Breathing correctly

[kimchee411]

This may sound like a dumb question, but do you exhale through the contraction and inhale on the negative, or vice versa? I think prior is more natural, but I was looking at these Flex articles (yes, they're crap, etc. etc.) they have posted on the wall of the weight room at my gym and there was one by (I think) Ronnie Coleman where he was describing how he does dumbell lateral raises, and he says he inhales while lifting the weight and exhales when lowering it. I guess the idea is that the muscles are getting oxygen as they contract. I've tried both, and it doesn't seem to really make any difference.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

it depends on the motion for me. i always exhale as i press, whether legs or arms. i wait until the last part of the squat to exhale though.

i tend to inhale as i pull. i find that i can pull a lot harder if i expand my ribcage as i am pulling. especially rows

 

[bignate73]

when you get closer to your heavier lifts, it will make a HUGE difference. you cant hold your air if you are inhaling. the point where you need your air to support your spine (intra abdominal pressure) is on the concentric. so Ronnie Colemans "logic" is asinine. I'm sure it will get by on lighter lifts but watch someone on a heavy lift and their body will take over and hold the air in on the exertion (concentric).

good rule of thumb. air in: on or before the eccentric, air out: at the end or towards the end of the concentric.

i'm speaking in generalities. PL'ers will have more specific demands for their air than maybe a bb'er.

 

[kimchee411]

Thanks for the info.

JohnRobHolmes - best avatar EVER! LOL!!!

 

[AEKDB]

In the Kelso Shrug book he recommends breathing pull downs. Using the lat pull down machine, inhale as you pull the weight down, hold, and exhale as you let the weight up. I can't remember his logic. I will try and find the book.

I just do what is natural as long as I lift more weight each day.

 

[musketeer]

so Ronnie Colemans "logic" is asinine.

DUDE!

Someone says they think ronnie does something and you hammer Mr O.?

I've just been sat at my desk TRYING to exhale forcefully whilst doing the laterals and I'm really not feeling it! Doing laterals; I'm 90% sure breathing in during the concentric is the way to go.

I pretty much agree with your other points though. I usually exhale during the concentric and perhaps hold my breath during the sticking point.

I think that it's important for beginners to get the breathing right from the start or they havn't got the exercises learned properly; its pert of the basic foundation that we need to lay before getting really big/strong.

 

[bignate73]

no i agree musketeer, its not advisable to let your air out on a lateral raise. but if the weight was heavy enough, i would keep my air in. i don't lift in the 40-60% range very much so i am trained to keep my air in during ALL concentric and i can let my air out at other times, inhale or exhaling between reps. as for the technicality of a lateral raise, and where the breath should be, the best guage is to go get about 15lbs more than you are used to handling, and try to do them without cheating, let yourself grunt, and wherever you grunted is where your body needed air. most people dont grunt on the negative its on the way up where your spine needs stabilization while you exert force.

like i said, its a natural mechanism when under load. people who think about it too much are the people that sound like tea kettles in the gym. whistling all throughout the rep.

 

[Mithrandir]

I find what my body does naturally, then I concentrate on that.

 

[musketeer]

no i agree musketeer, its not advisable to let your air out on a lateral raise. but if the weight was heavy enough, i would keep my air in. i don't lift in the 40-60% range very much so i am trained to keep my air in during ALL concentric and i can let my air out at other times, inhale or exhaling between reps. as for the technicality of a lateral raise, and where the breath should be, the best guage is to go get about 15lbs more than you are used to handling, and try to do them without cheating, let yourself grunt, and wherever you grunted is where your body needed air. most people dont grunt on the negative its on the way up where your spine needs stabilization while you exert force.

like i said, its a natural mechanism when under load. people who think about it too much are the people that sound like tea kettles in the gym. whistling all throughout the rep.

Good post

I HATE those idiots that hiss every time they do ANYTHING! Some guy was hissing whilst loading the smith machine a few months back.

I just did shoulders today and finished with seated cheat dumbell laterals.

I used the 66lb dumbells for 11 reps.

TO MY UTTER SUPRISE, I was indeed EXHALING my breath at the bottom (dumbells under my legs) as I exploded the weights up, until I reached the sticking point (arms about 45 deg to my body) where I HELD my breath utill they reached the top (shoulder level)! I then continued to hold as I resisted the weight on the negative. I then breathed in quickly as the weights reached the bottom again.

Bang on the money Nate!