Breathing During HIIT: The Pause That Creates Power

Why Three Counts Instead of Four?

Fun Fact:

Since most music is built around counts of four and eight, new Mojo friends often wonder why I sometimes stop a movement after three repetitions instead of four. It can feel a little uneven at first, but there’s a reason for it.

We need that pause to settle before the next sequence hits. Whether it’s a full beat or just a fraction of a second, those built-in pauses give our bodies a small but meaningful window for recovery – and our breath is what makes that window work. 

HIIT First. Dance Second

While we are certainly dancing, Mojo is a HIIT  dance fitness class first. In order to have enough power and intensity for an effective session, we need choreography that incorporates enough recovery opportunities throughout each routine and session – even if it’s for a fraction of a second.

Rushing to the next move just to keep up with the music is a way to shoot yourself in the sneaker.

Brace Yourself. Breathe Like You Mean It

Most of us don’t think about breathing. We just do it. But in a HIIT dance class, unconscious breathing is leaving effective intensity on the table.

When we rush a transition just to stay on beat, our breathing goes shallow and fast. That’s not hustle. that’s our nervous system in mild panic mode. When we’re breathing rapidly and shallowly, our body stays in a more stressed state, making it harder to recover between bursts and sustain power throughout class. 

According to Alison McConnell, with The School of Breath Science, when we hold our breath during intense effort — even unintentionally — pressure inside the chest spikes sharply, forcing the heart to work harder and cutting oxygen to the muscles we need most. Fatigue hits faster. Power drops. And we wonder why we’re gassed by the third song.

Our breath isn’t just about oxygen. According to the School of Breath Science, each exhale actively stabilizes our core from the inside out, supporting our spine, controlling our movement, and keeping our technique intact. In other words, we cannot move well, unless we are breathing well. 

In that fraction of a second between sequences, try to remember to take a longer exhale. This activates our parasympathetic nervous system, the part of our body that says we’re okay, time to reset. Our heart rate responds. Our muscles soften just enough to load up for the next burst.

• Holding Your Breath When a move or coordination gets tricky, it’s common to suddenly hold your breath without realizing it. That pause spikes pressure in your chest, forces your heart to work harder, and can reduce efficient oxygen delivery and increase fatigue. Keep breathing, especially when it’s hard.
• Breathing Too Fast Faster isn’t better. Rapid, shallow breathing keeps our nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight mode, making recovery between sequences harder, not easier. One deliberate exhale does more work than five frantic ones.
• Mouth Breathing Only Air that comes in exclusively through the mouth arrives drier — meaning more effort to process it. When your intensity allows, breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. When intensity allows, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. As the workout becomes harder, switching to mouth breathing is perfectly normal because it allows you to move more air.

Imagine a competitive swimmer. Their stroke isn’t built around the water, it’s built around the breath. The breath is the metronome. A saxophonist doesn’t muscle through a two-hour concert on willpower. They breathe to sustain power from the first note to the last.

We’re no different. The pause isn’t a break from the workout. It is the workout doing its job.

Brace Yourself!

You don’t need to start counting seconds or follow a technique. You just need to notice the pause when it comes – and use it.  Roll your shoulders back, lift your chest and let the long exhale go. Remind yourself that you are an athlete, not just a “dancer” trying to keep up.

Over time, this will become instinct. You are not falling behind or catching up. You are doing what trained athletes do. You are using the pause on purpose. 💪