CrossFit and nasal strips: why more athletes are wearing them

If you've finished an Open workout in the last six months, you've probably seen it: athletes on the bar with a nasal strip on their face. Not a fashion trend. A training tool. CrossFit and nasal strips have linked up for one reason — recovery between sets is the bottleneck in this sport, and breath is the variable nobody trains.

This article: why CrossFitters use them, what the science backs, and when a nasal strip actually moves the needle in a WOD.

The CrossFit breathing problem

CrossFit isn't sustained aerobic work. It's short, brutal work bouts with incomplete rest. A typical metcon — Fran, DT, Helen — ends with your heart rate at 190 and a breathing pattern in pieces. Recovering between sets of thrusters isn't a question of willpower; it's a question of ventilatory efficiency.

Mouth-only breathers lose twice here: higher heart rate at the same load, and slower recovery between sets. Athletes who can stay nasal-dominant during rest pull seconds back on every transition.

What the data say

Acute nasal breathing reduces ventilatory equivalent (VE/VCO₂) by roughly 10% versus oral breathing in healthy individuals, per the BreathWISE study in PLOS One. External nasal dilator strips significantly increase peak nasal inspiratory flow (PMC review). At peak intensity, mouth breathing layers in automatically (Frontiers in Physiology, 2025) — that's physiology, not failure.

What this means for the box: between sets, in short rest, walking to the bar — that's where the win lives. Not during a 1RM clean. Not during a max-effort burpee sprint. Between.

When a nasal strip pays in the box

High win:

·       EMOMs and interval work. Short rest, repeated sets. Faster recovery means more volume.

·       Long chippers (15+ minutes). Aerobic component matters; ventilatory efficiency pays out.

·       Strength sessions with short rest. Nasal breathing between working sets lowers your baseline HR for the next set.

Low win:

·       1RM attempts. Single explosive effort, no ventilation dependence.

·       Sprint work under 30 seconds. Too short for breathing-pattern effects to matter.

How to use it

Start with training, not competition. Three weeks nasal-dominant on warm-up and between sets. You'll feel it by week two: lower heart rate at the same weights, faster return to the bar. Then add a sport nasal strip for the heavier sessions where your nasal flow can't keep up.

For the mechanisms behind all this — NO production, vascular function, breathing mechanics — read the nasal breathing science deep-dive.

The Hypowered angle

Sport nasal strips from Hypowered are built for exactly the CrossFit profile: peak intensity, sweat, physical contact with the bar and floor. 12+ hour tested performance. Sweat-resistant — they stay put after 20 minutes of Diane. Hypoallergenic for skin that gets pushed hard. And a secure grip that doesn't slide mid set of thrusters.

We didn't design them for the pharmacy. We designed them for the box.

FAQ

Which nasal strip is best for CrossFit?

A sport-specific one — not the standard pharmacy version. Hypowered Sport Nasal Strips are specifically tested for sweat, motion, and long sessions. A pharmacy strip falls off by set three. A sport strip holds from warm-up to cooldown.

Is there any point wearing a nasal strip for a 1RM?

Not really. A 1RM isn't a ventilation challenge. The win from a nasal strip lives in recovery between sets and in long aerobic blocks. For strength sessions with short rest between working sets: yes, it helps.

Do Open athletes do this too?

Increasingly yes. It's gone from curiosity to standard warm-up kit over a few seasons, especially for athletes running long chippers and EMOM-heavy programming.