Hold Your Breath During Exercise?

As Emil Zátopek demonstrated, one of the things that can happen is that you pass out. If you get hypoxia wrong, it can be unsafe. But practiced in a controlled way, breath holding may give a competitive advantage.

When you hold the breath after a normal exhalation, blood oxygen levels drop and CO2 rises. This simultaneous hypoxia and hypercapnia provides a strong training stimulus. Research suggests it may improve fatigue resistance across repeated sprints and the body's ability to cope with acid build-up. Read more about the benefits and science of breath holding.

Note: Strong breath holds are not suitable for everyone. Avoid them if you have a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, epilepsy, diabetes, or another serious medical condition, or if you are pregnant, unless cleared by your doctor. Never practice them in or under water, and stop if you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Research: Breath Training and Repeated Sprint Ability

Study 1: Sprinting with breath holds after exhalation increases sprint count in rugby players

Over a four-week period, 21 highly trained Rugby Union players performed 7 sessions of repeated 40-metre sprints either with normal breathing or with breath holding after an exhalation. Performance was assessed pre- and post-training with a repeated sprint ability test involving all-out 40-metre sprints with a departure every 30 seconds until task failure.

Following the four weeks of training, the number of sprints performed by the breath hold group significantly increased from 9.1 to 14.9, an increase of around 60%. There was no significant change in the normal breathing group (9.8 to 10.4).

Average blood oxygen saturation during training was 90% in the breath hold group and 95.5% in the normal training group, confirming the breath hold group was training in hypoxia. The researchers concluded that sprinting with breath holding after an exhalation is an effective strategy to improve running repeated sprint ability in team sport players.

Fornasier-Santos C, Millet GP, Woorons X. European Journal of Sport Science. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1431312. January 2018.

Study 2: Repeated sprint training in hypoxia and tennis performance

2020 research found that repeated sprint training in hypoxia improved tennis-specific performance measures in well-trained players (Brechbuhl et al., 2020). This study used simulated altitude (breathing low-oxygen air) rather than breath holds, and it was assessed partly at intensities around VO2 max.

Study 3: Hypoxic sprint training and cycling power

A 2020 case study published in Frontiers in Sport and Active Living reported that a cyclist's power output increased after repeated sprint training in hypoxia, while average heart rate stayed the same. This trial used a hypoxic chamber. Breath holding after exhalation offers a practical, low-cost way to create hypoxia during sprints, although the stimulus is not identical to breathing low-oxygen air.

Study 4: Review of repeated sprint training in hypoxia

A 2019 review published in the German Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that repeated sprint training in hypoxia can improve repeated sprint ability, including when hypoxia is created through voluntary hypoventilation (Millet et al., 2019).

Study 5: Meta-analysis of repeated sprint training with breath holds

A 2025 meta-analysis of 10 studies found that repeated-sprint training with breath holds at low lung volume improved fatigue resistance during repeated sprints (a smaller drop-off in performance) and increased maximal blood lactate compared with the same training with normal breathing. It did not improve best or mean sprint performance, and the researchers noted the mechanisms are not yet clear.

Précart C, et al. Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia Induced by Voluntary Hypoventilation at Low Lung Volume: A Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine Open. 2025;11(1):55.

The Key Takeaway

When you add hypoxia to your sprint workouts through breath holding after exhalation, research suggests you may improve your ability to maintain sprint performance across repeated efforts and delay fatigue. It is less clear whether it increases your top speed or peak power. Repeated sprint ability is a key determinant in team sports, cycling and other competitive events.

The Oxygen Advantage approach does not require a hypoxic chamber or an altitude camp. By incorporating breath holds after exhalation into your existing sprint training, you can create a practical hypoxic stimulus at sea level. You can track your breathing using the BOLT score, which measures how quickly you feel the first clear urge to breathe during a comfortable breath hold. It is a useful personal baseline, but it is not a measure of sprint performance.

As Emil Zátopek crossed the 1952 marathon finish line, his face split into a smile of sheer satisfaction. With the ability to finish strong, you will understand exactly how good that feels.

Upgrade Your Repeated Sprint Ability with Oxygen Advantage

The Oxygen Advantage method, developed by Patrick McKeown, includes specific breath hold protocols designed to support repeated sprint performance by creating an altitude-like stimulus at sea level.

Breath hold sprint training is supported by a growing body of research across rugby, football, tennis, cycling and swimming, although most studies are small and results vary.

If you are interested in trying the OA method for yourself, why not try our online breathing course, become a certified breathwork instructor, or find an Oxygen Advantage instructor near you.