„Gold Medal or No Medal“
For the 22nd episode of the SPIRAH Podcast on the Dimensions of Breathing, SPIRAH visited sports and breathing scientist Eric Harbour.
For the past seven years, Eric Harbour has been conducting research and working in Austria at the Olympic Training Center, Regional, Sports and University Sports Center Salzburg-Rif. There, he brings together findings from pulmonology, respiratory research and breathing techniques into understandable, practice-oriented knowledge and applicable concepts.
His beginnings as an athlete—in alpine skiing, running, cycling and climbing—led him to an internship in sports medicine at the highest level of U.S. collegiate sports (NCAA Division I). He first worked in basketball, American football, track and field, and gymnastics, before later taking on roles in alpine ski racing, rugby and canoe sprint. During this time, he worked in various capacities—as a physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach, and data analyst.
Over the course of his work, he realized that in sport, the heart and the muscles are usually the main focus of attention. His particular interest, however, was breathing. He is also motivated by the need to recognize breathing problems in sport at an early stage and address them in a targeted way. “I am convinced that this requires consideration not only of biochemistry, but also of biomechanics and psychophysiology,” he says. He approaches these topics from different perspectives: scientific research, applied technology, coaching and therapy.
Eric Harbour does not promise miracles. “It is not credible to promise performance improvements of 20–30%,” he says with reference to many breathing concepts. “For elite athletes, however, even 2–3% can make the difference between winning a gold medal and no medal at all—and in everyday life, the difference between being able to climb the stairs or having to take the elevator.”
Based on his scientific work, Eric Harbour offers comprehensive consulting and coaching services for the analysis, monitoring and improvement of breathing in sport.
Eric Harbour
eric@breathtools.com
www.breathtools.com