What Breathwork Really Is and Where Respiratory Training Is Headed

In recent years the word breathwork has become ubiquitous. It appears in wellness programs, recovery routines and even in high-performance training environments. But what does it actually mean? Is it just a trend, or are we looking at a tool with solid physiological foundations? The answer lies in how we understand breathing itself. Breathing is much more …

Breathing your way to lower blood pressure: what we learned with CHASKi

High blood pressure affects roughly one in three adults around the world, making it one of the most common and silent threats to cardiovascular health. Despite how widespread it is, many people remain unaware of their condition until it leads to more serious complications. While medication is essential for many, there is growing scientific evidence that …

Breathe to Heal: How Slow Breathing Naturally Reduces Blood Pressure

For years, hypertension has been known as the silent killer, a chronic rise in blood pressure that increases cardiovascular risk without obvious symptoms. While medication remains essential for many, recent studies show that something as simple as controlled breathing can meaningfully reduce blood pressure. The Physiology Behind Breathing and Blood Pressure Slow, deep breathing is more …

Unlocking Endurance: The Science and Practice of Zone 2 Training

In the endurance sports world, few topics have generated as much discussion lately as Zone 2 training. Once considered a basic form of “long, easy miles,” this intensity zone is now at the center of debates among coaches, athletes, and scientists. But what exactly is Zone 2, why does it matter, and how can athletes make …

Your Breathing, Your Identity: The Science of Respiratory Fingerprints

A new study published in Current Biology reveals that each of us has a unique nasal respiratory fingerprint, an individually specific and stable pattern of breathing. This groundbreaking research shows that these “fingerprints” can be used to identify individuals with near-biometric accuracy and provide significant insights into a person’s physiology, emotional state, and even cognitive traits. For coaches and …

CHASKi on the Track: Lab-Grade Precision in the Real World

For decades, physiological testing for endurance athletes has been dominated by laboratory-based ergospirometry—bulky equipment, masks, and controlled environments. While these setups are the gold standard for measuring key markers like ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2) and respiratory rate (RR), they come with limitations: cost, accessibility, and an environment that often feels far removed from real racing …

Breaking your limits: how to train and improve VT2 for high intensity

In our constant pursuit of unraveling the secrets of endurance performance, we’ve already explored the First Ventilatory Threshold (VT1) as the foundation of our endurance. Today, we’ll raise the intensity to understand the next physiological milestone: the Second ventilatory threshold (VT2). What is the Second Ventilatory Threshold? The Second Ventilatory Threshold, commonly known as VT2 or also called …

First Ventilatory Threshold (VT1): The physiological key to your endurance performance

As experts in physiology and performance, we know that endurance success lies in deeply understanding our body’s signals. Today, we’ll delve into a fundamental concept for athletes and coaches: the First Ventilatory Threshold (VT1). The First Ventilatory Threshold, or VT1, is a critical physiological point during progressive exercise. It represents the exercise intensity at which a …

Why Monitoring RPE—and Comparing It to Respiratory Frequency—Matters More Than You Think

In endurance training, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) has long been a trusted compass—an intuitive guide to how hard an athlete feels they’re working. But how reliable is this perception in real-time, especially under fatigue, heat, or glycogen depletion? More importantly, can we measure how well athletes are controlling their RPE, and should we compare what they …

Race Pacing Starts with Physiology: Why Matching Distance to Your Thresholds Matters

Success in endurance sports isn’t just about grit—it’s about precision. One of the most overlooked performance strategies is aligning your race pacing with your ventilatory thresholds. Whether you’re targeting a 10K or a 100-miler, understanding how each race maps to your body’s internal limits is critical. That’s exactly where CHASKi steps in. CHASKi is the first wearable designed specifically for …