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How to Breathe Effectively During Exercise

by Greg Brookes

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Are you breathing effectively when you exercise?

Using the correct breathing when you exercise will:

  • improve your cardio output
  • increase your strength
  • prevent back injuries
  • enable you to burn more calories

Here are the Basics..

1. Breathe Out when you flex forwards or towards the fetal position.

As you flex forwards and close the chest you are naturally squeezing the air from your lungs. Breathing out excites the flexion muscles at the front of the body.

Example exercises:

  • the downward phase of the squat
  • pushing up from the push up
  • pulling knees to chest eg. slow mountain climbers

2. Breathe In when you extend your body and open up your chest.

Ever noticed how when you stand tall and breathe in deeply you grow a few inches? Breathing in excites the extensor muscles at the back of the body.

Example exercises:

  • rowing towards the body
  • upward phase of the deadlift
  • any type of raising exercise lying on your belly

3. When lifting heavy you will momentarily need to hold your breath and then breathe out through tightened lips.

The diaphragm, which is vital for breathing, is also an important stabilising muscle for your spine.
Unfortunately the diaphragm cannot breathe and stabilise a heavy load at the same time.

Example exercises:

During a heavy Squat based exercise you would breathe in first and then hold your breath on the downward phase of the squat and then breath out through tightened lips on the upward phase.

Notice this is the opposite of the breathing in 1 and 2 above.

The same would apply to the kettlebell swing. Breathe in and hold on the downward swing and breathe out through tightened lips on the upward swing.

For practically all bodyweight exercises you will not need to ever hold your breath as the load is not heavy enough so make sure you keep breathing at all times as outlined in 1 and 2.

OK, I hope you have found this useful and can now start breathing more effectively.

Take care,

Greg

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Comments

  1. Lance says

    June 8, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    I am confused by the Breathe In, of the upward phase of the deadlift.
    and the,
    Breathe Out, During a heavy Squat based exercise you would breathe in first and then hold your breath on the downward phase of the squat and then breath out through tightened lips on the upward phase.

    thanks Lance

    Reply
    • Greg Brookes says

      June 11, 2018 at 9:46 am

      Yes Lance providing the weight is not very heavy then you can move through the exercise while breathing normally, out as you flex forwards and in as you straighten and extend.

      Reply

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Greg Brookes has written for and been featured in Men's Health, Health & Fitness, Women's Fitness and all the National Newspapers. Often labelled as the "Trainer to the Trainers" he is a Personal Trainer and Kettlebell Instructor who took his first fitness qualifications over 21 years ago. Greg lives in Oxford, in the UK, with his wife Lucy. Learn more...

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