Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi this is Tom Ketter, Graduate Assistant for Strength and Conditioning at Rec Sports.
Today, in this installment of Ask a Personal Trainer we are going to cover the topic of
proper breathing technique during strength training. There are two phases that make up
one breath cycle, Inhalation and Exhalation. Inhalation is the Expansion of the diaphragm
as air enters the lungs. Exhalation is the expulsion of carbon dioxide from the body
and deflation of the lungs and diaphragm. Many beginning lifters make the same mistakes.
One of which is holding their breath throughout each repetition of a specific exercise. Instead
of increasing their performance on the exercise as some may believe, this will actually decrease
performance and leave them with some possible health concerns such as: Nausea, headaches,
or Herniation’s. Some benefits of the proper breathing techniques include: Increased power
performance and strength for any exercise. Increase oxygen to the muscle allowing for
greater muscular endurance. Help prevent injury such as Herniation in the abdomen or blood
vessels. What we are going to do today is demonstrate the correct breathing patterns
for someone performing a resistance training exercise. For that we are going to use the
standard Barbell Bench Press. First, as mentioned previously, do NOT hold your breath for the
duration of the movement. Instead, inhale air at a constant rate throughout the Eccentric
or lengthening phase of the movement. In this case it would be the lowering of the barbell
to his chest. Next, after the concentric or “Shortening” phase of the movement has
started; such as pressing the barbell away from his chest, begin to exhale your breath
at a constant rate until the repetition has been completed. Repeat this process of inhale-exhale
for each repetition in the set. Thank you for joining us for this installment of Ask
a Personal Trainer. If you would like to know more about our Personal training program and
the services that we offer, please stop by the Members Services desk in the lobby area
or contact me directly at 979-458-1027. Thanks and Gig’ Em�