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Last Wednesday, I rucked my usual 3-miler (with Herschel, my dog), but with a twist—I kept my mouth shut the entire time. Literally. I challenged myself to nasal breathe only, even during hill climbs. By mile one, I felt it: less lactic burn, more control, and oddly, more calm. It got me thinking—breath isn’t just background noise when we ruck. It’s one of our most underused tools. So this week, we're diving into something we all do, but few of us have actually trained: breathing

When our partner The Rundown approached me, it was an easy “yes!”. Given that every conversation I have these days includes something about AI, I figured everyone should at least understand where AI is going…even us outdoorsy ruckers. So, if you’re even just a little curious, you should absolutely give The Rundown a try.

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Motivation

The Oxygen Advantage

Your body runs on oxygen like an engine runs on fuel. But most of us are over-revving ours. When breathing gets sloppy, everything else follows—posture, pace, endurance, mindset. Dial in your breath, and you’ll unlock power you didn’t know you had. It’s not just about performing better on a single ruck. It’s about increasing your zone of resilience over time. Better breathing supports aerobic endurance, cardiovascular recovery, and—maybe most importantly for us ruckers—mental calm under physical strain.

Here's the kicker: You don't need to add more to your workouts. Just bring more awareness to what you're already doing. Training your breath could be the lowest-hanging fruit for next-level performance and longevity.

Exercises for Everyone

Breath Like You Train

It’s easy to think that breathing just happens. And it does—but how it happens is in your control. Let’s talk about practical breathwork for daily rucking, without overcomplication.

Start with nasal breathing. This means inhaling and exhaling through your nose only. Why? It forces your body to use your diaphragm, filters the air better, sharpens focus, and even helps CO₂ tolerance (more on that later). During your next light-effort ruck, try staying in this zone for at least 10 minutes—ideally more. Expect some resistance at first, especially on inclines, but your body will adapt.

Next, sync your breath with your steps. A 4:4 rhythm (four steps in, four steps out) is a great place to start for zone 2 work. It creates a steady cadence and shifts your attention inward, helping you stay calm and centered. Feeling strong? Shift to a 3:3 or 2:2 rhythm as intensity increases—but only if you can maintain nasal exhales.

Also, pay attention to posture. Rucking already forces more upright mechanics, but if you’re chest-breathing or slouching under load, airflow becomes inefficient. Think about lifting your ribs away from your belt and "breathing 360"—that is, feeling your breath expand not just into your belly, but into your sides and low back.

Lastly, don't forget to practice breath recovery. Post-ruck, take a few deep belly breaths in through the nose, out slowly through the mouth. This helps shift you back into a parasympathetic state (rest and digest), reducing cortisol and improving how quickly you bounce back.

Breathing doesn’t have to become a separate workout. Just layer it into what you’re already doing. Make your breath a tool, not just a reflex.

Advanced Exercises

CO₂ Mastery & Performance Breathing

If you’re an experienced rucker training for endurance or load-bearing performance, it’s time to go beyond “just breathe better.”

Here’s where breath control becomes a weapon.

First, understand this: our urge to breathe isn’t driven by lack of oxygen—it’s a rising level of CO₂. Training your tolerance to CO₂ means you can go further, harder, and longer without triggering that gasping reflex. The method? Controlled breath holds.

Try this CO₂ Tolerance Ladder after your next low-intensity ruck:

• Walk for 5 minutes with nasal breathing only.  

• Then, exhale completely and hold your breath while walking. Count your steps.  

• When you feel moderate air hunger, resume nasal breathing—no gasping.  

• Walk until fully recovered. Repeat for 3–5 rounds.  

• Track your step count each round; over time, you should see it improve.

This drill trains both your CO₂ tolerance and mental fortitude under duress. It also teaches you to breathe less, not more, which creates incredible efficiency over long distances.

Another advanced strategy: cadence matching during high output. Under heavy load or interval work, transition from nasal to tactical breathing. This means a quick double-inhale through the nose (or nose-mouth combo), followed by a forceful exhale through the mouth. Think: “sniff-sniff–HA.”

This type of breathing helps maintain output without tipping into anaerobic redline. It was made famous by special operations units using it mid-assault—it keeps focus sharp and oxygen flowing under serious demand.

Finally, use breath as a pre-ruck “gear-up” ritual.

• Before a max effort ruck or event, try box breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Do this for two minutes.  

• This primes your nervous system without revving it up too early.  

• It’s also a go-to reset if you’re feeling anxious before a big effort.

So if you’re chasing peak performance—faster times, heavier loads, longer distances—train your breath like you do your legs. Master your breath under pressure, and the body will follow.

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