breathing when exercising

B

Benny

0
this is a simple question i came across

when doing a particular exercise say a squat, we generally breathe out going down and then breathe in when coming up

is it ok to this the other way round; breathe in going down,then breathe out coming up

i have been doing this and havent come across any problem

but can anybody explain the rationale behind following any of the above breathing patterns during exercise

does it really matter :confused :confused:
 
I had a professor that told me that it really didn't matter. They ran some studies on this and it turned out breathing either way made nay a difference.
 
thanks a lot Evo
you sort of cleared my head
actually a long time back i misread an article by thomas kurz where he mentioned breathing in before starting a rep
...lol so i have been following the same since that time
 
It is an exhalation on the concentric contraction. Exhaling while standing up from the squat. Reason being is that your core contracts on exhalation thus increasing core stability. Also exhaling will prevent you from straining and holding your breath upon large exertion/contraction.
 
it must be something, otherwsie you wouldn't hear so much about it; but i wouldn't make myself crazy to do it, if it didn't come naturally.
 
whoa.

you have it exactly backwards. When performing squats, you should always Inhale on the way down, and exhale on the way up. Squats are a little different though, as you should hold your breath on the way up to help stabilize the torso. in the last 10% of the movement, after the peak, you could exhale.

on a bench press, inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up when pushing.
 
Please do NOT hold your breath

When weight lifting it is not ever a good idea to hold your breath. You have to breath as close to regularly as you can, when you breath is not as important. Most people like to inhale while on the way down and exhaling on the way up. This is because with something like the bench press your chest expands make you have to lower the weight a smaller distance and then exhale when raising it since the believe it helps in getting the weight off the chest.

If you hold your breath you run the risk of raising your blood pressure extermely high and this with the lack of oxygen can cause fatigue faster and even lead to passing out. This is called the Valsalva's maneuver and is extermely dangerous.
 
Except the Valsalva Maneuver is necessary when grinding though a 1RM attempt or even a very heavy single or double. Yes, your blood pressure will go quite a bit up. However, it is the method used by powerlifters, Olympic weight lifters, and etc. It creates intra-thoracic pressure, giving you a bit more "umph" in your lifts...however, should be limited to maximal lifts.

The most important thing is that you simply breathe on your lifts (exception where I stated before). Like I said before, we discussed this in exercise physiology class and strength and conditioning class and the studies shown during class showed no reflection on whether inhaling or exhaling on either portion of the lift had a benefit over the other.
 
I am with physique doctor and evolution. Breathing during a squat is inhale on teh way down (eccentric) and exhale on the way up (concentric). The actual action of holing your breath momentarily at the bottom will increase intr-abdominal stability keeping the spine stable and pelvic floor muscles contracted. That dreaded valsalva maneuver that everyone fears when they first learn about fitness, is not an entirely bad thing....it is used by all powerlifters, olympic lifters, and I bet YOU would use it if your pet was being crushed my a car and you had to push it.
 
thanks to all of you for the replies

but you seem to leave me more perplexed :confused:

so you guys say the breathing is only a matter of core stability

my exercises are mainly bodyweight exercises (I'll touch on the weights later)
due you think the breathing i am adopting is anyway harmfull
esp in the crunches(with knees at 90 deg bent)
and the squats (bodyweight)

i found the breathing esp helpfull in the pull ups as it gives a certain surge of power

@Evo
whats the vasalva maneuver? heard a lot about it

so you're saying the breathing patern wont come in between muscle gain is it
 
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