Oxygen Advantage® vs. O₂ Pro Academy: What Trainers Should Know
If you have read The Oxygen Advantage or used the BOLT score, you already understand why breathing matters for performance. This guide explains what that method focuses on, what O₂ Pro Academy adds, and how trainers can use both ideas together.
What is the Oxygen Advantage® method?
The Oxygen Advantage® is a breathing approach popularized by Patrick McKeown in his book The Oxygen Advantage, building on the Buteyko method. Its core ideas are nasal breathing, lighter and slower breathing, improving CO₂ tolerance, and simulated altitude through breath holds. Its best-known tool is the BOLT (Body Oxygen Level Test) score.
It is widely used by athletes, coaches, and breathing instructors, and it has its own instructor programs.
What O₂ Pro Academy focuses on
O₂ Pro Academy trains professionals in oxygen science more broadly. Breathing and the BOLT score are the starting point, not the whole program. Our credentials then extend into how oxygen availability itself can be used in training and recovery.
- BOLT assessment and CO₂ tolerance (free mini-module)
- Oxygen performance coaching for trainers and gyms (COPS™)
- Altitude therapy / intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic training with equipment (CAT™)
- Upcoming tracks in hyperbaric, clinical breathwork, and VO₂ performance
Side-by-side for trainers
- Breath assessment: both use the BOLT score.
- Simulated altitude: Oxygen Advantage® uses breath holds. CAT™ teaches equipment-based altitude intervals with controlled oxygen levels and safety screening.
- Business use: COPS™ and CAT™ are designed to help trainers and gyms add oxygen-based services to their offering.
- Format: O₂ Pro Academy courses are online, self-paced, with lifetime access.
Which should you choose?
If you want to coach breathing technique alone, a dedicated breathing-method program may be all you need. If you want to work with both breathing and oxygen, including altitude training sessions, O₂ Pro Academy builds on what you already know. Many trainers do both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is O₂ Pro Academy affiliated with Oxygen Advantage®?
No. O₂ Pro Academy is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Oxygen Advantage® or Patrick McKeown. Oxygen Advantage® is a trademark of its respective owner and is mentioned here only for comparison.
What is a good BOLT score?
Scores under 20 seconds generally suggest low CO₂ tolerance, 20–30 seconds is moderate, and around 40 seconds is a commonly used goal. See our BOLT test guide for full instructions.
Do I need to learn the BOLT score before taking COPS™ or CAT™?
No, but it helps. Our free BOLT Score Mini-Module covers it, and it is a good first step.
Is breath-hold training the same as altitude training?
No. Breath holds create a short, self-made drop in oxygen. Equipment-based altitude training delivers controlled, measured intervals of reduced and increased oxygen with monitoring. Both are taught with safety screening in mind.
Oxygen Advantage® is a trademark of its respective owner. O₂ Pro Academy is not affiliated with or endorsed by Oxygen Advantage® or Patrick McKeown. COPS™ and CAT™ are private professional training credentials issued by O₂ Pro Academy (Spoken About Media, LLC). They are not government licenses and do not expand anyone's legal scope of practice.
Start the Free BOLT Mini-Module · Become a Certified Altitude Therapist™
- Certification for Personal Trainers — The path from free BOLT training to COPS™ and CAT™.
- BOLT Test Guide — How to take and score the BOLT test.
- Breath-Holding Science — What happens in the body during a breath hold.
- What Is Altitude Therapy? — How IHHT works and who uses it.