body building

Proper breathing in Body Building

Types of breathing

  • Abdominal (diaphragmatic) / low respiration

    It is the most important, efficient and healthy, because it is the natural one; it mostly involves the diaphragm, which in this type of breathing is responsible for 70% of the respiratory volume. Abdominal breathing is also called: diaphragmatic or vegetative, and is used by our body autonomously when we sleep. This explains why, in many wellness disciplines such as pilates, power yoga, power free body, power stretching, body techniques etc. slow movements alternating with deep breathing and complete expirations are planned.
  • Thoracic / media respiration

    In the average population it is the most frequent one. Men, women, boys and children, on the other hand, during the vigil, divide by practicing the abdominal or the thoracic, during which the intercostal muscles are engaged.

  • Apical or clavicular / high respiration

    Used less frequently in the average population, it engages the shoulder muscles, it is a shallow breathing, it remains circumscribed to the upper part of the chest and minimally engages the diaphragm. Physiologically it is more frequent in women, especially in pregnancy, since an important involvement of the diaphragm could be harmful for the fetus.

Proper breathing in body building

Breathing is an activity that we do involuntarily, but we also manage to control by trying to control the movement of the organs (or part of the organs) involved, such as the diaphragm, the rib cage, the shoulders and the abdominals. Consciously it is possible to control the phase of inhalation and expiration in their total duration or even suspend breathing by entering apnea. Many sports disciplines and practices, such as yoga and Pilates, place great importance on breathing, while other oriental disciplines also ascribe to it a spiritual value. Obviously in this section we are interested in more practical aspects of breathing, in particular we wonder if there is a correct breathing during the exercise with weights . Instructors usually recommend:

  • inhale during the exercise unloading phase, typically when the weight returns to the initial position;
  • exhale during the loading phase of the exercise or when it is more difficult.

This method, well tested, generally works well, even if at the beginning the beginner will perceive this practice as a further constraint which tends to confuse it. In fact, forcing yourself to control your breathing in this way requires a good deal of concentration, so it puts the athlete in the right condition of maximum attention to what he is doing. Too many times you see people in the gym looking around while they are exercising or, worse, talking to their neighbors! Focusing on breathing is a good way to think exclusively about the gesture you are making.

A good general rule is the following:

the most important thing to do is not to hold your breath during the loading phase.

Holding your breath during the loading phase is a widespread mistake, because it is instinctive to hold your breath during maximum effort. In reality this is just the opposite of what needs to be done, because apnea in this phase can also lead to serious consequences, especially if the effort involves the muscles of the upper body. Holding the breath, then intentionally blocking the glottis, leads to a compression of the veins, due to an increase in pressure inside the rib cage. Due to the compression, the veins can also partially occlude (as if they were choked by a hand ...) and this considerably slows down the return of venous blood to the heart. As a consequence the arterial pressure rises, reaching even impressive values ​​like 300 mmHg (against 120 at rest). Furthermore, due to the reduced blood supply to the heart, even the outflow of blood slows down and is reduced, decreasing the supply of blood and oxygen to the peripheral organs, which may suffer from it. In particular, less brain spraying could result in dizziness, blurred vision, etc. until you get to see black and faint. These side effects on the brain are well known by opera singers who practice hyperventilation exercises which, in some of their parts, are performed in apnea.

Variations to the basic indications

As a partial exception to the above, there are variations on the optimal breathing technique connected to the biomechanics of the exercise performed; for example, in lateral risers with dumbbells an exhalation in the concentric phase of the movement (when the arms come in line with the shoulders) involves a failed recruitment of the inspiratory muscles synergistic to the movement (such as the small pectoralis, the sternocleidomastoid and the trapezium), resulting therefore unnatural;

; still, in the lat machine an expiration in concentric phase (when the bar reaches the chest) involves a contraction of the abdominal transverse and of the diaphragm, inhibiting the expansion of the thoracic cage and the shortening of the affected muscles. However there are opposing currents of thought in this regard, and in any case the general rule is to carefully observe the postural control of the user during the execution of the exercises.

In the literature there are some tips related exclusively to exercises that heavily involve the spine, such as squats, deadlifts and lunges performed with heavy weights and barbells. In these cases it may be reasonable to hold the breath in the first active phase of the exercise, corresponding to the concentric movement. The apnea, however limited to this partial phase, allows to better coordinate the movements, contract the abdominals and preserve the vertebral column from potential very serious injuries to the vertebrae. However, these exercises conducted with the barbell are very complex and potentially a source of injuries, so they are only suitable for users who have a good training history behind them.

Practical conclusions

(Note) To complete the above, a basic clarification is required.

It can often happen to be asked whether chest training, rather than diaphragmatic breathing, is better during weight training (we reject apical breathing a priori). Neither, or both, both answers are correct. It is physiologically more suitable for a "hybrid" breathing, therefore both thoracic and diaphragmatic, that is a breathing that allows the involvement of the diaphragm in order to be able to take in more air, while still maintaining the lower part of the abdominal band in tension / retraction, together with the pelvic floor. This in order to protect and stabilize the column, especially in exercises that involve a more or less direct compression; last but not least, it is essential to optimally control one's posture while performing the exercises.