Types of breathing
- Abdominal (diaphragmatic) / low breathing
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 from our body autonomously when we sleep, which explains why, in many disciplines wellness such as pilates, power yoga, power free body, power stretching, body techniques etc. slow movements alternating with deep breaths and full exhalations are foreseen.
- Thoracic / middle breathing
In the average population it is the most frequent. Men, women, boys and children, on the other hand, during the wakefulness, divide by practicing the abdominal or thoracic one, during which the intercostal muscles are engaged. - Apical or clavicular / high breathing
Used less frequently in the average population, it engages the shoulder muscles, is a shallow breathing, remains confined to the upper chest and minimally engages the diaphragm. Physiologically it is more frequent in women, especially during pregnancy, since an important involvement of the diaphragm could be harmful to the fetus.
Proper Breathing in Body Building
Breathing is an "activity that we perform involuntarily, but which we can also 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 inhalation and exhalation phase in their overall duration or even suspend breathing by entering apnea. Many sports disciplines and practices, such as yoga and Pilates, give great importance to breathing, while other oriental disciplines also attribute a spiritual value Obviously in this paragraph we are interested in more practical aspects of breathing, in particular we ask ourselves if there is a correct breathing during the execution of the exercises with weights. Usually instructors recommend that you:
- inhale during the unloading phase of the exercise, typically when the weight returns to the initial position;
- exhale during the loading phase of the exercise, that is when you get the most effort.
This tried and tested method generally works well, although at first the beginner will perceive this practice as an additional constraint that tends to confuse him. "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 doing an exercise or, worse, talking to their neighbor! Focusing on your breathing is a good way to think exclusively about the gesture you are making.
A good rule of thumb is:
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 very common mistake, because it is instinctive to hold your breath during maximum effort. In reality this is just the opposite of what you have to do, because apnea in this phase can also lead to serious consequences, especially if the effort involves the muscles of the upper body. Hold your breath, then intentionally block 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 throttled from a hand ...) and this considerably slows down the return of venous blood to the heart. As a consequence, blood pressure rises, even reaching impressive values such as 300 mmHg (against 120 at rest). Furthermore, due to the reduced blood supply to the heart, the outflow of blood also slows down and is reduced, decreasing the supply of blood and oxygen to the peripheral organs, which can suffer from it. In particular, a lower blood supply to the brain could give as a consequence dizziness, blurred vision etc. up to see black and to pass out. These side effects affecting 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 derogation from what has been said, there are variations on the optimal breathing technique connected to the biomechanics of the exercise performed; for example, in the lateral raises with the dumbbells an "exhalation in the concentric phase of the movement (when the arms arrive in line with the shoulders ) involves a lack of recruitment of the inspiratory muscles synergistic to the movement (such as the pectoral minor, the sternocleidomastoid and the trapezius), thus resulting unnatural;
; again, in the lat machine a "concentric phase exhalation (when the bar reaches the chest) involves a contraction of the abdominal traverse and the diaphragm, inhibiting the expansion of the rib cage and the shortening of the muscles involved. However, there are opposing currents of thought in merit, and in any case the general rule is to carefully observe the user's postural control during the execution of the exercises.
There are some recommendations in the literature relating 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 your breath in the first active phase of the exercise, corresponding to the concentric movement. Apnea, however limited to this partial phase, allows you to better coordinate movements, contract the abdominals and preserve the spine from potential very serious injuries to the vertebrae. However, these exercises conducted with the barbell are very complex and potentially a source of injuries, therefore only suitable for users who have a good seniority of training behind them.
Practical conclusions
(N.d.a.) To complete the above, a background clarification is required.
It can often happen that you are asked whether thoracic breathing is better than diaphragmatic breathing in weight training (let's discard apical breathing a priori). Neither, or both, both answers are correct. "physiologically more suitable" hybrid "breathing, therefore both thoracic and diaphragmatic, that is a breathing that allows the involvement of the diaphragm to be able to take in more air, while maintaining tension / retraction in the lower part of the abdominal belt, together with the floor pelvic. This is in order to protect and stabilize the spine, especially in exercises that involve more or less direct compression; last but not least it is essential to control your posture in an optimal way during the execution of the exercises.
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