On this episode I sat down with David Jackson better known as Jacko to discuss all things breathing. I’ve referenced breathe practices on numerous podcast, but this is the deepest dive I’ve had on the potential benefits and necessity of proper breathe work practices within athletic programs. We start by talking about the very act of breathing, an inhale, pause, and exhale, as with athletic development we are often concerned with the output or concentric, many only focus on the inhale with breathwork. Jacko discusses how the respiratory center is in the oldest part of the brain the brain stem, meaning it is hardwired and reflexive in nature. Jacko discusses how all but one sport to his knowledge (free diving) includes breathing, therefore, we should be taking note of suboptimal or improper forms of breathing.

Breathing has a globalized  effect on the human body; it influences the nervous system, blood pressure, heart rate, thoughts, emotions, sleep, and more. Jacko discusses how the bohr effect influences breathing and shares how the primary influence for breathing is not oxygen, but CO2.

Carbon dioxide is tied to release of hemoglobin that is tied to red blood cells. Jacko Discusses how to get your Bolt Score, which is a baseline of a person breathing capabilities. He discusses what a good bolt score is and what we should all be aiming for as we increase our breath work practices. A higher bolt score means a calmer nervous system, more mental focus, and that you use less energy for breathing.

Jacko shares different breathwork methodologies and how one can bias the inhale/exhale to elicit a parasympathetic or sympathetic response. Jacko shares how one can use breathwork to calm or excite and how teams can use breathholds to increase bolt scores, overall athletic preparedness and RSA. We close the conversation by talking about some of the callisthenic methods that Jacko employs in his training. He discusses how it frees the body and mind and causes one to be more creative than traditional barbell based movements. Jacko provides a ton of quality content in this episode and I really enjoyed this one. Make sure to check the links below for Jacko’s social, School of Calisthenics webpage, the movement, strength, and play podcast referenced in the episode. As well as the oxygen advantage program which Jacko is a master coach within.

School of Calisthenics Webpage  

Jacko Insta

The movement, strength, and play podcast 

Oxygen Advantage