Swimming places unusual demands on breathing: it is tied to the movement cycle, occurs against water pressure and has to function within very short time windows at high intensity.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2026 therefore examined respiratory muscle training in competitive swimmers.
The respiratory muscles can be trained
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The pooled studies show that targeted respiratory muscle training can improve respiratory-muscle strength. Positive effects were also found for aerobic performance variables.
The immediate benefit for classic sprint events was much less clear. The authors found no convincing evidence that 50, 100 or 200 metres automatically become faster through respiratory muscle training alone.
Additional training needs a purpose
Respiratory muscle training therefore belongs in the same category as many specialist methods: it can be useful when it addresses a specific deficit. It should not simply be added to an already full weekly plan.
The value may look different for a distance swimmer with high ventilatory demand than for a 50-metre sprinter whose performance is dominated by the start, maximal force and speed.
The key question is transfer
Coaches should therefore measure more than whether an athlete becomes stronger on a breathing trainer. More interesting is whether perceived exertion, breathing rhythm, aerobic sets or competition performance change.
The meta-analysis makes one point clear: a physiological improvement is not automatically a better finishing time. A specialist method becomes a relevant tool only when its effect transfers to actual swimming performance.
Breathing training must not displace swimming time
Additional programmes always compete for time and recovery. Ten minutes of respiratory muscle training makes sense only if it does not come at the expense of more important content. For most swimmers, the key question is whether the method addresses a demonstrated individual deficit or simply adds more work to an already full training plan.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41940023/