# Blow as you go: breathing out during effort

Source: https://breathingexercises.uk/exercises/blow-as-you-go/
Author: Nell Avery · Updated 2026-11-04

**Short answer:** Blow as you go means breathing in before an effort and breathing out through pursed lips while you do the hardest part, such as standing up, lifting a bag or reaching up. It stops you holding your breath as you strain, which makes tasks less tiring if you get breathless. It is standard advice from NHS respiratory physiotherapists.

**Evidence grade:** Weak evidence. Small or short studies, surveys, or results that are mixed.

## What is blow as you go?

A simple rule for any effort: breathe in before you move, and breathe out as you push, pull, lift or stand. It is taught alongside [pursed-lip breathing](/exercises/pursed-lip-breathing/) by respiratory physiotherapists in pulmonary rehabilitation, to people with COPD, asthma, heart failure and long COVID.

## When should you use it?

Any time a movement makes you breathless:

- standing up from a chair or getting out of bed;
- lifting shopping, a kettle or a child;
- reaching up to a high shelf or bending to tie a shoelace;
- pushing a door, a trolley or a vacuum cleaner.

## What the research shows

Blow as you go has not been tested in a trial on its own, so we grade it weak. It is part of the package of breathing techniques and pacing advice used in pulmonary rehabilitation, which has strong evidence as a whole for improving breathlessness and quality of life in COPD. It is low-risk and many people find it helps straight away.

## Common mistakes

- **Breathing out before the effort.** Time the out-breath to the hardest part.
- **Holding your breath to finish.** If you run out of breath, stop, breathe in, and carry on with the next out-breath.
- **Rushing.** Moving more slowly with your breathing is quicker overall than stopping to recover.

## Make it easier or harder

- **Easier:** practise standing up from a chair a few times a day until it is automatic.
- **Harder:** use it during exercise, such as sit-to-stand sets or light weights, as you would in a rehabilitation class.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why does breathing out during effort help?

Most people hold their breath when they strain. That makes the effort harder and leaves you gasping afterwards. Breathing out through pursed lips during the effort keeps your breathing going, slows it down and helps you empty your lungs.

### Can blow as you go help with lifting at the gym?

Breathing out during the hardest part of a lift is common advice in strength training too, and it avoids the sharp rise in blood pressure that comes with holding your breath while straining.

## References

1. [Holland AE et al. Breathing exercises for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23076942/)
2. [NHS. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): treatment.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd/treatment/)
3. [Asthma + Lung UK. Breathlessness.](https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/symptoms-tests-treatments/symptoms/breathlessness)