Men’s Health: Built For Life PB Your 5K By Fixing Your Breathing
10 snips
Mar 26, 2026 
David 'Jacko' Jackson, former pro rugby player turned breathing coach and author, explains why most people breathe too fast and how simple tweaks change running, recovery and stress. Short takes cover nasal versus mouth breathing, tongue posture, diaphragm-driven breathing, using breathwork between efforts, and bedtime hacks for better sleep.
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How Slowing Breath Cut A Minute Off A 5K
- David 'Jacko' Jackson dropped a 5K PB by one minute after consciously slowing and deepening his breathing mid-race.
- He applied the change when he couldn't hold pace, felt more in control, and finished in 19:17 without more training changes.
Breath Rate Shapes How Hard Exercise Feels
- Breathing rate dominates perception of effort more than heart rate or lactate, so faster breathing makes exercise feel harder.
- Controlling breathing speed can change perceived effort independent of actual physiological load.
Slow Breath To Increase Breath Size
- Slow your breath to increase tidal volume so you can take larger, more efficient breaths instead of just breathing faster.
- Elite runners expand tidal volume toward exhaustion; amateurs often compensate by increasing breath rate.
