Written by Samm Parker
Let’s talk lungs and muscles!
Breathing is an automatic pattern that does not require connection from mind to body. Air in and air out. This is an easy concept to grasp. When you hear an instructor announce for you to inhale, you can immediately take that information and create an action of drawing in oxygen. Bracing, however, is a learned muscular contraction that utilizes the oxygen intake to best prepare your body for movement. These two words are not interchangeable.
Breathing: the actions of inhaling and exhaling.
In most areas of our lives, breathing is an automatic function that does not require us to guide the pattern. During weight training there is a human response to sometimes seize the flow of breath. This could be because the movement is new, you could be focusing on the mechanics of the motion or you could be reaching a higher weight than previously performed. In either of these cases, it is important to remember when to breathe to make lifting more comfortable and safer.
Avoiding proper breathing while lifting can increase blood pressure. Increased blood pressure could lead to feeling dizzy and maybe a sense of nausea. If continued through multiple lifting sessions without proper breathing mechanics, it could lead to major health concerns and you could notice that you may tire faster throughout your workouts.
Now you may be wondering how you can properly set your breathing pattern up in any of your lifts. We can suggest for you to fully exhale and then inhale before approaching your weights. After you are positioned with good oxygen intake, remember when to exhale during the reps and complete all required exercises in a controlled manner. If you are unsure or have switched when to inhale/exhale, ask your coach, they are your best tool.
UPPER body breathing, INHALE as the weights are lowering, EXHALE as the press or push motion is performed
LOWER body breathing, INHALE as you lower to the weights on a deadlift or lower the weights in a squat variation, EXHALE as you return to a standing/neutral position
Bracing: a forceful hold of breath to stabilize the trunk of the body
Bracing is a method used when handling heavier loads. Imagine you are laying on your back with a kettle bell nearest to your belly button, as you inhale the kettlebell should sink into your frame between your hips and rib cage. Bracing is performed when you exhale and are able to create a contraction in your abdominal muscles that lifts the kettle bell to a balanced level between the ribs and hips. You may also test yourself into brace by placing 2 fingers on your abdomen below your last ribs and attempt to press into your finger pads with your core muscles. Keeping this stabilization, a movement of exercise would then be performed like a heavy back squat or an overhead press.
Learning to brace is important to keep your spine stable under pressure. Without proper alignment, there are risks of muscle strains or even more intense injury to the discs in the back. Keeping proper posture plus bracing is the safest route to increase your personal bests in the weight room.
Now that you have detailed vocabulary between breathing and bracing, use the proper method when you are in the gym next. Instructors are there to keep your body properly moving with good practices of oxygen intake. Utilize bracing when the weights increase. Use breathing while pushing the pace.