Why Nose Size Matters: The Hidden Advantage of Wider Nasal Airways in Athletic Performance

Recently, I had an eye-opening experience—or more accurately, a nose-opening experience—that fundamentally changed my understanding of why some athletes have an unfair advantage in the realm of breathing and performance.

For years I've practiced nasal breathing, even during exercise. I've advocated for it, taught it, and experienced its benefits personally. However, I never tried any devices to make it easier until recently. That changed when I discovered the Turbine, a device designed to open your nostrils for increased airflow.

What I learned from this simple device shocked me, and it will likely surprise you too.

A Game-Changing Discovery

Before recommending any product to a client, I always test it myself. So I ordered a Turbine to review. Frankly, I wasn't expecting much from a device that aims to open up nostrils for more airflow. It seemed like a gimmick—how much difference could slightly wider nostrils really make?

The answer: A massive difference.

The Immediate Impact

When I first used the Turbine, the experience was immediate and overwhelming. I felt like I could breathe twice as much air through my nose. The sensation was so dramatic that I actually got slightly dizzy from breathing in significantly more air than my body was accustomed to.

As I acclimated to this new level of airflow, curiosity got the better of me. I had to know: how ridiculous did I look with this thing up my nose?

When I looked in the mirror, what jumped out wasn't how strange I looked. Instead, I was struck by how much wider my nose appeared. The visual change was striking—and that's when the real light bulb moment happened.

The Unfair Advantage

The thought that immediately jumped into my head was: "This isn't fair!"

If other athletes can breathe this much air all the time through their natural nasal structure, reaching their fitness level seemed almost unachievable. I had just discovered firsthand why nasal width might be one of the most overlooked factors in athletic performance.

The impact became even more clear when I wore the Turbine while exercising. The results were measurable and immediate: my rowing pace improved by a full 10 seconds for 500 meters. Just from opening my nasal passages.

This wasn't just perceived benefit—this was quantifiable performance enhancement from something as simple as increased nasal airflow.

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

The implications become crystal clear when you examine elite athletics. Take a look at Olympic sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross during the 400-meter race—one of the most demanding track events.

What the Photo Reveals

Compare her nasal structure to her competitors' in this critical moment. The most obvious takeaway is that while running the hardest of all track events, Richards-Ross completed the final stretch with her mouth closed. She's in a full sprint, max effort, yet she's nasal breathing.

Now look at the width of her nose compared to her competitors'. She can move significantly more air through her nasal cavities than the other runners. This allows her to ventilate effectively even with her mouth closed at speeds that would force most athletes to breathe through their mouths.

More Than Just Airflow

But the photo reveals something even more profound—look at their facial expressions. Who looks calm and who doesn't?

Richards-Ross's eyes are open, focused, determined, and calm. She appears composed under extreme duress. Her competitors, however, have their eyes closed and are clearly struggling to push through pain tolerances. Their faces show the strain that Richards-Ross seems to be managing.

This single photograph portrays the deep connection between the focus and relaxing effect of nasal breathing even while pushing absolute limits. The genetic attribute of wide, open nasal airways provides the benefit of calm nasal breathing even at maximum exertion.

The Nervous System Connection

What this image reveals goes beyond airflow capacity. Nasal breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system—the calming, recovery-oriented branch of your autonomic nervous system. Mouth breathing, by contrast, activates your sympathetic nervous system—the fight-or-flight response.

So while these athletes are all running at maximum effort, Richards-Ross is literally in a more physiologically calm state because she's nasal breathing. Her competitors, forced to breathe through their mouths due to narrow nasal airways, are in a more stressed physiological state.

That's more than a genetic advantage—that's a nervous system advantage.

Can You Change Your Nasal Capacity?

This raises an uncomfortable question for many: Are we doomed by the genetic nose we were born with?

The honest answer? While you can't change your bone structure significantly, you absolutely can improve your nasal breathing capacity. In fact, many of us would have wider noses and increased breathing capabilities if only we'd known how to breathe properly as children.

What You Can Do Now

While comprehensive strategies deserve their own detailed discussion (stay tuned for deeper dives), here are immediate actions you can take:

1. Nasal Breathing Practice

• Start with light exercise while nasal breathing only
• Gradually increase intensity while maintaining nasal breathing
• Use a mouth tape during sleep if comfortable
• Practice during daily activities, not just exercise

2. Nasal Mobility Work

• Gentle nasal dilation exercises
• Resistance breathing through the nose
• Nasal cleaning routines to reduce inflammation
• Humming exercises to vibrate nasal passages

3. Postural Improvements

• Forward head posture limits nasal airflow
• Work on proper head and neck alignment
• Address any sinus or nasal inflammation

4. Breathing Pattern Reset

• Transition from mouth breathing to nasal breathing
• Even when nasal breathing becomes difficult, maintain it as long as possible
• Only switch to mouth breathing when absolutely necessary

Why This Matters for the Next Generation

Perhaps most importantly: while you can improve your own nasal breathing, imagine how different elite athletics would look if every child learned proper breathing mechanics from an early age.

Early nasal breathing patterns:

• Help develop proper facial structure
• Prevent nasal airway collapse
• Promote wider nasal passages through natural development
• Establish lifelong breathing habits

The children who grow up breathing primarily through their noses develop wider airways naturally. It's not genetic luck—it's developmental opportunity that most of us missed.

The Competitive Edge

Back to that "unfair advantage" moment in the mirror. What makes something "unfair" in athletics?

Is it genetic advantages? Physical structure? Natural talent? Or is it the combination of genetics AND how we train?

The elite athletes with wider nasal structures didn't choose their genetics. But they did benefit from them. The real question isn't whether advantages are fair—it's whether we're doing everything in our power to optimize our own breathing capacity.

You may not be able to dramatically widen your nasal bones, but you can absolutely:

• Improve your nasal breathing efficiency
• Train your respiratory muscles to compensate
• Develop breathing patterns that maximize your available capacity
• Build CO2 tolerance to use oxygen more efficiently

The Bottom Line

The Turbine experiment revealed something profound: nasal width and breathing capacity matter enormously for performance. But it also revealed that we can do something about it.

While some athletes have genetic advantages in nasal structure, we all can improve our breathing efficiency through training, pattern correction, and dedicated practice.

Maybe you weren't born with the widest nasal passages in the world. But you can absolutely develop the breathing capacity, efficiency, and nervous system optimization to maximize the nose you do have.

Start training your breathing like you train your muscles. Treat it with the same specificity, dedication, and progressive overload. Because as Richards-Ross demonstrated, the right breathing at the right moment can be the difference between struggling to finish and dominating the competition.

Stay tuned for more in-depth strategies on improving your nasal breathing capacity. More importantly, learn how you can help the next generation breathe easier for their entire lives—and give them the unfair advantage that proper breathing provides.

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