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Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger: Breathwork to Transform Your Running
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jun 26'Learning to breathe better is a game changer for your running ... Jacko is a fantastic coach' – Richard Whitehead MBE, Paralympic champion & world record holder
'Absolutely brilliant… Since working with Jacko the impact he's had on my mental and physical feeling has been transformational' – George Ford, England Rugby international
TRANSFORM YOUR BREATHING AND UNLOCK THE KEY TO RUNNING FASTER OR FURTHER
If you always feel out of breath when you go on a run and don't seem to make any progress, it might be because of your breathing and not your actual fitness. Your breath is key to your sporting performance and beyond, from affecting fatigue levels, recovery and sleep to connecting to your nervous system and combatting stress.
Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger will give you the practical tools and underlying theory to understand how to breathe better. Former professional rugby player, now Master Oxygen Advantage coach, David 'Jacko' Jackson takes you through the limitations of how we currently breathe. He reassures you that, just like any other system and muscle group in the body, you can train your respiratory system and strengthen your breathing muscles.
Through clear exercises and techniques integrated into your training schedule you
· ventilate more efficiently like an elite runner
· learn about the two most important but overlooked muscles in the human body to strengthen your breathing mechanics
· discover the relationship between your running cadence, breathing efficiency, running posture and running economy.
Better runners breathe better, and this is your guide to becoming one.
'Absolutely brilliant… Since working with Jacko the impact he's had on my mental and physical feeling has been transformational' – George Ford, England Rugby international
TRANSFORM YOUR BREATHING AND UNLOCK THE KEY TO RUNNING FASTER OR FURTHER
If you always feel out of breath when you go on a run and don't seem to make any progress, it might be because of your breathing and not your actual fitness. Your breath is key to your sporting performance and beyond, from affecting fatigue levels, recovery and sleep to connecting to your nervous system and combatting stress.
Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger will give you the practical tools and underlying theory to understand how to breathe better. Former professional rugby player, now Master Oxygen Advantage coach, David 'Jacko' Jackson takes you through the limitations of how we currently breathe. He reassures you that, just like any other system and muscle group in the body, you can train your respiratory system and strengthen your breathing muscles.
Through clear exercises and techniques integrated into your training schedule you
· ventilate more efficiently like an elite runner
· learn about the two most important but overlooked muscles in the human body to strengthen your breathing mechanics
· discover the relationship between your running cadence, breathing efficiency, running posture and running economy.
Better runners breathe better, and this is your guide to becoming one.
288 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Breathing is something runners rarely think about, until it becomes a problem. We talk endlessly about pace, mileage, strength training and shoes, trying all the latest fads and trends, and marginal gains we can, yet the one thing we do continuously on every run is often overlooked.
In Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger, breathing coach and former rugby player David 'Jacko' Jackson explores how the way we breathe influences running performance, perception of effort, efficiency, mobility and even our likelihood of getting injured.
What makes this book really interesting for runners is that it doesn’t focus on breathing harder or taking deeper breaths. Instead, Jackson looks at breathing as part of the body’s wider system, linking it to mobility, mechanics, efficiency and endurance.
The nose versus mouth breathing debate is a hot topic right now, and Jackson tackles it in a really practical and scientific way. He explains why it can be useful during easier efforts and how to gradually build tolerance to improve breathing efficiency. At the same time, he’s realistic about the fact that higher intensities will often require mouth breathing because research shows our lungs aren’t optimised for efforts above 80-85% of VO2 max.
What stood out most while reading this book was how breathing connects to other parts of the body in ways runners might not expect. Jackson explores the role of tongue position, which influences our airway opening. Another interesting area is the relationship between the diaphragm, rib cage and tight hips. Many runners struggle with hip tightness, and research suggests that breathing mechanics can play an important role here. It’s a reminder that the body works as an integrated system rather than a collection of separate parts.
For runners who enjoy practical takeaways, this book includes many practical assessments and exercises you can do at home, including a pre-run warm up routine to mobilise your ribcage, and strategies for building carbon dioxide tolerance to improve breathing control.
The book also discusses step to breath ratios and shows how small tweaks here can make a huge difference not just to performance but may also help prevent injury 🤯 There are also tools for managing pre-race nerves, exploring how breathing can be used not just for physical performance but also mental regulation.
For runners, the key takeaway from Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger is simple: breathing isn’t just automatic, I t’s a skill that can be trained, refined and used to support both performance and recovery.
Whether you’re a newer runner trying to feel more comfortable at an easy pace, or an experienced athlete looking for marginal gains, this book offers a fresh perspective on something we do with every step.
And after reading it, you may find yourself paying a lot more attention to the way you breathe on your next run.
This is a book I think I’ll spend a lot of time dipping in and out of again and again. It’s a real revelatory experience to suddenly realise that everything we do is impacted by our breath - I mean, of course it is, but we really need to pay more attention to making sure we do it properly!
In Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger, breathing coach and former rugby player David 'Jacko' Jackson explores how the way we breathe influences running performance, perception of effort, efficiency, mobility and even our likelihood of getting injured.
What makes this book really interesting for runners is that it doesn’t focus on breathing harder or taking deeper breaths. Instead, Jackson looks at breathing as part of the body’s wider system, linking it to mobility, mechanics, efficiency and endurance.
The nose versus mouth breathing debate is a hot topic right now, and Jackson tackles it in a really practical and scientific way. He explains why it can be useful during easier efforts and how to gradually build tolerance to improve breathing efficiency. At the same time, he’s realistic about the fact that higher intensities will often require mouth breathing because research shows our lungs aren’t optimised for efforts above 80-85% of VO2 max.
What stood out most while reading this book was how breathing connects to other parts of the body in ways runners might not expect. Jackson explores the role of tongue position, which influences our airway opening. Another interesting area is the relationship between the diaphragm, rib cage and tight hips. Many runners struggle with hip tightness, and research suggests that breathing mechanics can play an important role here. It’s a reminder that the body works as an integrated system rather than a collection of separate parts.
For runners who enjoy practical takeaways, this book includes many practical assessments and exercises you can do at home, including a pre-run warm up routine to mobilise your ribcage, and strategies for building carbon dioxide tolerance to improve breathing control.
The book also discusses step to breath ratios and shows how small tweaks here can make a huge difference not just to performance but may also help prevent injury 🤯 There are also tools for managing pre-race nerves, exploring how breathing can be used not just for physical performance but also mental regulation.
For runners, the key takeaway from Breathe Smarter, Run Stronger is simple: breathing isn’t just automatic, I t’s a skill that can be trained, refined and used to support both performance and recovery.
Whether you’re a newer runner trying to feel more comfortable at an easy pace, or an experienced athlete looking for marginal gains, this book offers a fresh perspective on something we do with every step.
And after reading it, you may find yourself paying a lot more attention to the way you breathe on your next run.
This is a book I think I’ll spend a lot of time dipping in and out of again and again. It’s a real revelatory experience to suddenly realise that everything we do is impacted by our breath - I mean, of course it is, but we really need to pay more attention to making sure we do it properly!
May 6, 2026
Good News
I have learned I can do this breathing thing, and it. is well within my reach. I have been practicing and making progress.
I have learned I can do this breathing thing, and it. is well within my reach. I have been practicing and making progress.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews