Breathing

I

imported_electric

Guest
I have that noticed I have trouble breathing during lifts. It is not that I cannot breath, but I tend to concentrate on the lifting and end up holding my breath, which in turn gets me tired pretty fast. Maybe I am just too slow and cannot breath and lift at the same time  
biggrin.gif

I have tried the inhale when the weight is going down and exhale when it is coming up, but I quickly forget about it and there am I holding my breath or breathing too slow again.
Anyone out there had this kind of problem too? Any suggestions/tips on how to properly breath during the set or the only thing to do is keep trying to force myself to remember to breath properly?
 
<div>
(electric @ Apr. 16 2008,6:54)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I have that noticed I have trouble breathing during lifts. It is not that I cannot breath, but I tend to concentrate on the lifting and end up holding my breath, which in turn gets me tired pretty fast. Maybe I am just too slow and cannot breath and lift at the same time  
biggrin.gif

I have tried the inhale when the weight is going down and exhale when it is coming up, but I quickly forget about it and there am I holding my breath or breathing too slow again.
Anyone out there had this kind of problem too? Any suggestions/tips on how to properly breath during the set or the only thing to do is keep trying to force myself to remember to breath properly?</div>
its like running (do whats natural for you)
 
No, doing what is natural is not correct. You need to hold your breath throughout the entire rep. You then take a quick breath between reps. Do not start the next rep until you have filled your lungs and have it held firmly. Thus it takes too long to really empty and refill between reps, just do like a quarter to a half breath between reps.

Or you could do what I do and just hold your breath throughout the entire set.
 
(No, doing what is natural is not correct. You need to hold your breath throughout the entire rep)

why???
i hold my breath through the entire rep because that is natural to me,my mate releases on the way up because that is natural to him,you do what is comfortable/natural not what your told.
 
<div>
(nipponbiki @ Apr. 17 2008,10:26)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Do some research on the valsalva maneuver please.</div>
i did what benefit has this for squating
rock.gif


The Valsalva maneuver is performed by attempting to forcibly exhale while keeping the mouth and nose closed. It is used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the condition of the heart and is sometimes done as a treatment to correct abnormal heart rhythms or relieve chest pain.
 
I would agree with Nippon for my own reasons. By holding the air in as long as possible for one rep, you're holding the trunk tension for the full concentric portion of the lift, and keeping as much oxygen as possible available for transfer to the blood.
More oxygen=more ability.
Exhaling too early would lose tension, and for anyone with sticking points late in the rep, this is bad. I exhale slightly early to begin taking the next large breath, and setting my trunk tension.
Holding your breath for more than a rep is a completely different game, working Vo2max against fatigue. I find this insufficient for the purposes of lifting ****-heavy near failure. I do suppose, however, that it serves a purpose in the lighter work, although I tend to keep the habit of oxygenation. I even wondered what it would be like to lift on an oxygen bottle, but that's kinda cheating, like steroids huh?
 
squatting correctly is difficult enough, without thinking about how to breath.
breath in a way that is comfortable/natural to you.
 
Rippetoe recommends the Valsalva technique for squats. It helps to keep the trunk solid during the lift. I use it for deadlifts, too.

However, since I have also read that holding one's breath during extreme effort can cause blood pressue to shoot through the roof
sad.gif
, I tend to begin to release some pressure as I get to the top of the lift.
 
The valsalva maneuver is not an option, but a critical piece in lifting really, really heavy weights. Watch some powerlifting videos and note this.

Per the blood pressure thing, I can't remember all the scientific mechanisms, but something about the different pressures acting on each other cancel each other out, so it is actually more dangerous not to do it in this light.

Plus, as with everything else, the more you do it, the better your body gets at doing it. This adaption is the whole reason we are able to make our muscles bigger.

The benefits FAR out weigh any possible dangers, but these dangers become irrelevant as you adapt to actually doing it. Plus it just becomes a necessity to lift really heavy weight.
 
Haven't had time to read the link yet, but I recall a convo with some of the Westside guys - and here the strongest guys in the strongest gym around are all advocating holding air and tension. Good enough for me, and I find it works. As for Faz's comment, I don't see any real learning curve here; just hold your air, right?
OTOH, if you squat just fine with no air, it's your business. I personally believe that you could lift a bit more with tension. One very large man in Florida (gym owner, local squat king) told me it's like being a balloon. When it's full it can take a load from external pressure (the bar), but let some air out and see what happens. I thought it was a good anology.
 
<div>
(quadancer @ Apr. 17 2008,9:43)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Haven't had time to read the link yet, but I recall a convo with some of the Westside guys - and here the strongest guys in the strongest gym around are all advocating holding air and tension. Good enough for me, and I find it works. As for Faz's comment, I don't see any real learning curve here; just hold your air, right?
OTOH, if you squat just fine with no air, it's your business. I personally believe that you could lift a bit more with tension. One very large man in Florida (gym owner, local squat king) told me it's like being a balloon. When it's full it can take a load from external pressure (the bar), but let some air out and see what happens. I thought it was a good anology.</div>
i breath in, hold it, squat,and breath out at the top,thats natural to me.
 
I don't want to create a argument or anything, but interestingly, it is not that natural for me... I concentrate in the lift and tend to forget about the breathing and end up breathing irregularly, breathing out in the middle of the lift, or forgetting to take a deep breath before starting the rep and running out of air mid rep.
 
You do NOT want to do that, so I'd say practice with the mind engaged for a few workouts until it becomes your new &quot;natural&quot;.
Be the balloooonnn....
 
<div>
(TunnelRat @ Apr. 17 2008,9:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Rippetoe recommends the Valsalva technique for squats. It helps to keep the trunk solid during the lift. I use it for deadlifts, too.</div>
Rippetoe, Simmons, and everybody else with years of experience training strong people recommend it. For those who don't agree, don't do it. For those who haven't tried it, try it. You'll be surprised by the results.
 
Electric,

This isn't about the Valsalva maneuver. Your problem is that your breathing is unregulated, like you are saying. VM or not-VM are questions of breath regulation and control.

Pause when you are getting out of breath. No need to put the weight down. Simply stop and get a breath or 2 before going on. I do this sometimes. As I always remind myself: remember to breath.

As for holding your breath during a lift, well here's my anecdotal story:

When I was 16 I suffered a contracu head injury that resulted in a brain contusion and the loss of my ability to smell. At 16 I was also really into weights. The doctors said not to lift or exercise for 9 months because the increase in blood pressure could potentially could cause more brain damage. Anyway, being 16 I of course did not listen. I thought I would lose everything I had worked hard for and would have to start all over if I followed their advice. My parents and I fought about it often. During one of my checkups with a neuorologist my mother mentioned to him that I had been lifting weights. He had a long talk with me about head injuries in football and martial arts (both of which I was in to), as well as why I really had to stop. Part of his explanation entailed the story of a patient who was a football player and honors student at a local private school. This fellah was military pressing 185 while holding his breath one day and BAM! he ruptured some blood vessels in his brain. I remember the doctor finishing with this: &quot;The lack of blood to that region of his brain killed off the surrounding tissue. Now he's no longer an honors student.&quot;

I don't know the theoretical arguments behind holding vs. not holding or how its done, etc. But I do know that I was told not to work out for 9 months--again, because of blood pressure--and I was told about a guy who lost his gifted intelligence because he held his breath one too many times -- also because of blood pressure.

So, can it hurt you? Yes. Hell yes. Equalizing pressures? Coming from a guy at StrengthMill, T-Nation, Westside, whatever, the idea does not hold weight when compared to the collective opinion, backed by a greater intellectual prowess and medical expertise, of neurologists, who are intimately familiar with brain damage and things that cause it.

Breath...breath often.
 
After looking into it the matter some more I have to concede that Rippetoe makes a very good point in regards to the shortage of bodies due to brain injuries and the like. I would like to point out, however, that his survey of injury was based on reported cases. How does a case get &quot;reported?&quot; I am not entirely sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top