PROPER BREATHING TECHNIQUES WHILE TRAINING

When it comes to maintaining proper form while training, breathing is a MAJOR component. Many individuals tend to hold their breathe while performing a set, however, learning how to properly control your breathe during a set can in fact bring your training to the next level!

Here are some tips that will improve your breathing techniques while training:

• • Upon inhalation, make sure your stomach is expanding opposed to your chest. This will ensure you are ‘Deep Belly Breathing’. Deep belly breathing helps reduce tension in your tendons and efficiently stabilizes your core during exercises which in turn will allow you to perform your workout much more effectively
  • During a set, you should be inhaling when you are working with gravity and exhaling when you are working against gravity. Exhaling when working against gravity will help give us that extra push of power we need, as well as maintain proper stability in our core.
    • Upper body example: When performing a bicep curl, you would want to inhale when lowering the weight from a curl and exhale when curling the weight up against gravity.
    • Lower body example: When performing a squat, you want to inhale when lowering down into the squat and exhale when transitioning to push out of the squat, up against gravity.
  • Not only does proper breathing enhance your physical training but it also helps you mentally. This form of breathing forces you to focus on the moment rather than thinking about stressors outside of your workout. Most importantly, it is meditative to the body, it helps your mind relax and allows you to think more clearly.