How to breathe during biceps exercises. How to breathe correctly during strength exercises. Breathing during barbell squats
As you know, proper breathing allows you to develop more effort and train more effectively.
Breathing while doing the exercise
Remember the basic rule: in strength exercises, exhalation is done during the effort, that is, at the moment when you overcome the maximum load. This is logical, because when you exhale you can tense your muscles much better. Research by physiologists shows that proper breathing reflexively affects muscle tension. Maximum strength is best achieved when you exhale and hold your breath, and when you inhale, the chest expands and the chest muscles stretch. The abdominal muscles also stretch and relax, and this is not very convenient for working and straining large muscle groups. It's hard to strain with a relaxed stomach. And, conversely, during exhalation, the abdominal muscles tighten and tighten, thereby stabilizing the entire body. The muscles of the chest are grouped during exhalation, thereby creating a very comfortable position for developing maximum strength.
Some people advise holding your breath during an effort; holding your breath during a maximum effort increases the pressure too much and shockingly, and this can be very harmful to some organs. For example: for the eyes, for the heart and for the blood vessels of the brain. Therefore, it is better to exhale gradually, but exhale. If you have to struggle with a huge weight, then you can exhale gradually with tension. And if you are doing a sharp, explosive strength exercise, then it is better to exhale just as sharply, in accordance with the tempo of the exercise.
In professional strength sports, when lifting heavy weights, some athletes hold their breath during certain phases of the movement. For example, when passing the “dead spot” or at the very beginning of the “start” effort, it depends on the individual technique of the athlete. However, in any case, it is better to minimize breath holding, because it is not very beneficial for health.
Let's look at a few examples of proper breathing:
- During push-ups: when you lower yourself, inhale; when you straighten your arms and push yourself up from the floor, exhale with effort.
- During pull-ups or overhead rows: for effort, when you bend your arms and overcome the load - exhale, straighten your arms - inhale.
- During or: when you push the barbell away from you, develop an effort - exhale, lower it - inhale.
- In other cases, exhale during the effort.
And let's talk separately about: when squatting with a large weight, we inhale while standing, and gradually exhale both while squatting down and while lifting. Because the tension is always high. With light or medium weights, it is better to breathe more dynamically downwards - inhale, exhale up.
Some people are accustomed to breathing incorrectly, so it seems to them that it is much more convenient and better to inhale forcefully, but this is just a wrong habit. Start breathing correctly, during training there should be correct breathing, exhale forcefully, and your body will very quickly adapt to this correct mode. You will feel that it is more organic and that much more force can be developed as you exhale.
There are opinions that in exercises such as lat pull-downs or pull-ups and abdominal pull-downs on a weight machine, you need to inhale, because in these exercises it is very important to arch your back. It follows from this that you are stretching and opening your chest and therefore you need to inhale while pulling. In fact, this is another incorrect opinion of modern people. Of course, arching your back in these exercises is very important. But this does not at all prevent you from exhaling forcefully.
Remember, in the exercises of pulling the upper block, pull-ups, rows to the stomach and in all other exercises, during the effort you do - exhale.
In addition to the front surface, the chest also has lateral and back surfaces, and during a deadlift, a very large number of muscles tense significantly, squeezing the chest. Proper breathing during training is very important. And also exhaling when making an effort is more physiological; exhaling reflexively helps the muscles tense. In addition, the abdominal muscles also tense up - they become toned and help stabilize the body, and while inhaling with a relaxed abs it is very difficult to perform the exercise.
Proper breathing during training
How to breathe correctly during strength training?
How to breathe correctly when doing exercises? In all exercises, the effort is made while exhaling?
Proper breathing is the key to proper technique and serious results in some important exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups... In these exercises, if you do not follow the general rule of breathing, you will most likely not succeed or you get injured.
How to breathe correctly when doing exercises?
The general rule of breathing when performing exercises is this: when the entire mass of the muscles being trained is contracted, you exhale. This rule is more clear when a simple single-joint exercise is performed. Here, definitely, when the muscle contracts, you exhale.
In serious strength exercises, short-term breath holding is allowed in the most powerful phase. But only short-term and always under full conscious control of your condition, so as not to lose consciousness.
A special case when alternate exercises are performed on different sides of the body. For example, alternately bending arms with dumbbells. Moreover, it is performed in such a way that when one arm extends, the other bends.
For this case, I have two breathing options.
1. In the first approach, exhale while bending one arm, and inhale while extending it. Just ignore the second hand. In the second approach, breathe in the same way, but adjust your breathing to the second hand. So alternate from approach to approach.
2. Adjust your breathing to the exercise so that the exhalation always falls on the bent arm. It doesn't matter what hand it is. As soon as the dumbbell reaches your shoulder, exhale.
In all exercises, the effort is made while exhaling?
I know about Strelnikova’s paradoxical gymnastics. In this gymnastics, breathing is structured in such a way that an effort is made to inhale. I'm not sure that this kind of breathing will make you a bench press champion, but there is eloquent evidence of the health benefits of such training.
This kind of paradoxical breathing is worth trying for purely health-improving workouts with little stress. During powerful strength training, it is best to breathe as required by the technique of a particular strength exercise.
Breathe correctly and be healthy!
In order to understand how to breathe correctly when squatting, you need to learn how to perform the exercise itself, understand where to put your feet, how to hold your back and what to do with the barbell on your shoulders.
Description of the exercise
The shoulder exercise is one of the basic exercises. It involves several muscle groups, knee and hip joints. Also, a large load falls on the spine. This is important to take into account for those people who have contraindications, as well as recommendations from doctors. When performing the exercise, the muscles of the legs, buttocks, back and abdomen are involved. during squats, you can understand by starting to perform the exercise itself.
Initial position
Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. The feet should be parallel to each other, the toes of the feet slightly apart (about 15-20 degrees). This position is as comfortable as possible for the ankle joints and is anatomically correct.
If the exercise is performed with a barbell on the shoulders, then the apparatus should be located on the upper back (on Other options for squats (with a dumbbell or other equipment, without additional weights) can be performed with different hand positions: on the belt, extended in front of you, at the head etc. The back is straight, the abs are tense.
Execution technique
Standing in the starting position, start moving downwards - while inhaling, when going up - exhale. How to breathe correctly when squatting, technique, the role of breathing in performing the exercise - all this affects the effectiveness of the entire workout.
The squat is performed to a position of 90 degrees between the thigh and shin. This technique is used in a fitness format. Weightlifters and bodybuilders use a technique in which this 90-degree angle must be passed. That is, the squat is performed lower. You can use any option. It is believed that exercises are most effective when the athlete squats below parallel (thigh parallel to the floor). When the required position is reached, the upward movement begins. In this case, the question of how to breathe correctly when squatting should no longer arise.
Throughout the entire movement, the chest is open, the shoulders are straightened, the back is straight, the gaze is directed forward or upward.
If the squat is performed with a barbell, then before you start it, you need to approach the barbell, determine its middle, choose the optimal position for your hands, and fix them on the bar. After this, you should place both legs strictly under the barbell (without a spreader), fix the apparatus on the upper back (namely on the Only after this you can remove the barbell from the racks, take a few steps back, straighten up and start performing the exercise.
Special instructions on technique
It is very important to understand that squatting is a technically complex exercise that requires maximum concentration and attention from a person. When lowering down, it is important to watch your knees. They should remain in place, pointed forward, and there should be no movement of the toe of the foot. From the outside it looks as if a person is sitting on an imaginary chair. It is necessary to keep your back straight and hold the barbell firmly on your back with your hands.
When returning to the starting position, the legs should be straightened, but the knee joint should be slightly bent. There is no need to straighten your legs completely (do not block the joint). Throughout the entire exercise, the feet should be pressed firmly to the floor, and the heels should not be lifted off the floor.
Exercises leading up to squats
In order to learn how to squat as efficiently as possible (with the correct technique), you can begin to perform the exercise in or with small disks, which are recommended to be placed under the toes of the feet.
There is also an option to start doing the exercise against the wall. To do this, you need to stand close to her, fix your hands at your head, elbows to the sides (you can have your hands on your belt). We begin to perform squats while standing close to the wall. Thanks to this position, your knees will not move forward, and your heels will be impossible to lift off the floor. This version of the lead-in exercise to the main squat trains the sense of balance well and preserves the knee joints.
Another way is to do wall squats with a large fitball. At a distance of a step from the wall, we fix the ball with the lower back. When moving down, it rolls along the spine to the thoracic region, and when moving up, it returns to its original position. At the same time, it is important to monitor your knees (whether they go beyond the toes of the foot).
Having learned to perform at least one of the above options for lead-up exercises, you can try doing squats with weights (with a barbell or dumbbells).
Training effectiveness
Squats are a very effective exercise for building muscle mass, increasing leg strength, reducing body fat, and developing endurance. The development of these qualities is easy to achieve thanks to the versatility of the exercise. You can use different weights, number of repetitions, and speed of execution. A correctly selected technique will help you achieve the desired result in the fastest possible time.
Working muscles
- Biceps femoris muscle.
- Semitendinosus.
- Semi-membranous.
- Four-headed.
- Gluteal.
- Extension of the spine.
- Abdominal muscles.
How to breathe properly during squats
Squats can be done with a barbell, with dumbbells, without equipment. All variations are performed with the same technique and breathing. As you inhale, you need to go down, and as you exhale, return to the starting position. There is a difference only if the athlete squats with heavy weights. You can consider each option in more detail.
How to breathe correctly during aerobic squats? In this mode, exercises are performed up to parallel with the floor, in a group program room, to music. Each repetition is accompanied by a command from the instructor. Typically, group training uses light equipment: body-bar, dumbbells, fitball, medicine balls or no additional weights. Lowering is accompanied by inhalation, ascent is accompanied by exhalation. Since the speed of performing an exercise during such a workout can vary, breathing also changes. For example, if you perform a squat one count down and one count up, then the inhalation and exhalation will coincide with the count. And if you do 4 counts down and four counts up, your breathing will change. For each count, you must inhale or exhale.
Breathing during barbell squats
Experienced athletes, when working with heavy weights, know how to breathe correctly when squatting with a barbell. When performing one repetition with a maximum weight in the gym or in competitions, the athlete inhales before lowering down, holds his breath, and when lifting, when it is necessary to accomplish the impossible, lift an exorbitant weight, he exhales, often accompanied by a loud exclamation.
Regular gym goers have probably witnessed such workouts. This type of breathing is not encouraged and is allowed only by experienced athletes.
Breathing while doing other exercises
How to breathe correctly in a squat or other exercise? It is enough to remember one rule: exhale with effort, and inhale with maximum relaxation. For example, how to breathe correctly when doing squats without a barbell? The simplest phase of the movement is lowering down, which means inhaling. The difficult phase of the movement is the rise, which means exhalation. Having remembered this simple rule, you can apply it to all exercises and no longer wonder about how to breathe correctly. When or in a simulator, you always exhale while lifting. A very important point: inhalation is always done through the nose, and exhalation through the mouth.
“Fresh breath makes it easier to understand” - even two-month-old babies have firmly grasped this “truth,” but few know that proper breathing in bodybuilding makes it easier to perform exercises.
Moreover, if you play sports, but still have not learned to breathe correctly, then improper breathing can almost completely nullify all your efforts, sometimes even the most advanced gym goers don’t remember. Today we will learn to breathe correctly.
Proper breathing during exercise
Typically, when breathing correctly during resistance exercise, exhale at the point of greatest resistance (very often in the negative phase), while inhale at a medium or low load.Correct breathing cycle consists of four stages:
- Before starting each exercise (repetition), you should take a deep breath;
- Exhalation is performed at the most difficult phase of the movement;
- At the top point, you should inhale again;
- Completion of the repetition should be done while exhaling.
When performing the exercise, you should breathe through your nose - freely and without delay. Why through the nose? The nasal cavity contains many receptors, irritation of which by a powerful air flow has a positive effect on the functioning of internal organs.
Breathing should be as normal as possible. Ideally, at the moment of tension, you should inhale, and when relaxing, exhale. Holding your breath should be avoided (if you hold your breath for a long time under high loads, even loss of consciousness is possible). The exception is very difficult exercises, where holding your breath for a second is still acceptable.
Rules for proper breathing in strength exercises
There are several basic rules for proper breathing during exercise:
- you should not focus on breathing, much less artificially force it;
- You should not breathe deeply before each strength exercise, trying to “store” a portion of air. It is better to do a thorough warm-up at the beginning of the workout - this is quite enough to prepare the whole body for work;
- immediately before starting the exercise, you should take a shallow breath and breathe naturally while working, correlating the pace of breathing with the nature of the movements;
- when spreading your arms to the sides and extending your torso in the lower back, that is, in cases where the chest expands, inhale and then exhale.
