Just breatheeeeeee

[nancysmithwp]

Hi! I'm Nancy, and I'm halfway through Phase I. This book came at an opportune time for me as I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in December and needed to step up the heavy lifting as part of my therapy. The lower body exercises in particular are exactly what research is showing will grow strong bones. I'm loving the program.

I've always been taught to exhale on the exertion, but I find myself holding my breath for the first couple of seconds on the hardest part of the squat and the deadlift. It feels like it makes me stronger. Is this bad?

[Lisa~]

Good for you for beginning a lifting program! This is exactly what you need to combat osteoporosis.

The rule of thumb is to exhale after exertion. You do want to brace your core with a big breath and bearing down with all your core muscles. Hold that breath until after the most difficult portion of the lift. For a squat, for example, you would inhale before you descend and exhale when you are near the top of the upward push, past your sticking point.

[Cynic]

I can't remember sho said it, might have been Ian King or Mike Boyle, but rhythmic breating is associated with relaxation. Not something you want happening with a heavy load over you.

So follow Lisa~'s advice.

[jvernacchio]

Originally Posted by nancysmithwp

Hi! I'm Nancy, and I'm halfway through Phase I. This book came at an opportune time for me as I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in December and needed to step up the heavy lifting as part of my therapy. The lower body exercises in particular are exactly what research is showing will grow strong bones. I'm loving the program.

I've always been taught to exhale on the exertion, but I find myself holding my breath for the first couple of seconds on the hardest part of the squat and the deadlift. It feels like it makes me stronger. Is this bad?

No it is not bad to have your core set when you are doing heavy lifting like squats and deads. Any compound lifting you do you want to breath in sink it down into the core and "set" (as Lisa mentioned) it while in the deepest part of the movements when you are coming out of the lift half way to 3/4 up for squats you breath out taking in another breath at top and repeating.

Here are a couple of great articles on proper squatting, dead lifting, and it talks about breathing as well.

10 tips for flawless squatting
TESTOSTERONE NATION

Mastering the Deadlift 3 parts (read all 3 parts)
TESTOSTERONE NATION

[nancysmithwp]

Wow, thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback and great information.

[rixatrix]

Originally Posted by nancysmithwp

Wow, thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback and great information.

It's a little late, but I just found this, from an article in Men's Health by the great Lou Schuler himself:

Second, most of us tend to hold our breath briefly while lifting. This increases blood pressure dramatically and used to scare the daylights out of doctors, who feared aneurysms could result. But new research from the University of Alberta in Edmonton shows that brief breath-holding actually exerts a sort of counterpressure on arterial walls that neutralizes the rise in blood pressure. Aneurysm avoided.

Looks like you were doing it naturally right the whole time.