Breathing...it is often totally absent from our thoughts when exercising. Yet breathing has a huge impact on how the body reacts to exercises. One of the many reasons Lance Armstrong was so incredibly successful was his ability to control his breathing and oxygen.
When strength training, many people breathe from the chest. When you breathe through the chest, only a little volume of air is pushed in, which in turn, lowers the body's energy levels. You need to breathe from the belly. Deep belly breathing...it ensures that more oxygen is pushed in and gives you more energy/power.
A few pointers I have learned (and have to keep reminding myself) include:
Take few deep breaths just before starting your set. Allow the oxygen to flow into the brain and the muscles.
Do NOT hold your breath during lifting. This is a mistake made by many, even experienced lifters. When you hold your breath during heavy weight lifting, you are increasing your blood pressure.
Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Take a big breath as you start the exercise. Exhale as you are in the power/up portion of the exercise. For example, when you are bench-pressing, take a huge deep belly breath as you are starting to bring the bar down to your chest and then exhale during the push.
A deep exhale will give you the extra push and energy to move the weight.
Stay tuned…………
No comments:
Post a Comment