Breathing and Soft Tissue Work: Two Overlooked Keys to Better Performance

Bottom Line:

Becoming a parent has changed my perspective on why athletics and fitness matter.

This new approach focuses less on external results and more on the lessons learned and the relationship one develops with their mind-body through physical practices.

Two areas I've had a lot of fun exploring recently are often overlooked, yet they can significantly impact how we perform in life and athletics: soft tissue management and breathing.

I'm bringing up both topics in one post because they share some common ground:

• There's a lot of misinformation and noise surrounding each.
• They're best approached with a sense of play and a willingness to experiment.
• They can unlock aspects of our potential that striving and "giving it 110%" alone can't touch.

Growing up, I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be healthy. And more than anything, I wanted to win. I had small tastes of success in tennis, but overall, I was a so-so athlete with poor cardiorespiratory fitness and biomechanics. I also had restrictive lung disease from the radiation therapy I received as a toddler—and I'm sure I could think of some other reasons why I was at a disadvantage too, haha!

Reflecting on what athletics meant to me growing up, it cracks me up how narrow my perspective was. There's so much to be learned through sport, but all I could see was the immediate battle: me winning or me losing, me being celebrated or feeling shame and embarrassment. Ugh, even writing it out makes me cringe. The reason is because our physicality, ability to compete, and ability to enjoy our bodies is such a gift. It's a gift that can benefit every part of our lives: our bodies, our character, our mental health, and so much more.

None of this came together for me until I'd read and lived a whole lot and laid a solid groundwork for the prolonged epiphany that becoming a dad has represented in my life. When I started thinking about my two boys and how I hoped to positively influence their relationship with their own bodies and with competition, I finally realized that the win-loss record means very little. In fact, a mistaken focus on the win-loss record is actually what holds so many athletes back.

If you don't believe me, really dig into the mindset that propelled the greats like Kobe to become who they were. Even MJ—someone we all know is scary competitive—succeeded because he brought just as much intensity to his training as he did to games. You don't just "up your game" through sheer effort in a situation like the famous "Flu Game." No, you prepare for that over the course of your life, and then the results take care of themselves.

Ok, back to the reality of us mortal beings. So what's the question we need to ask ourselves as parents and busy normal people about how we interact with our own physical practices and how we help our kids in their athletic pursuits?

I think it's something like this: How can physical practices enhance the relationship one develops with their mind-body?

Sounds a little woo-woo because of the "mind-body" wording, but I'll have a post up on the mind-body soon that I hope makes it clearer and lets you know I'm not talking about anything too out there. Essentially, I'm talking about a component of groundedness, physical and mental resilience, character—all the good stuff we know matters.

Answering that question could take more than a book or two. So today, I'm just going to put two topics on your radar that are too often overlooked or misrepresented: breathing and soft tissue management.

I'm barely going to scratch the surface on either topic—just note some similarities and hit one or two high points that I hope inspire you to look into them for yourself. Down the road, I'll return to these topics and try to boil down the most important information, recommend some folks you can trust in each space, and discuss how playing around with each has had a significant positive impact on my own health.

Breathing:

It's one of the few ways we have of connecting something we can control voluntarily with processes and a system (the autonomic nervous system) that are involuntary. Many wisdom traditions have tapped into the power of breathing (see the resource below on a study comparing the effects and similarity between the Ave Maria prayer in Latin and yoga mantras on respiratory rate and HRV). And nowadays, we're seeing professional athletes recognize the power of deliberate attention to the breath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p1Bv1UB_SA.

Like I said, there are endless resources out there on breathing. So I worked with ChatGPT to create a little framework for us average folks and aspiring athletes that can perhaps get the ball rolling. It's down in the Resources section.

Soft Tissue Management:

I can't tell you what a big difference this has made for me over the past couple of years. Perhaps it's because I started in such a bad place, but when I talk to friends and colleagues, I get the sense that a lot of folks aren't in a great place either.

There are so many reasons to integrate soft tissue management into your physical practice, but here are a couple I've found most personally compelling:

It Restores Range of Motion and Movement Efficiency: When tissues loosen and move more freely, joints can move through their natural range again. Sometimes you notice decreased pain and discomfort, but even if you don't, if done properly you'll improve flexibility, make movement patterns more efficient, and can even boost strength by allowing muscles to contract more fully through their entire range.

It Speeds Recovery and Reduces Soreness: Gentle pressure and movement increase local circulation and lymphatic flow, helping clear out waste products and bring in nutrients. That's why many people feel less sore and "lighter" after even a few minutes of rolling or targeted release.

It Improves Tissue Quality and Hydration: Over time, muscles and fascia can become stiff, dehydrated, or "sticky" from training, sitting, or stress. Soft tissue work helps rehydrate and restore glide between layers of muscle and fascia—improving how tissues slide and move against each other. Think of it as maintaining the texture and elasticity of your body's hardware. I heard someone say recently that we should think of our soft tissue as a sponge and foam rolling and other soft tissue work like squeezing the sponge underwater.

It Calms the Nervous System: A big part of the benefit isn't mechanical—it's about balancing the mechanical with the neurological. Fascia isn't just a tissue; it's an interconnected system with connections to our nervous system that we're only beginning to understand. What is clear is that breathing and applying pressure signal your body that it's safe to relax. This down-regulates tension, reduces pain sensitivity, and can shift you from a fight-or-flight state into recovery mode. In that same podcast listed below in the Resources section, I liked how the guest said something along the lines of: when we do soft tissue work, we're acting more like plumbers who impact the electricity as opposed to carpenters who are reorganizing the tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

Last and most important, It Builds Awareness and Connection: Soft tissue work forces you to pay attention—you notice how your body actually feels and where it's holding tension. Over time, that awareness helps you move better, recover smarter, and spot small problems before they become injuries.

Alright, that's all I have time for today. I hope you found this helpful! Have fun giving a little love to your soft tissues—and to that unstoppable, incomparable process we call breathing.

Resources:

Research & Media:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC61046/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p1Bv1UB_SA
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-about-how-to-improve-your-mobility-posture/id1341346059?i=1000723407616

A Simple Framework for Getting Started with Breathwork and Breath Training

1. Start with Awareness and Mechanics

• Before changing how you breathe, start by noticing how you breathe right now.
• Pay attention during workouts, rest, and daily life — are you breathing through your chest or belly? Nose or mouth?
• Practice diaphragmatic breathing: feel your ribs expand outward and slightly down as you inhale.
• Use nasal breathing as your default whenever possible. It filters and humidifies air, supports better oxygen and CO₂ balance, and helps regulate your nervous system.
• Think of this step as "learning to feel your breath" before trying to control it.

2. Build Tolerance and Control

• Once your mechanics feel more natural, start improving how your system handles stress and CO₂ buildup.
• Try gentle breath holds at the end of an exhale to increase CO₂ tolerance.
• During Zone 2 cardio, stay nasal as long as possible — this naturally builds tolerance and efficiency.
• Add slow-breath drills (for example, inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6 seconds for 10 rounds). These help train control while downshifting the nervous system.
• This phase is about developing calm control, not pushing limits.

3. Apply It to Training

• Once breathing awareness feels automatic, bring it into your workouts.
• Use nasal breathing for warm-ups and easy efforts — it keeps you calm and aerobic.
• Transition to mouth breathing only when intensity demands it.
• After training, take 2–3 minutes for slow nasal breathing to accelerate recovery and lower your heart rate faster.
• You'll quickly start to feel how breath shapes both performance and recovery.

4. Explore Advanced Tools (Optional)

• When the basics feel solid, you can experiment with more targeted approaches:
• CO₂ tolerance tests (like the Bolt Score) to measure progress.
• Simulated altitude or breath-restriction work in short, safe doses.
• Structured systems such as The Oxygen Advantage, Wim Hof, or State Breathing to explore how different methods affect performance, focus, and stress resilience.
• These tools can be powerful, but they're best layered on top of strong fundamentals.

5. Make It a Habit, Not a Hack

• The biggest benefits come from consistency.
• Even 5 minutes a day of focused breathwork can change how you move, recover, and handle stress.
• Pair breathing with soft tissue work, mobility, or mindfulness for an even greater effect.
• Over time, you'll find that breath awareness shows up everywhere — in training, in recovery, and in life.

In short: Start by noticing. Build control and tolerance gradually. Integrate breathing into movement. Then explore more advanced tools if you're curious. Small, consistent practice creates the biggest changes.

A Simple Framework for Getting Started with Soft Tissue Management

1. Start with Awareness

• Before you grab a foam roller, take stock of how your body feels and moves.
• Notice where you feel stiff, achy, or restricted — especially before or after training.
• Do a few simple movement screens (like a deep squat, toe touch, or shoulder reach). These highlight which areas might need extra attention.
• Dr. Kelly Starrett has some excellent methods for assessing movement patterns in many of his books — but he goes into especially great detail in Becoming a Supple Leopard. His approach helps you learn how different joints and tissues should ideally move together.
• Remember: you can't fix what you haven't noticed.

2. Focus on the Big Rocks First

• You don't need a 60-minute mobility routine — just hit the key areas that tend to tighten up from modern life and training.
• Lower body: calves, quads, hip flexors, glutes, and don't forget the feet and ankles, which can influence everything upstream.
• Upper body: lats, pecs, traps, neck.
• Spend 1–2 minutes per area, max. Aim for consistency, not perfection.

3. Use the Right Tools for the Job

• Start simple and inexpensive:
• Foam roller: great for large muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, back).
• Lacrosse or therapy ball: ideal for targeted pressure points (glutes, calves, pecs).
• Tune Up balls: excellent for precision work and easier on the joints than harder balls.
• Theragun or percussion device: a great option if you're willing to spend a little more for convenience and intensity.
• I've also heard great things about the Body Lever and am planning to get one myself soon.
• Remember: sometimes the best "tool" is simple movement or a stretch that restores range naturally.

4. Movement and Breathing

• Soft tissue work is more effective when it's paired with gentle movement and controlled breathing.
• After rolling, move the joint you just worked — for example, roll your calves, then do ankle mobility drills or squats.
• Try slowly contracting and relaxing muscles while working on them — this helps the nervous system integrate the release.
• And above all, breathe. Steady, relaxed breathing signals safety to your body, allowing tissues to release tension more effectively. Breath is central to soft tissue work — it's what tells your body, "you can relax now."

5. Make It a Habit, Not an Event

• Consistency trumps intensity.
• 5–10 minutes a few times per week is enough to make real progress.
• Use it as a warm-up prep, cooldown ritual, or evening reset.
• Combine it with breathwork or mindfulness for a double benefit in recovery and body awareness.
• Some experts recommend getting to the whole body at least once a week, even briefly, to maintain balanced mobility and tissue health.

In short: Start by noticing. Loosen up the areas that actually need attention. Pair your soft tissue work with movement and breathing. Keep it consistent, not complicated — your body will thank you.