Subject: Breathing—A Key Factor to Competition Success

Recently, breathing had reached near-mythical proportions and was the panacea for nearly everything. It seems the pendulum swung from breathing not being discussed with comments like: “As long as my athletes don’t stop breathing.” Then, visiting the other side of the pendulum and being the focus of entire training sessions, applying esoteric techniques and strategies. Fortunately, the pendulum eventually lands in the middle with a more balanced approach.


Mira Kwon Gracia, StrongFirst Certified Senior Instructor and IWF Masters World Weightlifting Champion has put breathing to the test, which was a key to her successful bid for a world championship. But maybe not in the way you think. Not with performance in executing a lift but controlling the nerves during competition.

Mira begins:

What if I told you I could let you in on a little secret to keep you cool as a cucumber at a test event or competition? If you are a human being, I am sure you have, at some point, been nervous or maybe even hyperventilated at an event where you knew everyone was watching. Here is the story of how I won the IWF Masters World Weightlifting Championships by controlling my breath.

Continuing later in the article:

…One might ask how best to handle and overcome the nerves or added energy that comes from being in a moment where execution is key and every kilo counts. It can be overwhelming to know that you have trained an entire year for this one day and six attempts.


The most successful way I have been able to train the so-called nerves and enhance physical performance is with breathing techniques and protocols from the Second Wind seminar. Breath is a powerful tool that is often overlooked and ignored. However, no part of the human body has as much direct control over the outcome of heart rate, mental aspects, and physiological capabilities as breath. For decades Russian athletes and special forces have been employing various breathing techniques to enhance performance, especially key when someone’s life depends on it. In turn, these breathing techniques also apply to elite athletes trying to improve performance outcomes.

CLICK HERE to read Mira’s full story of the competition and real-world breathing strategies from Second Wind express online course she used to win her world championship.


Russian Breathing Techniques for
Superior Performance & Resilience