All posts of James Fletcher

The Low down on Altitude Masks

Today’s post is going to be short and sharp. Altitude masks have been on my mind this week as I see more friends and amateur athletes add them to their training programs and altitude gyms keep popping up around me. So, of course I decided to take a look from a science perspective. First of […]

The thing most breath training programs forget

Breath training programs, pulmonary rehabilitation and breath hold experts need to start addressing the incredible strength of our breathing muscles.   From breath hold to performance enhancement, anxiety control to asthma management and lung rehabilitation – here’s why you need to start lifting weights with your lungs. There are so many different theories these days […]

Chris Froome, Asthmatic or Drug cheat?

Some sports have a cloud of scandals that follow them around, and none more so than elite cycling. The drug scandals that tarnish this sport have ramped up, recently targeting respiratory inhalers that are used to manage asthma, a condition which, interestingly, affects a higher percentage of athletes than it does of the normal population. […]

James Fletcher Harness the Power Of Breath Into 2018

What Is the Science Behind The Power Of The Breath? As another New Year’s creeps up, we feel motivated to dive into another 28-day challenge or new juice cleanse. However, year-after-year most people will neglect improving their overall health and performance long-term: including decreasing their anxiety, altering their work routines, or even working to quit […]

How Athletes Use Breathing Techniques To Perform Better Physically

We spoke to exercise physiologist and physiotherapist James Fletcher about how breath training can improve your overall health and performance, long-term. While he’s currently working with Olympic swimmer Cameron McEvoy in the lead up to the 2018 Commonwealth games, James Fletcher spends most of his time applying his breathing techniques to the everyday Aussie, developing […]

How strength training the lungs helps athletes and smokers alike

One of the most powerful inbuilt tools humans have is also one of the most underappreciated and underutilised. Of course, most of us don’t have to think twice about the automatic process that occurs between 17000 and 30000 times a day, causing our diaphragm to contract, creating space for oxygen to expand our lungs. All in […]

Breathing muscle fatigue Part 2

Our last post discussed breathing muscle fatigue and its effect on performance. We know these muscles can get fatigued, and this post will investigate the effects on the exercising muscles when this happens. Before we get into the practical application, the reasons we focus on the fatigue of the breathing muscles are: FACT CHECK When […]