Site Search

"What's Breath Got to Do with It?"

By Gary Giamboi

As a Personal Trainer, I must say that I see some pretty funky things going at the gym.

You would not believe the difficulty I have in just getting most people to breathe correctly when performing a strength training exercise. Actually, most people tend to breathe in the reverse order when performing strength exercises. They tend to inhale on the power stroke and exhale when returning to the start position. Once a Personal Trainer who had to give me a training session as part of his job interview actually instructed me to breathe in the opposite manner from accepted principles.

Another common mistake is to stop breathing all together when exerting power. This may be even worse.

So why is breathing correctly so important? I'm glad you asked.

When you exert power, some part of you must contract and condense. If everything else in your body stays the same, this will cause your intra-abdominal pressure to rise or maybe even skyrocket. This can cause your blood pressure to also rise or skyrocket. Obviously, that is not a good thing.

Your intra-abdominal pressure also helps support your physical structure. If you change you intra-abdominal pressure without changing anything else, your structure will shift. If you began the action with the proper structure, you will no longer have it.

In order to keep the proper structure, you must use your breath properly.

Just what is the proper use of our breath?

It actually depends upon not only on what you are doing, but, on what you are trying to accomplish. How's that for being vague?

Actually, it is anything but vague. Once you know the rules, it is easy. It even becomes Natural.

OK. I know you want me to explain how something can ?Become Natural.? After all, Natural is Natural. If something can become Natural, doesn't that mean it was Un-Natural before that point in time?

Sorry. I didn't make these rules/principles up. So I won't defend their how, when and why. They are what they are. And here are two of the most important ones:

If the Keyword for the action is Powerful: then:

1) If you are releasing power, exhale.

2) If you are absorbing power, inhale.

Now don't get confused between releasing and absorbing vs. pushing and pulling. They are not the same.

If I am pushing out a chest press machine, I am releasing power when I push the handles away from me. If I am doing a seated row, I am releasing power when I pull the handles in to me.

Even though my two arm actions may transverse almost the same trajectory, my power is going to different areas and energizing different parts of my body. Lowering a bar from a seated chest press machine is definitely not the same as pulling in the handles in a seated row.

Understand that some modalities, like Pilates, Yoga and Dance may seem to contradict these two rules. But, remember, these modalities are not primarily about releasing or absorbing power. They are more concerned with expanding and contracting the body in a graceful manner and with the flow of energy in that closed loop (your body).

Therefore if the Keyword is Graceful, then:

1) If you are expanding the body, inhale.

2) If you are contracting the body, exhale.

What's different here? Well, if you expand a structure without any substantial condensing, the internal pressure of that structure will become lower. This will change that structure. However, if you inhale when you are expanding under these conditions, the resulting increase in air volume will keep the intra-abdominal air pressure more constant; and, thus, not affect the structures supports.

There are many more subtleties to these two sets of rules; but, that is all for now.

About the Author:

Gary Giamboi is a NASM certified Personal Trainer, an E-500RYT Yoga Instructor, holds the rank of Kyoshi (Teaching Master) in several Japanese Martial Arts from the Genbukan World Ninpo Federation and the Kokusai Jujutsu Renmei and a Master's License in Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and Qigong.

He is available for Private Training and Consultations on losing fat, toning up, athletic performance, balance as well as, Martial Arts & Yoga seminars and the 200 hour Yoga Teachers Training courses.

Other articles by Gary can be seen here. He can be reached via his website.