But then a knee injury sidelined him in 2014. I had to look at myself in the mirror, he says. The whole reason I got into powerlifting was to look better, feel better, and get stronger. The only thing that had improved was my strength. At 345 pounds, Lilly couldnt walkthrough a shopping mall without getting winded. I wouldnt have been able to run to save my own life, he says.

As he rehabbed his knee, Lilly found Belisa Vranich, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist who is also a breathing coach to celebrities, athletes, and military personnel. Its not news that deep breathing confers many benefits. But like Lilly, many overlook its gym advantages. Lilly learned he was a vertical breather, doing the equivalent of a shrug every time he inhaled. By not using his diaphragm, Lillys breathing was less than optimal.

Vranich taught Lilly to expand and contract his midsection, better oxygenating his muscles and organs and creating a more stable base for his lifts. The results came right away. Before his first lesson hed be gassed after eight squats with 315 pounds. After? He did 23 straight reps. Life outside the gym improved too. Once lethargic, Lilly now feels more energetic. But all hes running on is air.

How to Catch Your Breath

The Inhale

• Draw air in through your nose and mouth; air moves down your windpipe and into your lungs.

Do It Better: To ensure that your breath fills your belly first, watch your shoulders; they should barely move.

The Exhale

• Breathe out, pulling your belly back in and squeezing your abdominals.

Do It Better: Push your lower back into a chair and blow out all the air that you possibly can.

The Diaphragm

• Arch your back and let your belly relax as it expands with air. This should rock you forward in your chair.

Do It Better: Practice belly breathing by lying down with a light kettlebell on your stomach; push it up while inhaling.

Breathing for Strength and Power

For your heaviest lifts-sets of 5 or fewer reps-Vranich suggests these steps to both help you power through a set and refocus between each rep.

Stop Sucking in Your Gut

• Take a deep breath, filling your belly so your midsection expands in every direction, giving you a bigger, more solid platform to support a heavy load. For maximum pressure, take in a few mouthfuls of air.

Lift Your Balls

• Clench the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if youre trying to stop a good whiz. (Women know this as a Kegel.) Bonus: Strengthening these muscles could one day keep you out of adult diapers.

Brace Yourself

• Tighten your core 360 degrees, like youre about to take a punch. Begin your rep. When you hit a sticking point, release some air; keep the rest in until you finish the rep. Reset and repeat this on the next rep.

Breathing Between Intervals and Sets

Want to dominate your next CrossFit class? Finesse your breath between sets to expel carbon dioxide and take in oxygen as quickly as your body needs it.

Let It Out

• When youre winded, your instinct is to inhale harder. Your body really wants to exhale. Do so audibly a few times to minimize the air left in your lungs, and hold for 1 second before inhaling again.

Pull It In

• Once your lungs are empty, take a deep, diaphragmatic breath into your belly and sides. Do this two or three times. You should feel your-self breathing normally again and be ready to start the next round.

Practice Outside the Gym

• Train breathing muscles between workouts. Practice what Vranich calls exhale pulsations: Inhale gently through pursed lips; exhale forcefully, narrowing your body. Start with 25 reps; work up to 100.

Breathing for Recovery

Use this controlled hyperventilation technique, popular in the 1960s, to recover after or between workouts and to sleep better at night.

Get Comfortable

• Lie on your back, one hand on your belly, one on your chest. Inhale through your mouth; fill your belly. Inhale until your chest is full. (Your hands are where they are to ensure you get the sequence right.)

Blow It Out

• Exhale forcefully, like youre blowing out the candles on a cake. Your abs should feel wrung out. Repeat the process for 2 to 3 minutes. It should feel like a workout and maybe even leave you disoriented. Thats normal.

Relax

• Move your arms to your sides, palms up, and take diaphragmatic breaths through your nose. You may nod off. Thats okay; youve taken your body out of its fight-or-flight state, kickstarting recovery.

An Airy Tale

Inflate your pushup totals in just a few minutes (and right now).

Dutchman Wim Hof is famous for his endurance stunts. He also has a breathing technique that can instantly increase your single-set pushup total. How does it work? Journalist Scott Carney, who visited Hof to learn his secrets, explains.

1. Lie on your back and breathe through your mouth. Take 30 deep, rapid breaths, filling your belly and then your chest, in that order. After 30 breaths, exhale naturally. Hold the exhale as long as you can. Fight your gasp reflex.
2. After the retention breath, take half of a recovery breath; hold it for 15 seconds. Repeat step 1 twice, gradually increasing the length of retention. (Try holding for 1 minute, 2 minutes, and then 3 minutes on the third retention.)
3. Do one more round of breathing, then rollover with full lungs; do pushups while holding your breath. This works because youre driving CO2 out of the body, says Carney. But beware: There is a possibility you could pass out.