News flash: Throwing around big, heavy police motorcycles day after day during motor competitions was substantially easier in my 30s than in my 50s. And while I still enjoy meeting motor cops from around the country and bringing home 1st-place hardware from time to time, the whole process is measurably more complicated than it used to be.
In addition to trying not to get injured, most events nowadays demand deep-tissue massage, hot-therapy baths, back rolling, ibuprofen, stretching, muscle wrapping, and some form of visualization just to motivate my butt into the saddle. I spend a solid 90 minutes in my hotel room just to get loose, and that doesn’t speak to the three-session on-bike warmups I do before I put the bike on a speed course. I guess you could say my process has all the fanfare and pre-gaming of a shuttle launch but without the spectacular lift-off.
But hey, just because we grow older doesn’t mean we lay down our swords and shields and retreat down the hill, right? Of course not! In fact, now is the time we need to challenge ourselves to discover new tools within the framework of our daily lives so that we can continue to grow and expand. In other words, we like our lives, so we’re not going to rebuild Noah’s Ark, we’re just adding some performance enhancements to gain cruising speed. Yes, of course, I realize the Ark wasn’t built as a racing vessel, but who knows, maybe if the crew had been more performance oriented, it could have dominated some regional regattas back in the day? A big question, no doubt…
In the spirit of putting my money where my mouth is, I want to share with you a tool that has provided massive gains in my daily routine: my breathing technique. Before you react, just hear me out. I’m not trying to sell you yoga isolation domes or authentic Nepalese incense sticks (although they do smell amazing). I’m just offering up a simple, easy, but profoundly performance-enhancing tool to add to your program. In the same way diet and strength training support everything in your life (including on-bike performance), a thoughtful breathing process will do the same.
Honestly, I didn’t just make this stuff up. It’s science – real science, not bro science. What I did do, however, is put it into practice, and I can look you in the eye and tell you it will fundamentally improve outcomes in your life if you give it a try.
Like most things in life, there are a myriad of techniques to pull from here. We’re going to keep it simple today and discuss combat breathing. Sometimes called tactical breathing or box breathing, this technique is designed to reduce physiological stress levels before, during, and after high-risk encounters. And while the name conjures up visions of a war zone, I would argue that a late-afternoon ride through heavy city traffic has plenty of potential enemy combatants and the possibility of dangerous outcomes. For this reason, learning this four-step breathing process can help you rapidly regain mental and physical control when things start to go sideways. So whether you’re simply riding home from work or in the throes of overcooking the turkey on Thanksgiving, this simple technique can help.
Here goes:
- Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of four.
- Exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
- Hold your breath at the bottom of the exhale for a count of four.
Repeat the sequence 3-5 times.
Seriously, if reading a book or two means I can apply the information to my daily life and benefit from it sooner than later, why the heck not? And in the case of learning about breathing mechanics, the investment of time or effort is low, but the payoff is high. When we engage combat breathing, we slow down our sympathetic nervous system, which manages our body’s response to stressful situations. At the same time, we engage our body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us relax.
Think about that for a minute. By employing this breathing technique, we are more likely to have a calm and clear experience – and thus a more measured response – when faced with a high-risk situation. No amount of bike farkles can do that.
Now there’s one more piece of the puzzle that may help tremendously. One of the initial challenges I had in successfully executing this breathing technique was performing the first step – breathing through my nose. No, I didn’t struggle during calm, low-volume oxygen uptakes through my nose, but as my heart rate increased and I really tried to pull some volume, my nostrils collapsed – much like what the intake boot of a full CARB-emissions-legal 50cc trailbike does when piloted by intoxicated college students during a weekend campout. Not great.
Luckily, I found a little device that solved my problem: an in-nose nasal dilator. Yes, it sounds like something you need insurance and an MRI for prior to surgical installation, but it’s simply a little silicone device that goes inside your nostrils to keep them open during voluminous intakes of oxygen when the heart rate snugs up the shoelaces and heads up the mountain. You will find many brands and styles with a little bit of internet sleuthing, so I’m going to abstain from sounding like an infomercial by suggesting any specific brand.
And in fact, I use this nasal dilator device to improve my breathing during sleep as well. That’s right, turns out that breathing through your nose at night offers big gains by increasing airflow to arteries, veins, and nerves; increasing your body’s overall oxygen uptake and circulation; improving overall lung capacity; lowering your risk of snoring and sleep apnea; and more. Okay, sure, you might lose a touch of that cool Ricky Ricardo charm when you throw it in the old proboscis, but for the cost of a new pair of grips, you can have so much more!
So here’s the deal: Right now, you’re relaxing and listening to me tell you a story. And I appreciate that, really. But wouldn’t it be amazing if at the exact same time you were also improving your on-bike safety and performance? Well, that’s what I’m offering you this go around.
For more information on Total Control Training and available clinics, go to the Total Control website. Quinn wears Lee Parks Design gloves exclusively. Find Quinn at Police Motor Training.
See all Motor School with Quinn Redeker articles here.
