breathing technique while exercising

[whirlwind]

i want to know whats the right breathing technique while doing any exercise . I've heard lots of contradicting opinions on this issue and wanted 2 make my fundas clear.

[Mark21087]

Breather in on th negative, breathe out on the positive protion.

[whirlwind]

but i find this difficult to achieve .... esp on exercises like say shoulder dumbell press ....

[REN]

Originally posted by Mark21087
Breather in on th negative, breathe out on the positive protion.

thats what i always do too, and what i understand you're supposed to do too.


i personally find it more comfertable, just make sure you breathe!

[JakeSTSM]

Breathe in on the negative, breathe out after max exertion. Holding your breath during the hardest part of the lift, gives you a more stable abdomen by increasing pressure in the whole spinal area. Do not hold it for the entire excercise, just a second or two.

[ZachG_85]

Originally posted by JakeSTSM
Breathe in on the negative, breathe out after max exertion. Holding your breath during the hardest part of the lift, gives you a more stable abdomen by increasing pressure in the whole spinal area. Do not hold it for the entire excercise, just a second or two.

Bump. Right when the weight feels heaviest, hold your breath. Exhale once you know you've got it. Valsalva maneuver, I believe it's called.

[amusclehead]

I've found when you start worrying about breathing, you tend to mess up your set. I've tried it a few times with like curls and pullups, and didn't work very well. Just do it naturally. HOWEVER, there are 2 exercises I would advise you to create an artifical breathing patten for: incline db pressing(or i guess flat) and benching(regular and close-grip).

It may take some time to get used to, but it's well worth it.

Try this.

Lay down on the bench and unrack the bar
Take 3 deep breathes(breathe in and out)
Now take 1 deep breath and hold it
Lower the bar
Now press the bar up
As you start pressing the bar up, forcefully breath the breathe out.

Using this can help add a few pounds to your bench. You might want to try it with other lifts as well, to see how it goes, but myself, i find it only really benefical when benching

[whirlwind]

Originally posted by amusclehead
I've found when you start worrying about breathing, you tend to mess up your set. I've tried it a few times with like curls and pullups, and didn't work very well. Just do it naturally.

so u mean ..apart from the 2 exercises u mentioned .. i shouldn't bother at all about my breathing while exercisin ....

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by whirlwind


so u mean ..apart from the 2 exercises u mentioned .. i shouldn't bother at all about my breathing while exercisin ....

find what works best for you.

maybe with forced breathing you can do, for example, better curls or pullups or whatnot, but i couldn't. give it a try and see.

only thing to worry about your breathing though, is that you should be breathing- i've seen people who just hold their breath and look like they're about to pass out, not a good sign

[To(V)]

Breathing is a big thing for me.
I got really frustrated when all my lifts went down. I focussed on breathing right, and they were soon back up.
Breathe in deep on the negative - you're aiming for a lot of oxygen.
Breath out hard on the positive - it'll help you boost the weight up.
On bench, I find that if you start breathing out hard just before you move the weight back up, you'll rep more.
Just something I overheard, and found useful.

Tom

[Kane Fan]

I just try to remember to breath...

usually I try to breath in comin down(or not moving the weight but stopping it from moving too fast.) then breath out while I'm activly moving it
although if a weight gets heavy I do hold my breath insticntivly
I guess that's good ;O)

[MadChild]

I don't know about holding your breath. A mistake a lot of beginners make is holding your breath so I assume it's an important mistake. Remeber you want to get the most oxygen into your system so you can lift at an optimal level on your next set. You know how your calves are more likely to either cramp up or burn with lactic acid when you work them? That's because they're the fathest muscle from your heart. Just an opinion.

[whirlwind]

Originally posted by MadChild
You know how your calves are more likely to either cramp up or burn with lactic acid when you work them? That's because they're the fathest muscle from your heart.

Is that true ? coz just a few weeks back in our gym a guy injured himself as he got cramps while doin calves on the smith machine .....

[LBwilliam]

I don't know about holding your breath. A mistake a lot of beginners make is holding your breath so I assume it's an important mistake. Remeber you want to get the most oxygen into your system so you can lift at an optimal level on your next set. You know how your calves are more likely to either cramp up or burn with lactic acid when you work them? That's because they're the fathest muscle from your heart. Just an opinion.

Has anybody heard about the Buteyko breathing method? I was sent this link about learnbuteyko.com - it sound like the opposite of what we're all used to and i heard it was used my russian olympians, im considering doing it for myself soo any comments or suggestions would be appreciated - many thanks LB