The Breather is a handheld respiratory muscle training device that strengthens your breathing muscles by making you inhale and exhale through small openings that create resistance. Think of it like lifting weights, but for your diaphragm and the muscles between your ribs. The device has two independent dials that let you set different resistance levels for breathing in and breathing out, and a typical session takes just a few minutes.
How the Device Works
When you breathe through The Breather, air passes through small openings (orifices) inside the device. Turning the dials to higher numbers makes these openings smaller, which forces your muscles to work harder to move air in and out. Over time, this resistance causes your breathing muscles to grow stronger and thicker, similar to how lifting progressively heavier weights builds arm or leg muscles. The diaphragm specifically gets thicker and contracts with more speed and force.
The inhale dial and exhale dial work independently. This means you can set a higher resistance for breathing in and a lower one for breathing out, or vice versa, depending on which muscles need more work.
Getting Started: Your First Session
Start by rotating both dials so the number 1 lines up with the arrow at the top of the device. This is the easiest setting and lets you learn the breathing technique without straining.
Sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth and seal your lips around it so no air leaks out the sides. Breathe in slowly and deeply through the device, letting your belly expand outward rather than raising your shoulders. This belly-first pattern means you’re using your diaphragm, which is the target muscle. Then exhale steadily and fully through the device, feeling your belly draw inward. That’s one repetition.
If you feel dizzy or lightheaded during a session, remove the mouthpiece and take a few normal breaths before continuing. This is common when you’re first learning to breathe against resistance.
Setting the Right Resistance Level
The goal is to train at a resistance that feels like moderate effort, not maximum strain. The manufacturer recommends working in the range of 5 to 7 on a 10-point effort scale, which translates to roughly 50% to 70% of your maximum effort. At this intensity, breathing should feel challenging but sustainable for a full set of repetitions. You shouldn’t feel like you’re gasping or unable to complete a breath.
To find your working level, increase the dial by one number at a time over several sessions. When a setting starts to feel easy (below a 5 on that effort scale), bump it up. You can adjust the inhale and exhale dials separately. Some people find exhaling against resistance harder than inhaling, or the reverse, so it’s normal for the two dials to be on different numbers.
How Often and How Much to Use It
There’s no single “correct” prescription, but respiratory training research points to a consistent principle: what matters is total weekly training volume, not just how many breaths you take in one sitting. A framework published by the European Society of Medicine illustrates this with several example routines that all produce similar weekly workloads:
- Higher resistance, fewer breaths: 5 repetitions per set, 5 sets, 2 sessions per week at high effort
- Moderate resistance, moderate volume: 8 repetitions per set, 3 sets, 3 sessions per week
- Lower resistance, more breaths: 15 repetitions per set, 3 sets, 3 sessions per week
- Lower resistance, more frequent sessions: 10 repetitions per set, 3 sets, 5 sessions per week
If you’re new to the device, starting with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 breaths, done once or twice daily, is a reasonable starting point. Rest for 15 to 30 seconds between sets. The entire session typically takes under 10 minutes. Consistency matters more than intensity early on.
When to Expect Results
Most clinical studies measuring lung function improvements with The Breather use a 6-week training period. Outcomes tracked at that point include how much air you can move in one second, peak airflow during inhaling and exhaling, and overall exercise tolerance (measured by how far someone can walk in six minutes). Six weeks of regular use is a reasonable benchmark for noticing that breathing feels easier during daily activities or exercise, though some people report changes sooner.
Cleaning and Maintenance
After every session, take the device apart and rinse all pieces with warm water. Shake off excess water and let everything air dry on a clean towel.
Once a day (or whenever you see mucus on the device), wash all parts in warm water with a small amount of mild dish soap. Use a soft brush to remove any dried residue. Rinse thoroughly with previously boiled water, then lay the parts on a clean towel and cover with a second towel while they dry. Once fully dry, reassemble and store in a clean plastic bag.
Once a week, do a deeper disinfection. After washing with soap and water, soak all parts for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 cup white vinegar to 3 cups water. Rinse well with boiled water afterward and air dry completely before reassembling. Make a fresh vinegar solution each time you disinfect. Don’t put the device in a dishwasher, especially on a heated dry cycle, as this can warp or damage the plastic.
Who Should Be Cautious
The Breather is generally safe for most people, but clinical trials exclude participants who have unstable blood pressure or heart rate, are currently on a ventilator, or have active neurological conditions that affect breathing coordination. If you’ve recently had chest surgery, it’s worth getting clearance from your surgical team before adding resistance breathing to your recovery. The device requires you to cooperate with a specific breathing pattern, so it’s not appropriate for anyone who can’t follow the inhale-exhale sequence independently.