Breathing for Warriors: Master Your Breath to Unlock More Strength, Greater Endurance, Sharper Precision, Faster Recovery, and an Unshakable Inner Game

288 Pages·2020·55.718 MB·English

by  Belisa Vranich, Brian Sabin

CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
DEDICATION
A NOTE OF CAUTION TO THE READER
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
1
BREATHING FIRE: A NEW PARADIGM FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE
2
CHOOSE YOUR ATHLETIC SUPERPOWER
3
HOW MODERN LIVING TOOK OUR BREATH AWAY
4
THE BREATHING IQ: ARE YOU BREATHING INTELLIGENTLY?
5
HOW TO BREATHE BETTER: FUNDAMENTALS
6
GAME CHANGER: LEARNING THE 360-DEGREE BREATH
7
POSTURE AND PELVIC FLOOR: HOW TO NOT END UP IN ADULT DIAPERS
8
BREATHING FOR ENDURANCE: HOW TO RUN FASTER (AND HAVE IT FEEL
EASIER)
9
GETTING STRONGER, GOING LONGER: EXERCISES TO IMPROVE ENDURANCE
10
SEA, LAND, AND AIR(DYNE): APPLIED TECHNIQUES FOR ROWING, SWIMMING,
AND BIKING
11
BREATHING FOR STRENGTH: DISCOVER YOUR INNER ANACONDA
12
MASTERING TENSION FOR MAXIMUM MUSCLE
13
APPLIED STRENGTH: HOW TO BREATHE DURING THE MAJOR LIFTS
14
BREATHING FOR PRECISION: LEARNING THE FINE ART OF LETHAL ACCURACY
15
APPLIED PRECISION: FINDING (AND EXTENDING) “THE SWEET SPOT” IN GOLF,
SHOOTING, ARCHERY, AND POOL
16
BREATHING FOR RECOVERY: TECHNIQUES TO COME BACK FASTER AND
STRONGER
17
BETWEEN YOUR EARS: BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO MASTER YOUR INNER
GAME
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ILLUSTRATION CAPTIONS WITH TEXT FROM THE ANATOMY OF BREATHING BY
BLANDINE CALAIS
INDEX
ALSO BY DR. BELISA VRANICH
PRAISE FOR BREATHING FOR WARRIORS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
COPYRIGHT

Begin Reading
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Copyright Page

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This book is dedicated to the memory of Shawn Perine, Editor-in-
Chief of Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex, and Muscle &
Fitness Hers magazines. Your contribution to the world of fitness
and your kindness and generosity as a friend are missed.
A NOTE OF CAUTION TO THE READER
This book does not claim to teach medical diagnoses or treatments.
Guidelines and treatment strategies are meant to acquaint you with
procedures currently available and the manner in which they may be
executed. There are numerous individual differences and unknown
conditions in persons with breathing disorders and there are regional
variations in the rules which govern the practice of therapy. Therefore, I
cannot endorse or take responsibility for any diagnosis or treatment you
may make on the basis of the guidelines in this book.
The captions for the illustrations with text from The Anatomy of
Breathing by Blandine Calais are here.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is only as good as its components. It is by no means exhaustive,
but it hopes to be the starting point for a very important conversation
about the intersection of the mechanics, biochemistry, and psychology of
breathing in the world of fitness and well-being. Above all, the underlying
framework is collaborative, as the fields of medicine, wellness, and fitness
should be. As with the human body, we are only as good as the sum of the
parts.
The passion and generosity of the fitness icons and researchers cited
is inspiring. I hope that I have done them justice and that this book spurs
others to write theirs in turn and add to the field, whether it be breathing
science, respiratory physiology, or breathwork.
Daniela Rapp, Cassidy Graham, Lisa Davis, and John Karle of St.
Martin’s Press, and Peter McGuigan, Kelly Karczuski, Richie Kern,
Michael Nardullo, and Sara DeNobrega of Foundry Literary + Media—
thank you for believing in this book. I am truly blessed to be able to work
with you. Sean Hyson: your feedback and wit are never lost on me. Jason
and Jen Ferruggia: I’m so lucky to have you as my LA family and support.
Marcus Kowal and Mishel Eder: you have been with me since the very,
very beginning; I will be forever grateful for your support. Scott Mann:
thank you for sharing your mission, family, and friends with me. Tina
Angelotti: thank you for giving me my love of lifting heavy things. Your
modeling and feedback on this project were truly appreciated. Steve
Kardian: neither this book nor the one before it would ever have made it
past a “good idea” to paper without you. Jarard Pearce: you’ve inspired me
with your resilience and by single-handedly becoming a beacon of the
breath in New Zealand. Crystal Hernandez of Breathe Beautifully: you’ve
taken what I teach and run with it—you are inspirational. Michael
Moschel: your friendship, passion for Tetrahedron Biomechanics, and
dedication to your clients will never be forgotten. Stephanie Marango:
your friendship and ability to give me perspective are priceless. Jill
Miller, my anatomical poet, thank you for lending an ear, a shoulder, and
your friendship. Thank you, Desiree Gruber, for truly understanding and
believing in the power of the breath. Dr. Ralph and Eugenia Potkin: I could
not love you more than I do; your support and encouragement are so
appreciated. Jen and Hank Widerstrom: you both were essential parts of
this journey; thank you for coming along. My road dog and friend Alyson
Khan: thank you for your steadfast friendship. The list of my stalwarts
could go on and on, but it would be incomplete if I didn’t mention, albeit
briefly: Henry Akins, Anthony Lyon, Serena Lee, Gerald Echevarria,
Monica Jaggi, Will Giovacchini, Caitlin Mitchell, and Jimmy Lopez.
Needless to say, though I shall anyway, this book would never have been
possible without the tireless and detailed work of Casey Altman Design
Inc.
—Dr. Belisa Vranich
I should probably thank the asthma I developed in high school for igniting
my interest in respiration. We didn’t start off on the right foot, breathing
and I, but we’ve grown to understand each other much better over the
years.
I definitely owe a debt of gratitude to the sport of running, which
showed me that sometimes you can work your way around seemingly
insurmountable obstacles—or longtime diagnoses. I’m even more
fortunate to have trained under the guidance of Budd Coates, four-time
Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and author of Running on Air, whose
rhythmic breathing methods showed me just how powerful mindful
breathing techniques can be for performance.
But enough yammering on about me. I absolutely must express my
gratitude to Belisa for believing in me and bringing me in as a partner on
this book. I’d also like to thank Peter McGuigan and the team at Foundry
Media for everything they did to bring this work to life.