Comments on: Breathing During Weight Training

By: Arkava

Arkava — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:37:54 +0000

Hello Lyle. thank you for the informative article. an article grappling entirely with breathing during exercise is a rarity and a find.
i train by myself and have homegrown habits of lifting. So for me it has been a matter of concern whether the partial Valsalvas would hurt me or not though i have been using the same for movements like floor presses,deadlifts and squats for quite some time albeit instinctively.
thanks again for a great article.

By: Johny23

Johny23 — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:12:53 +0000

I’ve seen a mistake I’ve done in my previous question, I would like to correct.

My trainer says your ribcage expands when you pull yourself up. I say that it expands when you lower yourself. Though we both agree that when your ribcage expands you should inhale.

By: admin

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:39:34 +0000

Rambo: It’s just a way of thinking about it. Describing it as belly breathing (as opposed to chest breathing) is just a cue. I don’t have BP spike numbers offhand but I know the data is out there somewhere. And, yes, IAP is invasive. I still shudder when I think about my anatomy professor telling me how they did them (think anal pressure transducer).

Marwan: Yes.

Johnny: I can’t see any reason why you’d reverse breathing on a chin/pull up. I still think inhaling prior to the start, exhaling at/to the top and inhaling down make the most sense.

David: Very slow reps are a different kind of thing since holding the breath in this fashion will tend to leave people gasping for air. They simply don’t lend themselves to this kind of breathing.

Lyle

By: David

David — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:48:22 +0000

Very interesting. In high school I learned the traditional exhale/inhale workout approach. When I first started taijiquan years later, I still had this sort of mindset but I was then taught to breathe naturally, to trust my body and let go, since the body does know when it needs air. Now that I’m strength training again, I just breathe when I need air and do what seems natural. I’m also doing slow high intensity reps, so one breath on an exhale and one on an inhale leaves me a bit dizzy on some exercises. Breathing naturally helps that. It’s hard to unlearn that old system, though.

By: Johny23

Johny23 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:26:22 +0000

I have a question about breathing during pull-ups.

I normally breath this way: when I pull myself up I inhale and when I lower myself – exhale. My trainer said to do the opposite, because, according to him, when you lower yourself your ribcage expands (I disagree about this one with him) so you should inhale.

What’s your thoughts on this, Lyle?

By: Rambodoc

Rambodoc — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:24:07 +0000

“The lifter should inhale into the belly (note: this is different than breathing superficially into the chest) filling the stomach with air.”
That sounds anatomically wrong. You perhaps mean a full inspiration with an abdomino-thoracic involvement. Towards the height of full inspiration, as the diaphragm descends, the abdominal muscles relax, and the IAP cause the belly to be pushed out as if filled with air. However, there is no actual air entry into the stomach, as any air that enters the stomach would need to exit through a burp or fart. That surely does not happen to most people.
As far as hypertension due to a Valsalva maneuvre is concerned, it would be interesting to know about specific numbers: how much does the IAP go up to during a Valsalva in a deadlift, for example, and how much does the BP shoot up….
It is possible that such measurements would be hard to make as IAP measurements are usually invasive.
Thanks for an interesting article.

By: Neil Simpson

Neil Simpson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:49:23 +0000

“You mean after the descent, the partial valsalva should be held through the sticking point on the way back up? ”

Yes, otherwise you lose the pressure you have “built” at the time it is needed most. I exhale, in a bit of a blast, as I’m hitting the top of the lift.

Lyle, had lost track of you after MFW went to rat shit. Glad to see you have this site up and running to keep the advice flowing.

Neil (once was Bully).

By: spacediver

spacediver — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:57:32 +0000

“They should begin by taking a breath into the belly (this is also a good time to get the chest and head up, if they aren’t already) and then perform a partial Valsalva as they descend. In general, the partial Valsalva would be held through the sticking point.”

You mean after the descent, the partial valsalva should be held through the sticking point on the way back up?

I think that’s what you’re trying to say here but not 100% sure.

as usual, comprehensive and thoughtful advice.

cheers lyle,

-Marwan Daar