Don't Forget to Breathe!

Do you find yourself tending to hold your breath when you exercise, especially when lifting weights? If so, you're not alone. However, you may be putting yourself at risk for decreased performance and injury.

*This information is meant for general exercise, especially in adults. Guidelines and recommendations will differ for powerlifting and bodybuilding-specific workouts*

So, what happens when you hold your breath during a lift?

Elevated heart rate/blood pressure.

- Whenever you exercise, your heart has to work harder to keep your systems running. When you hold your breath, you reduce/eliminate the oxygen that your body is getting. In response, your body has to work harder to compensate, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. This can be problematic, especially if you're already a higher-risk individual regarding heart health or blood pressure.

Reduced performance.

- Along with glucose, your muscles use oxygen to aid contraction during exercise. While holding your breath can increase performance in shorter lifts (like powerlifting), over a longer amount of time the reduction in oxygen will cause the body to prioritize certain areas (the brain) where remaining oxygen is sent. This takes energy away from your muscles and causes quicker reduction in strength.

- Additionally, lack of oxygen will make you feel lightheaded/out of breath/dizzy, possibly causing you to prematurely end the set even though your muscles may have had the strength to finish.

Reduced Recovery

- If you hold your breath during an exercise, after you finish that round your body will have to work hard to get your respiration/heart rate/blood pressure back to normal. Because of that high level of work, it takes much longer to get your body prepared for another round of exercise. This will lead to diminished performance long after the initial breath hold. 

Risk of Passing out/Hernia

- While this usually occurs during high-load lifts, it can happen to anybody under the right circumstances. When holding your breath, most of the pressure will be held in your abdominal area. You may have heard of a valsalva maneuver - the intentional building of pressure to brace the core and increase performance. This should only be done by professionals because, when misused, it can cause hernias from the increased pressure.

- Like we mentioned above, blood pressure elevates greatly when breath is held. If it is done improperly or over too long of a time, this can cause too much pressure in the head. This can lead to fainting - which is bad enough before considering you've lost consciousness around a lot of hard objects with nothing to break your fall. If nothing else, this is reason alone to ensure you're consistently breathing.

A couple tips for proper breathing - in through the nose, out through the mouth (for best air quality). 

- Sync your breathing with your movements (breathe out when you press)

- Use your breathing to stay focused on the movement and to stay mindful of your pace.

- Engage your core and brace your back throughout the duration of the exercise to ensure safety/form - by squeezing your muscles, not holding your breath or sucking in.