CrossFitters are notorious for finding the next device to help their performance. We have seen it over the years, from Normatec compression sleeves to massage guns to saunas and cold plunges…just to name a few. Now, are respiratory trainers the next big thing in CrossFit?
Unless you’ve been paying close attention, you might not know what I’m talking about. But if you look around you will see several top athletes breathing into a big green balloon.
This device is the ISO-BWB-S Respiratory Trainer by Isocapnic. “BWB” is short for Breathe Way Better. A quick Google search yields plenty of other companies selling respiratory trainers, all with varying appearances.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post for Isocapnic or any other breathing device. I am merely pointing out that respiratory training appears to be something elite athletes have been using and might be something CrossFitters should consider trying.
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I first noticed the BWB device in Dallin Pepper’s World Fitness Project: Tour Stop 1 | BEHIND THE SCENES video published last month. The BWB made an appearance at the 5:46 mark in the video.
I was curious what it was, but quickly moved on.
Then, last week on the ZOAR Fitness YouTube channel, there was a video titled Fikowski, Ruth, Way, Sellars: Respiratory Roundtable. In this video, Brent Fikowski (you probably have heard of him), Kyle Ruth (a coach at Training Think Tank), Luke Way (CEO of Isocapnic Technologies) and Dr. Andrew Sellars (Chief Science Officer of Isocapnic Technologies) spent an hour and forty minutes talking about respiratory training and the Isocapnic Breathe Way Better device.
Luke was actually Fikowski’s “breathing specialist” when he was still competing.
At the time, I sort of dismissed the podcast and moved on. I mean, it was over 100 minutes talking about respiratory training.
But then last Friday I saw the BWB device again. This time it was Lydia Fish using it in the video about her doing the LCQ workouts.Â
Ok…something is going on.
What is this balloon thing? Now I’ve seen two athletes from different training camps using it. I imagine there are others who are using it, but have yet to share their “secret weapon”. Heck, who knew Fikowski had a breathing specialist when he was competing?
Time to head over to isocapnic.com and see what this is all about.
The main page of the website answers the question, what is a breathing trainer? “A breathing trainer, sometimes referred to as a lung exerciser or respiratory muscle trainer, is your personal device designed to help you improve your lung capacity, strengthen your respiratory muscles, and enhance your overall breathing performance. Whether you’re managing respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or bronchitis, or you’re an athlete or fitness enthusiast aiming to boost your exercise performance, this device is invaluable for you,” reads the website.
To put more simply, a breathing trainer is meant to give you:
- Bigger Lungs
- Increase Breath Strength
- More Endurance
- Enhance Gas (Oxygen / Carbon Dioxide) Exchange
The How It Works page then goes into more detail and adds that the Breathe Way Better device can “stave off fatigue”, recover faster and increase one’s VO2 max. The page goes in depth on all of these benefits and has more links to scientific papers than you would ever want to read.
In looking through the Isocapnic website I run across a post showing that Sara Sigmundsdottir uses the BWB device. For those who didn’t know, Sigmundsdottir recently left Justin Cotler and is now working with Kyle Ruth at Training Think Tank.
And given Ruth was on the ZOAR Fitness podcast I referenced above, it’s no surprise that Sigmundsdottir has been doing respiratory training.
I keep digging. I then run across a blog post from December 2023 where Alexis Raptis was using the BWB device back at the 2023 CrossFit Games. That year she placed 6th overall at the Games.
That same month Claudia Gluck was featured in an Isocapnic blog post. She would obviously go on to qualify for the CrossFit Games the following year.
I also found a reel on Instagram where Emma Tall was talking about how she used the Isocapnic BWB device in June 2024.
So numerous elite CrossFit athletes have been using this BWB device for at least the past two years, but while it was not completely hidden from sight, there definitely was not a focus on how respiratory training had been helping these athletes.
It seems like that is changing. As mentioned earlier, more athletes have been shown using it, just in the last month and there has even been a podcast where a coach to elite-level athletes and a former Games athlete talk extensively about how it can help an athlete.
So should you jump aboard the respiratory train(ing)?Â
After watching the ZOAR Fitness podcast it seems to me that there is definitely some benefits to this, not only to athletes looking to compete at the highest levels but also for those who want to improve their performance at the CrossFit affiliate.
If CrossFitters have jumped on all the other trends over the years, I don’t see how this doesn’t catch on sooner than later. And maybe it’s worth giving it a shot behind others catch on.Â
Just don’t blame me when in six months everyone else is using the BWB device and you haven’t. I gave you the heads up that this could be something big…
The Isocapnic BWB-S Respiratory Trainer is $149 USD. If you want the BWB-Mask Trainer, it is $279 USD. Note, this is not a sponsored post nor am I in any way affiliated with Isocapnic. I’m just sharing how to purchase one if you think it’s something you want to try.
