Brandon Lilly was once considered one of the most promising powerlifters on the planet. A few years ago, he easily squatted from 380 kg in only knee bands, until one day in 2014 he suffered a terrible knee injury. “At my weight of 157 kilograms, I couldn’t even just walk through the supermarket without choking,” Brandon admits. Ironically, it was the injury that helped Lilly get closer to his original goal - today he feels much better than at the peak of his form.
During a long recovery from his injury, Brandon met Belisa Vranich, a clinical psychologist and one of the world's top breath specialists. Her job is to teach proper breathing to celebrities, professional athletes and the military. While Brandon was healthy, he had no time to fill his head with such “nonsense”, he had to break weights and score muscles. But in the process of working with Dr. Vranich, Lilly realized that under the barbell he always "breathed vertically" - he lifted his shoulders up every time he took a breath. He did not use his diaphragm, which made his breathing far from optimal.
Dr. Belisa taught Brandon how to inflate and contract his stomach during inhalation and exhalation, better oxygenating the organs and providing spinal stability for his squats. The results were not long in coming. Prior to their first class together, Brandon was out of breath after only 8 reps of the 140kg squat. After that, he immediately did 23 repetitions without stopping with the same weight. From a deflated pitching, he turned into an energetic person, full of strength. Today, Lilly even started running 3 km a day. At the same time, everything that he uses from doping is ordinary air.
1. Inhale
Air enters through the nose and mouth, after which, passing through the trachea, it descends into the lungs.
do better First of all, inhale into the stomach, for which control your shoulders - they should not immediately rise on inspiration.
2. Aperture
Arch your back and relax your stomach, allowing it to fill with air. If you do everything right, you will swing in your chair a little forward.
do better Practice abdominal breathing lying on the floor and placing a light weight on your stomach. Press the kettlebell up each time you inhale.
3. Exhale
Exhale, tensing the abdominal muscles and deflating it.
do better In a sitting position, while exhaling, press your lower back into the chair, tighten your abdominal muscles even more and try to exhale the air to the very end.
Breath for strength
For heavy power approaches- 5 repetitions or less - Dr. Vranich suggests a technique in three simple steps:
1. Stop pulling in your stomach
Fill your stomach with air so that it swells in all directions - this will create a stable support to carry a heavy weight on your shoulders. And to create maximum intra-abdominal pressure, inhale several times with your mouth.
2. Hold back
Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles like you really want to pee but can't get to the toilet. Bonus: In addition to making the barbell feel lighter, this exercise will help you get by without adult diapers as you get older.
3. Tighten your stomach
Tighten your stomach, as if you are waiting for a blow in the stomach, but you don’t know which side it will come from. Start the repetition, and approaching dead center, exhale slightly, leaving most of the air inside. Exhale completely when you complete the rep.
Inhale 2 seconds before each rep
Breathing for Endurance
Do you want to dominate your CrossFit class? Between sets, expel carbon dioxide out of yourself and push oxygen in as quickly as you need. Work step by step:
1. Breathe yourself out completely!
When you are tired and exhausted, you reflexively begin to breathe very deeply. But do not keep anything in yourself - exhale loudly and pause for a second before inhaling, completely emptying your lungs.
2. Breathe it all back
After you have emptied your lungs, take a deep breath into your stomach, expanding it to the sides. Do this two or three times. At this point, you will notice that you are already breathing quite normally and, in principle, are ready for the next approach.
3. Train outside the gym
Train your respiratory muscles on rest days. Practice what Dr. Vranich calls exhalation pulsing: inhale gently through pursed lips, then exhale powerfully, puffing out your belly. Start with 25 and finish with 100 repetitions per day.
After the approach, exhale for 3 seconds
Breath to recover
Use this retro hyperventilation technique from the 1960s to help you recover faster from workouts and sleep better.
1. Lie down comfortably
Lying on the floor, stretch your legs and place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Take a breath and fill your belly. Without exhaling, continue to inhale and fill the chest. Use your hands to control exactly where the air goes.
2. Blow
Exhale forcefully, as if blowing out candles on a cake. Your abdominal muscles should be actively contracting, and your stomach should be completely deflated. Repeat the process from the first two steps for 2 minutes. Mild dizziness is normal.
3. Relax
Place your arms at your sides and breathe through your nose. You can even fall asleep, which is very likely, because with the previous actions you turned off the fight-or-flight mechanism in the body and turned on recovery to the fullest.
Breathe quickly and often, then very slowly
Oxygen cocktail
Breathe the result into your push-ups right now!
Dane Wee Hof is famous for his tricks that demonstrate incredible endurance. He owns a breathing technique that allows him to dramatically increase the result in push-ups. We sent our journalist to Hof to find out all his secrets. Here's what we found out:
1. Lie on your back…
... and take 30 (!!!) short breaths, first filling the stomach, and then the chest. After these thirty breaths, exhale as usual. Exhaling completely, hold your breath and do not inhale for as long as possible. Resist the false feeling that you are suffocating. Everything will work out (although this is not certain).
2. Breathe in and don't breathe...
...now exhale and inhale only half of the air - hold your breath for another 15 seconds. Repeat this sequence, gradually increasing the time you hold your breath while inhaling (for example, hold your breath for 1 minute after the first breath, 2 minutes after the second, 3 minutes after the third).
3. Take a deep breath...
... roll over on your stomach and, without exhaling, start doing push-ups. You will see that all these tricks will work, because you have expelled CO 2 from your body to the maximum. But be careful: you can still lose consciousness. Such techniques are suitable only for very trained people.
Fitness expert Dr. Alex Hutchinson brings up the scientific evidence on how to breathe properly while exercising.
Birds do this, and so do horses, so it's only natural to expect humans to synchronize their breathing with rhythmic activities such as running, cycling, or rowing.
Indeed, decades of research have shown that there is a definite relationship between the pace of steps and the rate of breathing: in the most different types sports; for both beginners and professionals; both at low and high speed.
Some scientists believe that unconscious synchronization makes movements more efficient. . Based on a number of recent experiments, the hypothesis has also arisen that if you force yourself to breathe in a certain pattern, this can cause a negative effect.
Horses maintain a constant ratio, a 1:1 ratio, between steps and breaths because their lungs and breathing muscles oscillate rhythmically every time their hooves hit the ground. The same thing happens with birds when they flap their wings. In humans, due to upright walking, the situation is different: the vibration effect that occurs with each step does not directly affect the respiratory muscles.
However, a series of experiments conducted in the 1970s on a treadmill and exercise bike showed that some (but not all) subjects naturally began to breathe so that their breathing was synchronized with the frequency of movements.
The ratio of full steps (counting each time the right foot touches the ground) and full respiratory cycles (counting each exhalation) varies greatly among different people: observations give results of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 and even 5:2. The most common result among runners is two cycles of steps per breath.
An experiment carried out by Swedish scientists in 1993 showed that runners appear to use slightly less energy when their breathing is coordinated with their pace , a discovery that led some coaches to teach athletes to focus more on their breath. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to find out whether synchronized breathing actually facilitates movement and helps conserve energy, however the results were inconsistent.
For more than 20 years, it has not been possible to find any clear connection, so if it actually exists, then this effect is too small to be of practical importance. However, the idea that there is a "correct" breath is still very common.
A newer study has found that attempts to consciously control the breath are not only fundamentally different from simply allowing the breath to automatically adjust to the rhythm of the movement, but can also Negative consequences. In 2009, German scientists from the Institute of Sports Sciences in Münster observed runners who had to alternately focus on either their breathing or their surroundings.
When the subjects concentrated on their breathing, they breathed deeper and slowed their breathing rate from 37 breaths per minute to 30. As a result, they expended almost 10% more energy than when they did not follow their breath and just looked around. .
The researchers concluded that our body is able to automatically choose the right breathing rate on a subconscious level, but when we try to think about it, we only make ourselves worse.
One way or another, it will be useful for beginner athletes to familiarize themselves with some recommendations regarding proper breathing. So, for example, if you breathe both through the nose and through the mouth at the same time, then you can get more oxygen than only through the nose or only through the mouth.
BUT when lifting weights, it is important to synchronize breathing: while exhaling, raise the weight, while inhaling, lower it; And most importantly, never hold your breath.
But in general, if you find yourself panting during a new cardio exercise, it's most likely because you started too fast, not because you're breathing incorrectly. Slow down, think about something pleasant, and everything will work out by itself.
Usually we do not think about how we breathe, do not track the depth and rhythm of breathing. However, this is of great importance during strength training. Proper breathing allows you to increase the stabilization of the spine, normalize pressure and provide the muscles with enough oxygen.
So what's the right way to breathe? To begin with, we will analyze the method of breathing itself, and later we will talk about continuity and delays.
Diaphragmatic breathing
One of the mistakes that prevents you from exercising and getting excellent results is fast shallow breathing.
To check if you are breathing correctly, do a little test. Stand up straight, put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, and calmly take a few breaths in and out. Under which palm is movement felt? If the stomach rises, you breathe deeply, using all the lungs, if the chest - shallow breathing. Deep breathing is also called.
The diaphragm is a muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities and serves to expand the lungs. It accounts for 60 to 80% of the ventilation work.
In childhood, everyone breathes deeply. because of sedentary work, stress, uncomfortable clothing, breathing changes with age, becomes superficial. During such breathing only top part the lungs are filled with air. Since there is less air coming in, breathing quickens, pressure on the neck and shoulders increases, which are already loaded in people with sedentary work.
The diaphragm, on the contrary, becomes weaker, because of which sufficient intra-abdominal pressure is not created, a bad one is formed - the center of the abdomen falls inward, bringing the lower ribs and pelvis together.
In addition, during the student shallow breathing you are forcing your body to work harder to get the same amount of oxygen as you would with calm, deep breathing. This reduces the economy of your movements - you expend more strength, although this is not required.
Therefore, it is worth working on breathing at least during the exercise. Try to breathe deeply and evenly. When inhaling, the stomach should inflate. Yes, you will have to concentrate more on your body, but for the sake of good posture, relieving tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders, and more economical movement, it is worth it.
To set yourself up for strength training with proper breathing, pay attention to how you breathe, already during the warm-up. Try to perform all exercises with rhythmic deep breathing. So you will quickly learn how to breathe correctly.
Exhale for effort, inhale for relaxation
This is the most popular breathing advice heard in and out of the gym: inhale when you do the easy part of the exercise, exhale when you do the effort.
Strong and safe movement is only possible with a rigid spine that transmits force from large muscle groups. The spine is strengthened by the tension of the core muscles - the rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen, the muscles of the pelvic floor, and the back. During inhalation, it is impossible to strain other muscles of the core well, which means that it is difficult to provide the spine with the necessary rigidity.
When exhaling, on the contrary, it is quite simple to tighten the muscles of the core. Breathing affects them reflexively, through nervous system. Muscles tighten, fixing the spine and helping to develop maximum strength. That is why the effort must be performed on the exhale.
If you pay attention to your breathing while heavy exercise, you may notice a brief pause in breathing at the moment of maximum effort. This is quite natural. A short breath hold is used by experienced powerlifters and weightlifters to lift large weights. This breathing technique is called the Valsalva maneuver, but it should be used very carefully.
Is the Valsalva maneuver dangerous?
The Valsalva maneuver is a procedure that creates high pressure in the middle ear, thoracic and abdominal cavities. It is used in otolaryngology to test the patency of the Eustachian tubes and in cardiology to detect heart pathologies. This maneuver is also used in powerlifting and weightlifting and helps athletes to lift a lot of weight.
The Valsalva maneuver used in power sports, looks like this: a person takes a deep breath (about 75% of the maximum possible), and then, at the moment of maximum effort, holds his breath for a few seconds and tries to exhale the air through a closed glottis. Breathing is held throughout the repetition, exhalation occurs after the end.
The Valsalva maneuver increases blood pressure chest. Through the diaphragm, it is transmitted to the abdominal cavity, which creates good support for the back and helps to resist the forces that tend to move the spine. As a result, the athlete can lift more weight, and the risk of injury is reduced.
Effects of the Valsalva maneuver on the body
However, the Valsalva maneuver is often criticized because it increases the already high pressure during strength training, which can lead to.
Opinions on this issue differ. Dr. Jonathon Sullivan, a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University, says the Valsalva maneuver should only be used by those with pre-existing cardiovascular problems.
In another study Effects of Weightlifting and Breathing Technique on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate . it has been found that using this technique to raise a one-time maximum causes only minor changes in blood pressure. The Valsalva maneuver is only suitable for lifting really heavy weights with low reps.
Using the Valsalva maneuver for multiple repetitions with light weights can cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure, rupture of blood vessels in the eyes and face, headaches, temporary blurred vision, fainting, or leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.
The last problem was described in the article Don't Hold Your Breath. Vishal Goyal and Malathi Srinivasan, MD, UCLA Department of Medicine.
A 50-year-old patient complained of headaches in the projection of the nose, continuous coughing and persistent unilateral discharge from the nose. As a result of the tests, the doctors found a leak of cerebrospinal fluid and damage to the nasal ethmoid bone. It turned out that the patient performed a chest press every day with a weight of 90–136 kilograms. At the same time, he held his breath during the bench press.
Doctors suggested that the patient's problems arose precisely because of the Valsalva maneuver. Training raised pressure, destroyed the meninges, which caused meningocele and rhinorrhea of the cerebrospinal fluid.
The Valsalva maneuver does help lift heavy weights, but it should not be used if:
- you are a beginner who does not have a set technique and a trainer who can follow correct execution the Valsalva maneuver;
- Do you prefer low weight, high rep exercises?
- you had problems with the cardiovascular system;
- you have had problems with intracranial pressure.
Fixation of the body and continuous breathing
For medium loads, it is worth using continuous breathing without delay - exhale for effort, inhale for relaxation.
Start exhaling a little earlier, a moment before the maximum effort. So you can do more.
Breathing should be smooth and rhythmic. Don't stop at extremes. Immediately after inhalation, exhalation follows without short delays.
For maximum case rigidity, try using the pinning method. The term was first used by Dr. Stuart McGill, an injury and rehabilitation specialist. lumbar spine. Pinning is the activation of all core muscles, which allows you to create a rigid middle part of the body, provide stability to the entire body and reduce the risk of injury.
Before lifting the weight, imagine that you are about to be punched in the stomach. Tighten your abdominal and back muscles. This will create a rigid corset that must be held throughout the exercise. At the same time, breathe continuously, exhaling with maximum effort and further strengthening the body.
There is another theory about breathing during. Dr. Stuart McGill and Dr. Mel Stiff believe that the correct exercise technique will automatically make the body breathe correctly, your control is not required.
But this is only true for perfect technique. If you can't boast of one, work on your breathing as well as your technique.
Results
- Try to develop diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe like this during the warm-up to get used to and tune in.
- Use the Valsalva maneuver for only a few max weight reps.
- For exercises with a high number of repetitions, use continuous smooth breathing with inhalation on the easy part of the exercise and exhalation on the maximum effort.
- Along with continuous breathing, use the core tension to stabilize the core during exercise.
If you have any breathing tips during strength training, write in the comments.
In this article, I will tell you how to breathe properly when doing exercises (strength) 🙂
Breathing is an extremely important part of any exercise.
With proper breathing, the load on the cardiovascular and respiratory system organism, as well as increasing the efficiency training process(due to the fact that proper breathing allows you to develop a much greater effort in the exercises).
Hold your breath while doing strength exercises is not necessary because:
- Firstly, it can cause a short-term loss of consciousness due to oxygen starvation of the brain.
- Secondly, due to holding the breath, it can significantly increase arterial pressure, and this is fraught with consequences for many organs, for example, for the eyes, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and brain.
- Thirdly, incorrect breathing significantly reduces the effectiveness of the training (due to the fact that it will not allow you to develop the greatest effort in a particular exercise).
Therefore, we breathe (and do it right) in each repetition, each approach and exercise.
Remember: EXHAUST is done on EFFORT (MOUTH)!
Those. inhalation (air intake; carried out by the nose) during the “easy part of the movement (at the moment of the least muscle effort)”, and exhalation = at the most difficult part of the exercise (at the moment of the greatest muscle effort, at the moment when you overcome the maximum load).
For example, consider breathing in the following exercises:
Breathing in exercise
In this exercise, the maximum muscle effort occurs at the top point of the movement (when we squeeze the bar from the chest up), respectively, we exhale there (with the mouth), and when we lower the bar down (to the bottom point of the movement, towards our chest) = we simultaneously take in air (NOSE). As a result, we lower (we take in air with our nose), squeeze it out - we exhale with our mouth, and along the knurled one.
Breathing in exercise
Here, the maximum muscle effort occurs at the top point of the movement (when we squeeze the platform from the bottom point upwards, almost completely unbending the legs at the knees), respectively, we exhale there (by mouth), and when we lower the platform down (to the bottom point of the movement, towards ourselves approximately to chest) \u003d we simultaneously take in air (NOSE).
As a result, we lower (we take in air with our nose), squeeze it out - we exhale with our mouth, and along the knurled one.
Breathing in exercise
In this exercise, the maximum muscle effort occurs at the top point of the movement (when the athlete (ka) rises from the bottom point, almost completely extending the leg in knee joint), respectively, an EXHALE is done there, and when we go down (to the lowest point of the movement) = we do an INHALE (a set of air with the nose), because this point is the moment of least muscle effort).
As a result, we go down (we take in air with our nose), we go up - we exhale through our mouth, and along the knurled one.
Breathing in exercise
Here, the maximum muscle effort occurs at the top point of the movement (when the extension occurred), respectively, there is an EXHALE, and when we lower the legs with the roller down (to the bottom point of the movement) = we take an INHALE (take in air with the nose), because this point is the moment of least muscle effort). As a result, we go down (we take in air with our nose), we go up - we exhale through our mouth, and along the knurled one.
Breathing in exercise
Here, the maximum muscle effort occurs at the top point of the movement (when the arms are straightened at the elbows), respectively, we do EXHALE there, and when we lower the bar down (to the bottom point of the movement) = we do INHALE (breathing through the nose), because. this point is the moment of least muscle effort). As a result, we go down (we take in air with our nose), we go up - we exhale through our mouth, and along the knurled one.
Well, the point, I think is clear. EXHAUST - done with EFFORT! And you need to breathe constantly! In every rep, every set and exercise. And then, everything will hurt.
On the initial stage, I would recommend, in addition to learning the technique of performing all the right exercises for muscle growth and the development of a mental connection between the brain and the muscle, and also carefully focus on breathing when doing strength exercises (well, this basically applies to technology).
If at the very beginning you put perfectly correct breathing in this or that exercise, you will not have to retrain yourself in the future, and you will be able to avoid all sorts of problems.
Therefore, my advice to you: do not rush, study correct technique perform all the necessary exercises for muscle growth (here and breathing) and develop a mental connection between the brain and the muscle.
Sincerely, administrator.
Breathing while exercising
High-quality oxygen enrichment of tissues, according to doctors at Reebok University in Düsseldorf (Germany), can slow down the aging process and help your body stay young and strong longer. You need to breathe deeply, incomplete, shallow breathing leads to the fact that the body is not saturated with oxygen, the person quickly gets tired and the fat burning process slows down.
When you hold your breath while lifting weights, your blood pressure and intra-abdominal pressure rise. Holding the breath is not the only mistake, some breathe too fast or too slowly, inhale and exhale at the wrong time. Breathing too slowly can increase your heart rate, making you feel unwell.
Let's test the breathing method in practice. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Which of the hands rises higher? With proper and deep breathing, it should be the hand that is on the stomach.
Proper breathing is also very important because the inhaled oxygen is very necessary for intense muscle work. Thus, it is necessary to breathe in such a way that the muscles of your abdomen contract, and breathing in which only upper muscles breasts are ineffective. By the way, full breath very important in everyday life, so remember this not only in the hall.
Let's analyze different kinds training, let's start in order.
Power training in the gym.
Let's start with the fact that the mode of muscle work during exercise can be divided into overcoming and inferior. Everything is simple here, if, overcoming any resistance, the muscles contract and shorten, then such work is called overcoming. Muscles that oppose any resistance can, when tensed, lengthen, for example, holding a very heavy load. In this case, their work is called inferior. On the specific example bench press lying overcoming mode will be, at the moment of squeezing the bar up, and yielding when lowering it to the chest. There is only one advice, we overcome - we exhale, we yield - we inhale. That is, at the moment of the greatest muscle tension, we exhale, at the moment of weakening the tension, inhale.
When you work out with a personal trainer, you don't have to think about proper breathing. The trainer will teach you how to exhale and inhale at the right stage of the exercise and will constantly monitor the correct breathing during your workout.
Breathing during aerobics. Especially in intensive lessons, some simply "forget to breathe." This leads to oxygen starvation, reduced intensity, dizziness. Sometimes the body perceives oxygen hunger as physiological, often after a workout you really want to eat. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Why is it necessary to inhale through the nose? First, dust and microbes settle on the nasal mucosa. Secondly, when you inhale through your mouth, you experience a feeling of dryness of the oral mucosa, such discomfort leads to increased breathing. As a result, it turns out that there is not enough oxygen in the blood, which means that you do not achieve the main goal of the exercise - you do not burn fat, which, as you know, requires exposure to oxygen for oxidation. In fact, proper breathing in aerobics requires a sufficient level of fitness. Therefore, if you are a beginner, do not attend the most "advanced" and fastest classes. As long as you keep track of your coordination and pace, your breathing will remain shallow, which means it’s more efficient for you to attend a low or medium intensity class now.
Breathing while stretching.
Proper breathing during stretching helps the body relax, return to a state of rest and remove decay products after intense workout from the body. Deep breathing also helps increase flexibility and stretch. On the long exhalation try to relax the muscles as much as possible and see how they become more supple and softer. People who practice Pilates or yoga know how important breathing is in these classes.
Learn to breathe correctly, control your breathing, this will not only keep you healthy, but will also allow you to live much longer.