Breathing correctly during reps

estherdragonbat

Well, I always knew I had hand-eye coordination trouble, but now it seems I have 'lung-muscle' coordination trouble, too. In other words, when I'm doing squats or dumbbell lifts, whenever the instructions tell me to inhale, I seem to naturally exhale and vice versa.

Is there any reason that I should be concerned? As in, will this impact anything significant/risk injury/etc? Or can I just accept that I'm a little weird and keep at it?

bbell1985

Yes, you should be breathing correctly. It can affect posture and intra-abdominal pressure/stability.

estherdragonbat

I was afraid of that, sigh. One more thing to focus on. Thanks.

bbell1985

So take the squat for example. You should take a deep breath in, get tight, squat, and release the breath at the top. Are you...breathing out first...the squatting? I can't imagine how that would be comfortable

middlehaitch

I found breathing weird when I first started exercising. I was doing what you are and it took a good couple of weeks of concentrated effort to get it right. Now I find it hard to do it the other way.

I know you work out at home so maybe search for a Pilates or yoga class or something similar that emphasises when you should be taking a breath and do it for a couple of weeks.

I had a helpful aqua fit instructor that got me doing it correctly.

Cheers, h.

bbell1985

Google Valsalva breathing.

http://theelitetrainer.com/index.cfm?t=Blog&pi=BLOG&blid=70

estherdragonbat

bbell1985 wrote: »

So take the squat for example. You should take a deep breath in, get tight, squat, and release the breath at the top. Are you...breathing out first...the squatting? I can't imagine how that would be comfortable

Yeah, it's been as I exhale, I sort of sink into the squat. It feels normal to me, but then I don't really have a baseline for comparison. I've never done strength training that didn't involve machines at a gym before. Now I'm learning out of a book.

estherdragonbat

middlehaitch wrote: »

I found breathing weird when I first started exercising. I was doing what you are and it took a good couple of weeks of concentrated effort to get it right. Now I find it hard to do it the other way.

I know you work out at home so maybe search for a Pilates or yoga class or something similar that emphasises when you should be taking a breath and do it for a couple of weeks.

I had a helpful aqua fit instructor that got me doing it correctly.

Cheers, h.

Thanks. I'm looking into a gym now, just so I can get a couple of sessions with a personal trainer and maybe join a class. I'm trying to overcome a lifetime of "I'm uncoordinated and awkward and I'll never be good at this, so why bother trying?" It was one thing when gym class was one more place where I could be ridiculed and made to feel like the weakest link on the team. Dropping it in high school felt like a good move. But now? Well, let's just say I've found the reason(s) to bother trying. Just haven't got all the fundamentals yet.

DopeItUp

I felt the same way for a long time. It just takes practice and then it becomes ingrained in your mind and you won't even have to think about it. Just make a conscious effort before every rep in the meantime.

canadianlbs

trainer i met once gave me a nice tip at least for the squats: pretend you're standing in water up to your neck, she said. you automatically take a deep breath and hold it when you think that

now i just need to figure out some equivalent cue for the press and bench, because those are the ones where i tend to breathe inside out.

estherdragonbat

I'll try that! Thanks!