3 Zones of Breathing: How to Improve Performance & Recovery | Dr. Andy Galpin & Jill Miller

Detecting Diaphragm Function00:00

Andrew Huberman's quote "Never skip diaphragm day" highlights the diaphragm's central role in human movement. The diaphragm is working if a person is alive, but this doesn't guarantee optimal function. Signs of dysfunction include intercostals not rhythmically moving well, inappropriate stiffness between the transverse abdominis and the diaphragm, or over-breathing using accessory breathing muscles.

Three Zones of Breathing01:01

Breathing is categorized into three distinct zones:

Zone 1 Breathing

Zone 1 involves the diaphragm descending with relaxing gut expansion, representing the most efficient breathing pattern.

Zone 2 Breathing

Zone 2 combines the intercostals with the diaphragm, involving rib upward rotation and rib downward rotation. This zone should be the primary breathing pattern for daily function.

Zone 3 Breathing

Zone 3 breathing uses the face, neck, and shoulders, creating a gasping pattern. This represents a sympathetic breathing style that becomes problematic when used chronically. While Zone 3 breathing occurs in situations like asthma attacks, panic episodes, or heightened states such as orgasm, it is not a sustainable long-term strategy for health.

Modern Lifestyle and Zone 3 Breathing02:30

Technology use contributes to Zone 3 breathing patterns through hand-to-eye positioning from holding cell phones and close work environments. This creates unnecessary armoring in the face, neck, jaw, eyes, shoulders, brachial plexus, hands, and fingers, disrupting efficient length-tension relationships across all three breathing zones.