Training guide
Lung capacity is how much air your lungs can hold and move. In adults it is set mostly by your height, age and sex. Exercise doesn't make adult lungs bigger, and neither do breathing exercises or breathing trainers. What does change is how breathless you feel. As you get fitter, the same walk or climb needs less breathing, and your breathing muscles get stronger.
This guide explains what lung tests measure and what's normal, what exercise, breathing exercises and breathing trainers can and can't do, running, swimming and singing, why stopping smoking matters most, posture and altitude, a breathing practice with moves and workouts, and when breathlessness or a cough needs a GP or 999.
Healthy adult lungs hold about 6 litres in all. Height, age and sex account for much of the difference between people, which is why lung test results are compared with what's predicted for someone like you. Lungs mature by about 20 to 25, and lung function declines slowly from about 35.
Training improves almost every part of the body's oxygen supply, but not the lungs themselves: their structure and function don't change with regular training.
As your heart and muscles get fitter, the same effort needs less breathing and feels less breathless. Unfit muscles are a big part of why everyday effort leaves people out of breath.
A hand-held breathing trainer makes your breathing-in muscles stronger and helped athletes' performance a little in trials, without changing lung test results. It's optional.
Stopping smoking doesn't bring back lost lung function, but the yearly loss slows to a normal rate. It's the single biggest thing you can do for your lungs.
Breathlessness that's new or getting worse, a cough for 3 weeks or more, or coughing up blood isn't a fitness problem: see the warning signs. Asthma and COPD have their own guides.
Total lung capacity, about 6 litres in a healthy adult, is everything your lungs hold after the deepest breath in. Forced vital capacity (FVC) is how much you can blow out from there, and FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) is how much of that comes out in the first second.
Spirometry measures FVC and FEV1: you breathe in fully, then blow out as quickly and strongly as you can into a tube. The results are compared with what's expected for your age, height and sex. Most adults can repeat their result within 0.15 litres, so a small change on one test may just be normal variation.
Across 16 long studies of 31,099 adults without lung disease, FEV1 fell by a median of about 22 mL a year. Smoking is the main thing that speeds the decline.
The lungs can move far more air than exercise needs, except sometimes in elite athletes. What limits everyday effort is mostly the heart and the muscles, which is why breathing feels easier as you get fitter even though your lungs stay the same size.
Lung size goes with height, sex and age. People born and raised at high altitude have larger lungs, and smokers lose lung function faster. The breathing muscles (the diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs) get stronger with training, like other muscles.
Most breathing trials are small, short and in young adults or patients; we found no trial showing that exercise enlarges healthy adult lungs.
Two expert reviews say the lungs are the one part of the body's oxygen supply that training doesn't change. In a small trial of 15 young adults, 4 weeks of intervals or steady training didn't change how fast they could blow air out.
In studies that followed people over time, active adults had slightly higher lung function (in 3,912 adults over 11 years, FEV1 about 44 mL higher and FVC about 54 mL, mainly in smokers) but no slower decline. In smokers, activity went with a slightly smaller yearly loss. These studies show links, not cause and effect.
After 8 weeks of cycling, 10 adults needed 7 to 37 litres a minute less breathing at the same hard workload. In 62 men, the 31 who did endurance training felt less breathless than the 31 inactive men when breathing the same amount, though their lung function wasn't significantly different. Unfit muscles drive harder breathing, the American Thoracic Society says. The studies are small, but the physiology is well established.
In athletes, training with a breathing trainer raised breathing-in strength by about 29 cmH2O (a measure of pressure) and gave a moderate performance effect across 25 studies, with no change in lung test results; in 13 studies of swimmers, strength rose the same amount without FEV1 or FVC changing. In 21 trials in athletes it improved time trials and endurance a little, and less fit people gained more. The strength gain is consistent; the performance gain is modest.
In 14 rowers, 30 breaths twice a day at about half their maximum breathing-in pressure for 11 weeks raised breathing strength by 45% and made a 5,000 m row 3.1% faster, against 0.9% with a sham trainer. Across healthy adults, trials used 30 to 80% of maximum for 4 to 8 weeks, often 2 sets of 30 breaths. In 16 trained cyclists, time trials were about 4% faster, with lung function unchanged.
In 11 studies of yoga breathing in 974 healthy adults, lung test results rose from before to after, but only 4 studies were randomised, there was no comparison with a control group, and the results varied enormously. In asthma, breathing exercise programmes improved quality of life but not lung function, as our asthma guide says.
Our COPD and yoga for lungs guides quote the NHS: exercising until you're a little breathless is not dangerous. Getting a little out of breath is how fitness improves.
Build towards 150 minutes a week of activity that makes you breathe faster, such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or rowing, starting with 20 to 30 minutes on 3 to 5 days a week and adding about 5 minutes a session each week (our editorial starting point, as in our stamina guide). Everyday effort will need less breath.
For sport, singing or a wind instrument, a breathing trainer used as in the trials: 30 breaths twice a day at about half your maximum, 5 or more days a week, for 4 to 8 weeks or longer, as our breathing when running guide also says. Expect stronger breathing muscles and small performance gains, not bigger lungs. Check the warning signs first if you have a lung or heart condition.
Slow breathing for at least 5 minutes, regularly, as the NHS teaches, and pursed-lip breathing to recover when you're out of breath. They make breathing calmer and more controlled; they don't change capacity.
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When you need a full breath, for singing, playing an instrument or after a long sit, sit or stand tall: slumping makes a full breath a little smaller while you slump.
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Steps 1 and 3 to 6 follow the NHS breathing exercise for stress; step 2 and the pursed-lip step follow the breathing control in our COPD and yoga for lungs guides. It makes breathing feel calmer and more controlled; it doesn't enlarge your lungs.
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The movement on the figure: Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)
Fitness, not bigger lungs, is what makes everyday effort feel less breathless. Any steady cardio at a talk-but-not-sing pace, building to 150 minutes a week (our stamina guide's starting point).
These train how you breathe and help you stay calm when you're out of breath; they don't enlarge your lungs. No breath holds, and stop if you feel dizzy or tingly.
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPursed-lip breathingBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBreath reachBeginner · No equipment
3D demoLateral breathing (Pilates breathing)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoCrocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)Beginner · No equipmentSlumped sitting reduced lung volumes a little in small lab studies, and sitting tall gives them back at once. No trial shows that posture exercises raise lung capacity over weeks.
Running won't enlarge your lungs, but as you get fitter you need less breathing for the same pace. Our guide to breathing when running covers nose or mouth, rhythm and stitches.
In 8 elite swimmers, total lung capacity was 128% of the predicted value, which the authors thought more likely from training than inheritance but couldn't prove. In 45 male endurance athletes, swimmers' lung function didn't differ from runners' or triathletes'. Swimming is good for fitness and breath control. Never practise breath holds or use a breathing trainer under water (our suggestion).
In 7 trials, breathing muscle training made wind players' and singers' breathing muscles stronger, with an unclear effect on how well they played or sang. In 41 traditional wind players in Jordan, lung function was above the predicted values, but there was no comparison group.
Lung function declines slowly with age, but not smoking protects it, and getting fitter makes the same effort less breathless at any age.
In 3,926 smokers with early airflow obstruction, FEV1 rose by about 47 mL in the year after quitting, then fell by about 31 mL a year, against 62 mL in those who kept smoking. After 11 years, 10% of those who stayed stopped had an FEV1 below 60% of predicted, against 38% of those who kept smoking.
NHS Better Health says that 3 to 9 months after stopping, coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10%, and that it's easier to stop with the right support.
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In one lab study of 18 young men, FVC was 4.03 litres sitting upright and 3.74 litres sitting slumped, about 7% less. In 35 young men, breathing-in pressure was lower slouched, and in 70 volunteers slumped sitting lowered lung capacity and flow compared with normal sitting. These are small lab studies, and the change lasts only while you slump.
People born and raised at high altitude have larger lungs: in 213 genetically matched Kichwa people in Ecuador, FVC and FEV1 were 15.2% higher in highland men and 8.5% higher in women. That comes from growing up there; we found no study showing that a stay at altitude or altitude training enlarges adult lungs.
Getting fitter is what makes everyday effort feel less breathless. Walk, cycle, swim or row on most days, and use the breathing practice to stay calm and in control when you're out of breath. With asthma, use the asthma warm-up; with COPD, the COPD workouts.
A steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 25-minute walk with short faster bouts: notice your heart and breathing speed up, then settle. A gentle way to get used to the feelings of effort.
25 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute walk alternating 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy, five times over: the interval walking tested in Japanese trials, built up from three rounds.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 30 to 45-minute beginner pool swim: a shoulder warm-up on the side, easy lengths, a main set of repeats with rests, and an easy swim down, any stroke.
35 minBeginner5 movesOther / check instructionsA 25-minute beginner rowing machine workout: set the damper, learn the stroke one part at a time, row three easy rounds of 4 to 5 minutes, then stretch.
25 minBeginner4 movesCardio machineA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentA 12-minute reset for stressful days: 4 minutes of brisk movement, 3 minutes to loosen your neck, shoulders and back, then 5 minutes of slow breathing.
12 minBeginner10 movesA bench or box, A wallA 12-minute routine for a stiff upper back and rounded shoulders: chin tucks, wall angels, Y-T-W raises and open books.
12 minBeginner8 movesA foam roller, A wallA 15-minute warm-up for exercise-induced asthma: easy movement, then short hard bursts that can reduce symptoms in the session that follows, then moving stretches.
15 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wallA 25-minute home session for COPD: marching and light strength work, with pursed-lip and paced breathing and rests in a recovery position when you need them.
25 minBeginner12 movesA bench or box, A wallA 25-minute follow-along yoga practice for COPD: pursed-lip breathing, seated stretches, standing poses at a chair with blow-as-you-go breathing, and a rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesA bench or box, A wallThe walking plan builds to 150 minutes a week; Couch to 5K builds to 30 minutes of easy running.
A free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA 9-week beginner plan with the same walk-to-run shape as Couch to 5K: three run-walk sessions a week, from 1-minute jogs to 30 minutes of running.
3 training days35 minBeginnerBreathing tests, breathing exercises and exercise are part of treatment for asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis and long COVID, and each has its own guide below. Follow your own team's advice first.
With asthma, COPD or another lung condition, a past collapsed lung, or a heart condition, ask your GP, asthma nurse or respiratory team before using a breathing trainer or a breath-holding practice, and never use breath holds or a breathing trainer under water (our suggestion). Our COPD guide notes that breathing trainers added nothing on top of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR):
Added to PR, inspiratory muscle training (breathing in against resistance with a handheld device) didn't improve breathlessness, walking or quality of life (22 trials, 1,446 people). On its own, it may help a little.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Call 999 (911 in the US) or go to A&E if any of these happen. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance, and take your medicines with you.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if you're coughing up more than a few spots or streaks of blood, or coughing up blood with difficulty breathing, a very fast heartbeat or pain in your chest or upper back, as the NHS advises (our suggestion).
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In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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If you've felt tired for weeks without a clear reason, or if tiredness, breathlessness or palpitations seem out of proportion to your effort. The NHS also suggests speaking to a GP before you start if you haven't exercised for some time or have a health condition.
Being unfit or carrying extra weight makes anyone breathless with exercise, and that breathlessness eases quickly when you stop. Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO), where the voice box narrows, causes noisy or difficult breathing in, a tight throat or a change in your voice that start and stop suddenly, and your reliever may not help much; it is found in about 3 in 10 people whose asthma is hard to control. Breathlessness with dizziness or tingling points to a breathing pattern problem, and breathlessness on exertion with swollen ankles needs a GP check.
Sit up straight and try to stay calm. Then:
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Call 999 (911 in the US) if you or someone else is having an asthma attack and:
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If you're no better after 10 minutes and the ambulance hasn't arrived, use your inhaler again, up to the same maximum dose. If you're still no better and it still hasn't arrived, call 999 again straight away. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
See a GP within 2 days, even if you feel better. Asthma + Lung UK suggests a same-day appointment if you managed the attack yourself. Don't exercise again until your symptoms and breathing have recovered.
Carry your reliever every time. Stop the session if symptoms don't settle, and call 999 if your breathing doesn't go back to normal after exercise.
Kapalabhati, bhastrika and "breath of fire" push air out fast and hard. Fast breathing caused more side effects than slow breathing in trials of pranayama, and NCCIH (the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) advises beginners to avoid forceful breathing. One case report links kapalabhati with a collapsed lung in a healthy person, and NHS Lothian says a collapsed lung caused by lung disease is most common in COPD. Leave them out.
Breath holds aren't part of the breathing rehab teaches, and paced breathing "helps to avoid breath holding". Skip box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing and held pranayama when you're breathless or have symptoms (our suggestion, as our yoga for asthma guide advises).
You're probably breathing too deeply: make the breaths smaller or go back to normal breathing, as the slow breathing move's page says. Follow any breathing advice your own team has given you.
A collapsed lung usually causes sharp, stabbing chest pain that comes on suddenly on one side, worse when you breathe in, often with breathlessness, NHS Lothian's leaflet says. If this comes on during or after yoga, stop and get urgent help: call 999 or go to A&E if you're very breathless or your chest feels tight, as the signs above say.
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The NHS says to get medical help immediately, and go 300 to 1,000 m lower if you can, if you or someone with you has altitude sickness and feels very unwell, is confused, has problems with balance or coordination, has hallucinations, is short of breath at rest, has a cough with frothy or bloody spit, has blue or grey skin, lips, tongue or nails, or is very sleepy or hard to wake.
The NHS advises seeing a GP or travel clinic before you go if you've had altitude sickness before or will be going up quickly.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
Stop straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, the NHS says, and contact 111 if your symptoms worry you or don't go away.
Speak to a GP first if you haven't exercised for some time, or if you have a medical condition or concerns. Get advice first, too, if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, have recently had a heart attack or an operation, or are pregnant or have recently given birth.
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If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
In healthy adults the studies are small, mostly uncontrolled and wildly inconsistent, and in asthma breathing exercises improve quality of life, not lung function. They change how you breathe, not the size of your lungs.
Training doesn't change the structure or function of adult lungs. It lowers the breathing you need for the same effort.
It strengthens the breathing muscles, by about 29 cmH2O in athletes, without changing FEV1 or FVC.
We found no study showing it. Breath holds and forceful breathing carry risks if you have symptoms, as our yoga for lungs guide explains. Never practise them under water (our suggestion).
Elite swimmers' large lungs may come from who takes up the sport or from training in childhood, and in another study swimmers' lung function didn't differ from runners'.
Lost function doesn't return, but the yearly loss slows to a normal rate, and FEV1 rose a little in the first year after quitting in a large trial.
Getting a little out of breath is how fitness improves: the same effort needs less breath as you get fitter. Our COPD guide quotes the NHS: exercising until you're a little breathless is not dangerous.
Lung function does decline slowly, but not smoking protects it, and getting fitter makes the same effort less breathless at any age.
Not much, in healthy adults: the size of your lungs goes with your height, sex and age, and training doesn't enlarge them. What you can change is how breathless you feel, by getting fitter and, if you want to, training your breathing muscles.
None reliably makes healthy adult lungs bigger. Walking, cycling, swimming or running make everyday effort less breathless, and slow breathing and pursed-lip breathing help you stay in control when you're out of breath.
The studies in healthy adults are small and mostly uncontrolled, with inconsistent results. Breathing exercises can make breathing feel easier and calmer; they don't make your lungs bigger.
Not the size of your lungs, but as you get fitter you need less breathing for the same effort. Our guide to breathing when running covers breathing on the run.
Elite swimmers often have large lungs, but that may come from who takes up the sport or from training in childhood, and in one study swimmers' lung function didn't differ from runners'. Swimming is great for fitness and breath control.
They strengthen your breathing muscles and helped athletes' performance a little in trials, without changing lung test results. Trials used 30 breaths twice a day at about half your maximum for 4 to 8 weeks or more. Ask first if you have a lung or heart condition.
Breathing muscle training made singers' and wind players' breathing muscles stronger, with an unclear effect on performance. Sitting or standing tall gives your lungs room for a full breath.
Lost lung function doesn't come back, but the yearly loss slows to a normal rate, and in one large trial lung function rose a little in the first year after quitting. NHS Better Health says breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10% within 3 to 9 months.
About 6 litres in total in a healthy adult, but it depends on your height, age and sex, so lung tests compare you with what's expected for someone like you. A GP can arrange a breathing test (spirometry) if you have symptoms.
Yes, slowly: lung function declines gradually from about 35, and FEV1 fell by about 22 mL a year in long studies of adults without lung disease. Not smoking slows the loss.
Yes, for as long as you slump: in one small study of 18 young men, slumping lowered FVC by about 0.3 litres. Sit or stand tall when you need a full breath.
Often it's fitness, and that improves with regular exercise. Breathlessness that's new, getting worse, wakes you, comes with swollen ankles, a cough for 3 weeks or more, or chest pain needs a GP or 999.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
