Nasal Strips for HYROX: Do They Really Help?

By the Norvén Team · August 2026 · 10 min read

Eight one-kilometre runs. Eight functional workout stations. No long break to reset your breathing.

HYROX repeatedly asks you to switch from running to movements such as the SkiErg, sled push, burpee broad jumps and wall balls. That combination makes breathing control important—but it also makes exaggerated performance claims about nasal strips easy to sell.

So, do nasal strips help during HYROX?

The short answer: nasal strips can mechanically widen the narrowest part of the nose and reduce nasal resistance. That may make nasal breathing feel easier during warm-ups, controlled running and recovery periods. However, research has not shown that nasal strips increase VO2max, lower heart rate or automatically improve race times in healthy athletes. There are also no clinical trials specifically testing nasal strips during a HYROX race.

That does not make them useless. It means their role is specific: a nasal strip is an airflow aid, not a shortcut to fitness.

This guide explains what happens to your breathing during HYROX, what the research on nasal breathing and external nasal dilators actually shows, and how to test a strip without changing your race-day strategy at the last minute.

Why Breathing Becomes Difficult During HYROX

The official HYROX race format consists of a one-kilometre run followed by one functional workout station, repeated eight times. Every athlete completes eight kilometres of running and all eight stations, although loads and repetition standards vary by division.

That format creates a different breathing challenge from a steady road race. You may settle into a rhythm while running, then reach a station that rapidly increases local muscular fatigue and ventilation. Moments later, you have to run efficiently again.

The first peer-reviewed study of HYROX physiology, published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2025, followed 11 experienced recreational athletes during a simulated race. It found that athletes used both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, spent most of the event running, and generally reached higher heart-rate, blood-lactate and perceived-effort values during the workout stations. Aerobic capacity showed a stronger relationship with overall performance than the measures of maximum strength used in the study.

The study was small, so it should not be treated as a perfect model for every competitor. It does support something HYROX athletes already feel: performance depends partly on how well you manage repeated transitions between sustainable running and harder station efforts.

Breathing is part of that management—but the goal is not to keep your mouth closed at all costs.

Nasal Breathing vs Mouth Breathing During Exercise

Nasal and mouth breathing are not opposing teams. Your body uses both depending on how much air it needs.

At lower and moderate intensities, breathing through the nose can encourage a slower breathing frequency and warm, humidify and filter incoming air. Small exercise studies have also reported lower ventilation relative to oxygen use or carbon-dioxide production during nasal breathing. In practical terms, some trained people can complete submaximal work with a slower, deeper breathing pattern.

A 2018 study involving recreational runners accustomed to nasal breathing found that they could reach similar peak oxygen uptake while breathing through the nose, with lower breathing frequency and minute ventilation at several workloads. A separate study by LaComb and colleagues also reported differences in ventilatory efficiency during submaximal exercise.

There are important limitations:

• These were small studies, not HYROX trials.
• Participants in the 2018 study were already adapted to nasal breathing.
• Forced nasal breathing is not the same as wearing a nasal strip.
• Better ventilatory measurements do not automatically mean a faster race time.

As intensity rises, most athletes naturally move towards combined nose-and-mouth breathing or predominantly mouth breathing. The mouth provides a larger route for airflow when ventilation demand becomes high. During heavy sled work, fast burpees or the final wall balls, opening your mouth is a normal response—not a technical failure.

For HYROX, nasal breathing is therefore best considered a pacing and control option at manageable intensities, rather than a rule for the entire race.

What a Nasal Strip Actually Does

A nasal strip is an external nasal dilator. Flexible bands inside the strip try to return to their original shape after application. This creates an outward pull on the skin and soft tissue at the sides of the nose.

The target is the nasal valve: a narrow area near the entrance of the nasal airway that contributes substantially to nasal resistance. During a strong inhalation, the sidewall of the nose can move inward in some people, making the passage feel even tighter.

Research using methods such as acoustic rhinometry and airflow measurement has shown that external nasal dilators can:

• increase the cross-sectional area around the nasal valve;
• reduce measured nasal resistance;
• help stabilise the nasal sidewall during inhalation.

That is the clearest, best-supported reason to use a nasal strip. It changes the mechanics of the front of the nose.

It does not add oxygen to the blood, increase lung capacity or improve cardiovascular fitness. Instead, it may make the nasal route easier to use—particularly if the nasal valve feels narrow, the nostrils visibly pull inward during inhalation, or mild congestion makes nasal breathing uncomfortable.

Do Nasal Strips Improve HYROX Performance?

At present, there is no direct evidence that wearing a nasal strip produces a faster HYROX finish time.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis examined external nasal dilator strips during exercise in healthy participants. Although nasal strips can improve nasal patency, the pooled evidence found no significant improvement in VO2max, heart rate or rating of perceived exertion.

That distinction matters:

Improved nasal airflow is supported. Improved athletic performance is not consistently supported.

For an athlete whose nose already feels completely open, a strip may make little noticeable difference. For someone who experiences mild nasal restriction or nasal-wall collapse, reducing that mechanical resistance may improve comfort and make controlled nasal breathing more accessible.

Comfort can still be useful. Feeling less restricted during the warm-up or early runs may help you follow the pacing plan you already trained. But it would be inaccurate to promise that a nasal strip will lower your heart rate, raise your VO2max or take minutes off your result.

Where Nasal Strips May Fit Into a HYROX Race

HYROX does not happen at one constant intensity. The usefulness of nasal breathing—and therefore of easier nasal airflow—can change throughout the event.

Before the Start: Warm-Up and Nerve Control

Pre-race adrenaline can make breathing fast and shallow before the work begins. A calm warm-up with controlled breathing can help you avoid turning the first kilometre into an accidental sprint.

A nasal strip may make nasal breathing feel more comfortable here. Use the warm-up to notice your breathing, relax your shoulders and confirm that the strip remains secure as you start sweating.

Do not introduce one for the first time in the start pen. Test it in training first.

Runs 1 and 2: Protect Your Pacing

Early HYROX kilometres often feel easier than they should because fatigue has not accumulated yet. If nasal breathing feels natural at your intended pace, it can act as a simple intensity check. If you unexpectedly need aggressive mouth breathing during the opening run, you may be moving faster than planned.

That is a pacing observation, not a universal threshold. Breathing patterns differ between athletes, and forcing your mouth closed can become counterproductive.

Workout Stations: Let Intensity Decide

During the sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps and wall balls, your demand for air may rise quickly. Use whatever combination of nasal and mouth breathing allows you to move safely and maintain technique.

A nasal strip does not require you to breathe only through your nose. It continues to hold the nasal passage open while you use combined breathing.

Roxzone and Return to Running: Regain Rhythm

After a hard station, the immediate goal is not to force nasal-only breathing. First, regain control. As ventilation begins to settle, a few longer, controlled exhales and a gradual return to a rhythm that feels sustainable can help you avoid carrying panic into the next kilometre.

If open nasal passages make that transition more comfortable for you, this is one of the most logical places for a strip to help. However, no study has shown that the strip itself accelerates heart-rate recovery between HYROX stations.

Final Stations: Stop Policing Your Breathing

Late in the race, effort is high and technique matters more than maintaining an idealised breathing method. Mouth breathing is expected. Focus on movement standards, efficient breaks and a pace you can sustain to the finish.

The strip can remain in place, but it is not the priority.

Who Is Most Likely to Notice a Difference?

You may be more likely to feel an immediate difference from a nasal strip if:

• the sides of your nose visibly pull inward when you inhale sharply;
• one or both nasal passages often feel mildly restricted;
• dry or cool indoor air makes nasal breathing less comfortable;
• you already practise nasal or controlled breathing during easy and moderate training;
• you feel a clear difference when gently pulling the skin beside your nose outward.

You may notice less benefit if your nasal airway already feels fully open or if your breathing limitation comes from the throat, lungs, cardiovascular system or a pace that exceeds your current conditioning.

Persistent nasal obstruction, wheezing, chest pain, faintness or unusual shortness of breath needs professional assessment. A strip should not be used to mask a medical problem.

How to Use Nasal Strips for HYROX

1. Test Them During Training

Use a strip in at least two or three compromised-running sessions before race day. A useful test session should include easy running, race-pace intervals and several HYROX-style stations.

Compare practical questions rather than searching for a placebo-proof personal best:

• Does nasal breathing feel less restricted?
• Does the strip remain attached when you sweat?
• Does it irritate your skin?
• Can you stop noticing it once training begins?

If the answer is no, change the placement or do not race with it.

2. Apply It to Clean, Dry Skin

Wash and completely dry the nose. Sunscreen, moisturiser, sweat and skin oil can weaken adhesion. Apply the strip before a hard warm-up so it has time to bond to the skin.

3. Position It Over the Nasal Valve

Place the strip across the lower bridge of the nose, just above where the nostrils begin to flare. A strip placed too high may miss the area it is designed to support. Press the ends down firmly and follow the instructions supplied with your product.

4. Build Familiarity With Nasal Breathing

If nasal breathing is new to you, practise it first during easy runs, warm-ups and recovery periods. Do not begin by forcing it during maximal intervals.

Adaptation matters. The ability of trained nasal breathers in research to maintain performance should not be assumed to apply instantly to everyone.

5. Keep Your Race Strategy the Same

A nasal strip is not a reason to start faster. Use the pacing, fuelling and station-break strategy that worked in training. Treat the strip as a small piece of equipment—not as a new engine.

Common HYROX Nasal-Strip Mistakes

Forcing Nasal-Only Breathing at Maximum Effort

When your ventilation demand becomes high, opening your mouth is normal. Fighting that response can add tension and make the effort feel worse.

Expecting a Higher VO2max

External nasal strips do not train the heart, increase haemoglobin or create aerobic adaptations. The best available pooled evidence does not show an increase in VO2max.

Trying Them for the First Time on Race Day

Sweat, friction and individual skin sensitivity matter. Test the exact strip and placement before the event.

Applying the Strip Too High

The strip needs to support the lower sidewalls of the nose. If it sits too close to the eyes, it may not open the intended area.

Ignoring Persistent Obstruction

A deviated septum, enlarged turbinates, allergies or another condition may require medical assessment. An external strip can only act on the front, flexible portion of the nasal airway.

The Norvén Approach to HYROX Breathing

HYROX performance is built through running fitness, strength endurance, efficient technique, sensible pacing and consistent recovery. No strip replaces those foundations.

Norvén nasal strips are designed to provide simple mechanical support at the nasal valve. Their purpose is straightforward: help keep the front of the nasal passage more open, so nasal breathing can feel less restricted when you choose to use it.

That can be relevant during an easy warm-up, controlled running, between hard efforts or in training sessions where breathing awareness is part of your pacing. During maximum-effort work, use the airflow your body demands.

No miracle claim. No promise of an instant personal best. Just a practical tool you can test under the same conditions you plan to race in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do nasal strips help with HYROX?

They can reduce resistance at the nasal valve and make nasal breathing feel easier. This may help comfort and breathing control for some athletes, especially those with mild nasal restriction. Research has not yet shown that nasal strips directly improve HYROX times.

Can nasal strips improve athletic performance?

A systematic review found no significant overall improvement in VO2max, heart rate or perceived exertion in healthy people using external nasal strips during exercise. Individual comfort may improve, but that is different from a proven performance gain.

Should I breathe only through my nose during HYROX?

No. Nasal breathing may be comfortable during warm-ups, controlled runs and lower-intensity periods. Combined or mouth breathing is normal when intensity and airflow demand become high.

When should I apply a nasal strip before HYROX?

Apply it to clean, fully dry skin before your warm-up. This lets you check the placement and adhesion before entering the race. Always test the strip during training first.

Can I wear a nasal strip while sweating?

Yes, provided the strip is designed for exercise and applied correctly. Adhesion varies with skin type, sweat, moisturiser and placement, so test it during a hard session before race day.

Are nasal strips allowed in HYROX?

The current HYROX rulebook should always be your final reference for race equipment. Nasal strips are a non-powered adhesive aid, but rules can change; check the rulebook for your season and contact the event organiser if you are uncertain.

The Bottom Line

Nasal strips for HYROX have a real mechanical effect: they can widen the nasal valve area and reduce nasal resistance. What has not been proven is that this effect increases VO2max, lowers exercise heart rate or automatically produces a faster finish.

Use that distinction to set the right expectation.

If a nasal strip makes breathing through your nose feel easier, it may be useful during your warm-up, controlled kilometres and the transition back to rhythm after hard stations. When intensity becomes high, allow your mouth to open and focus on pacing and technique.

The strip supports airflow. Your training creates performance.

Breathe with control. Race with a plan.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Norvén products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition. Individual results vary. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional if you experience persistent nasal obstruction, breathing problems or other health concerns.

Sources

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