Brian MacKenzie

Brian Mackenzie is an innovator in human performance on stress adaptation and a pioneer in the development and application of custom protocols to optimize human health and performance. His work harnesses and integrates respiratory, movement, strength, conditioning and endurance-based training approaches to elicit unprecedented positive results. His protocols have been used to accelerate and raise both mental and physical performance in world-class Olympic and professional athletes, top executives, and elite military operators, as well as to improve the health for people suffering from various chronic and pathological issues.

MacKenzie’s work is voluntarily and repeatedly subjected to rigorous 3rd party scientific testing, re-testing and improvement, at top institutions. He has been contracted and his work involved in research projects at Stanford University School of Medicine, California State University Fullerton, and San Francisco State University.

MacKenzie is himself a highly accomplished practitioner. He completed the Ironman (Canada, 2004), completed both the The Western States 100 mile and The Angeles Crest 100 mile runs using adapted training protocols he developed to improve performance. He is the co-founder of The Art of Breath a course he teaches through SH//FT that teaches a principles based approach to breath & performance. MacKenzie has also co-authored the book Power Speed Endurance, The New York Times Bestseller UnBreakable Runner, and UnPlugged, which assesses the integration of emergent technology and human performance. His programs have been featured in Outside Magazine, Men’s Health, Runners World, Triathlete Magazine, Men’s Journal, ESPN Rise, as well as periodicals such as The Economist. MacKenzie and his protocols have been featured in 2 of Timothy Ferriss’ New York Times bestselling books including: The 4-Hour Body and Tools of Titans and Scott Carney’s New York Times best seller What Doesn't Kill Us.

His clients have included: Ari Emanuel, William Morris Endeavor, Sheppard Mullin, Deloitte, Google, Tim Ferriss, U.S. Military (Navy, Army, Marines), Canadian Military (CANSOF), San Quentin State Prison, The UFC Performance Institute, Altis, Jon “Bones” Jones, Laird Hamilton, Tia Clair Toomey (3X CrossFit Games Champion), Rich Froning Jr. (4X CrossFit Games Champion) and many others.

Currently, MacKenzie is the Founder & CEO of Shift. He is also the President and Co-Founder of The Health and Human Performance Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching how breath and innate tools can optimize and help health and human performance.