Adam Ludwin on the One Thing You’re Doing 20,000 Times a Day That’s Limiting Your Race Performance (and How to Fix It)

What if the way you breathe is holding you back? In this episode, we chat with Adam Ludwin , founder and CEO of FivePointFive , a science-backed breathwork app built for athletes and everyday high performers. Before launching FivePointFive , Adam scaled his first company, Captify Technologies, to 300 employees across 13 countries and led it to a 9-figure exit. But after facing personal burnout, he shifted focus: from chasing growth to rebuilding health. That turning point led him to the world of breathwork, where he trained under global expert Patrick McKeown and set out to build a tool that makes high-performance breathing accessible, measurable, and actually enjoyable. Adam breaks down why most people are breathing wrong without knowing it, how elite athletes train their breath like a muscle, and how 90 seconds of targeted breathing can shift your nervous system, boost sleep quality, and sharpen mental focus. He shares the vision behind FivePointFive : combining rhythm, music, visuals, and wearable tech data to personalize every breath. They also explore why breath is the next performance frontier—and how integrating it into sports, schools, and everyday life could change the way we train, recover, and live. Whether you're a runner, a coach, or just tired of waking up exhausted, this conversation will make you rethink something you do 20,000 times a day without noticing. In today's conversation, we dive deep into breathing, its effect on sleep, workout / race performance, his company FivePointFive, tips and tricks you can implement TODAY. This one is powerful. It's one of those podcasts where you listen and you make immediate changes in your life. Tap into the Adam Ludwin Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -BUY MERCH BEFORE IT’S GONE: https://shop.therunningeffect.run -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz