Breathing
is just something all of us take for granted. It happens automatically without
even thinking about it. However, there is more to it than that when you are
doing a strength training workout. Your breathing pattern needs to be on point
just like the movements you do while training. You must be aware of your
breathing habits otherwise it could result in serious injury.
Don’t Ever Hold Your Breath
We
have all seen those funny (sometimes scary) videos of people passing out when
lifting weights. We get a good laugh from all of them, but this could happen to
you, too, if you are not careful. This occurs when your blood pressure spikes
up quickly because you are holding your breath while lifting a heavy object.
Your body needs a constant supply of oxygen when strength training. If you
limit it even for a short amount of time, you may wake up on the floor of the
gym.
How Should You Breathe During
Strength Training?
There
is a bit of a trick to it. You can just start panting away like a dog as you
bang out reps. Not only will you start hyperventilating, but you will also be
getting weird looks from everyone else there. When you are bench pressing or
doing the military press, inhale as you are bringing the weight down as that
requires less exertion. Exhale when you are pushing the weight away from you.
Always exhale on the toughest part of the movement of the strength training
exercise.
Try to alternate using both the mouth and the nose to breathe through. It will ensure the proper amount of oxygen is circulating through your body at just the right speed. When enough oxygen is present, you should be able to put together a pretty great workout.