Post summary
On Monday, we explained different breathing methods that may help your health, performance, stress, and more.
We explained what’s helpful and what’s just hype among breathing practices.
Today, we’re covering a breathing practice I use.
It improved my running times, rucking endurance, and my recovery. It’ll likely do the same for you, too.
Housekeeping
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Yesterday’s AMA had a tech failure on my end. My phone rebooted right as the stream started (my conspiracy theory is that my phone is paying me back for subjecting it to extreme heat on desert runs). We’ll redo the Live AMA today at 8:30am PST/11:30am EST. You’ll get another email when we go live.
Remember: Even Elon Musk, with all his billions and tech brilliance, faces live video tech problems 😂. Again: We’re live today, at 8:30am PST/11:30am EST, roughly 90 minutes after this email landed in your inbox.
Audio/podcast edition
The post
On Monday, we learned that certain breathing methods may have benefits for health, stress, fitness, sleep, and more. But some of the benefits are overhyped or need more context.
Big takeaways: There’s a time and place for all types of breathing, and knowing which to deploy when will help you most.
Enter a breathing practice I deploy. Call it the best d*mn endurance breathing trick on the planet.
My improved running and rucking times suggest it works. Thanks to the trick, they’re all faster. I can run much farther at a lower heart rate and less perceived effort. My body doesn’t feel as gassed out after a long run.
It’s simple—it works. That’s what we like around here.
How it started
The best practices aren’t just backed by science—they also have a long history of benefiting real people in the real world.
I first heard about this breathing technique from Roger Sparks, the SOF Pararescueman who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during Operation Bulldog Bite. Roger was known for being the fittest in his military units.
But the breathing technique originated with one of the fiercest Native American tribes.
This tribe was known to drive their enemies into exhaustion with their “almost superhuman stamina,” as one historian put it.
It was no big deal for these tribe members to run 75 miles to “wear out or throw off track the most energetic and the most intelligent of opponents,” wrote the historian.
This breathing practice was the foundation of their endurance training.
I started doing it roughly two years ago.
I was at the time doing a lot of trail running. But my times had hit a plateau, and I felt a bit burnt out.
I didn’t necessarily want faster times (although the trick gave me them). Instead, I wanted to build the type of endurance that could go for days and days. And I wanted to feel better after long workouts.
It worked.
And it translated over to better endurance in all my workouts. For example, it made any rucking distance feel simpler. It helped me recover quicker between rounds of intense workouts like Burn The Ships.
Try it. It’s not easy at first. It takes some getting used to. But you’ll thank us when:
Your run times drop.
You’re able to cover more ground
You’re less beat down after a run.
Your resting heart rate improves.
The best d*amn endurance breathing trick
It’s simple. Let’s start with exactly how that tribe used it.
