How to breathe for heavy lifting.

[jonathan]

Conventional wisdom says you should breathe in when relaxing and breathe out when exerting. That's alright when you're doing ten repetitions or more of a lighter weight. But what if you're lifting heavy? If you breathe using the conventional method, you're really asking for trouble. Let me explain.

Your abs are like car tyres. When filled with some air, they are strong. When deflated, they are weak. Your abs also protect your spine. If you breathe out when exerting on a heavy load, you're letting the air out of your car tyres. Is that a good idea with something heavy? Why weaken yourself unnecessarily and set yourself up for an injury?

So how should you breathe? Using power breathing, or intra-abdominal pressurisation. The easiest way to learn this to breathe in through your nose. That way you're using your diaphragm muscle to draw breath towards your abdomen. Breathe in about 50-75% of your lung capacity and hold it. Just don't fill them all up. Your abs should feel warm and snug. At the same time contract your abs and lock your sphincter. Now you have a really strong solid foundation that protects your spine and increases your strength. After you've held your breathe in and tightened up your abs and butt, proceed to perform the lift. At the lock-out, let out a little air and take back in a little before returning to the starting position.

Holding your breathe in can sound pretty scary, but with enough practice you'll get used to it. Don't be fearful of things like blacking out or bursting blood vessels. The risk of these are highly exaggerated. Can you hold your breathe till you faint? I didn't think so.

Power breathing is meant for any and all heavy lifting. Try it and feel the difference in strength!

[ultimate]

This is one of the most common question ask by beginners. The most straight forward answer will be when you contract your muscles breath out and when you extend your muscles breath in. In no time should you hold your breath. But breathing is pretty automatic, when someone is doing heay squat for example, when the oxygen need is high, the body will automatically take multiple breaths, in the middle of a set.

[lok3]

If u hold ur breath while doing a heavy squat, u stand a chance of blowing your veins and die of stroke but if u do not do so, ull probally not lift to ur 100% rep max go do the math..

[jonathan]

Let me clarify something about "holding breath". I don't mean holding it in the lungs via chest breathing. That'll surely make your head burst! I meant holding it in the lungs via abdominal breathing, specifically using the diaphragm muscle. Easiest way to learn that is to breath in through the nose. Technically the air is still drawn into the lungs, but using the diaphragm gives the sensation of air "filling the stomach". That's the "chi" that martial artists always emphasize, the centre of power. If the breath can be drawn even lower towards the groin, even better. Holding breath via chest-breathing and holding breath via abdominal-breathing are very different! One takes strength, the other gives strength.

[menatarms]

So far I have had no problem breathing. I do it via conventional method.


Although I do have difficulty when benching 200. I;ll try your hold breath and contract ab suggestion.