This Is the Right Way to Breathe While Working Out

Did you know that breathing incorrectly during a workout can undermine performance and even increase the risk of injury? We break down the mechanics of breathing during exercise and cover some top tips to help you unlock the benefits of proper breathing.

Key Takeaways

• Breathing delivers oxygen to working muscles, which is particularly important during exercise.
• It's important to control your breathing while working out.
• Experts generally recommend exhaling during exertion and inhaling during the easier part of a movement.
• If you're lifting particularly heavy weights, you can try using the Valsalva maneuver for extra stability.

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How to Breathe When Lifting Weights

Carriejune, founder of Minibeast, says:

"Proper breathing during exercise is more important than you might think. It can enhance performance, endurance, and even safety."

When you hit the gym, you're hopefully thinking about things like form and progressive overload. But too many people overlook one thing they do without even thinking: breathing.

Your breathing is more important than you might think, no matter the kind of exercise. It's particularly important during strength training, where correct breathing can enhance your performance and support stability and safety.

Improving your breathing is also fairly simple. You don't need to buy any fancy equipment or learn complex techniques.

If you want to take your workouts to the next level, you need to understand how to breathe. We break down the basics and cover some essential tips and techniques to help you make every rep feel more controlled.

Why Is Proper Breathing Important?

Breathing is all too easy to overlook. After all, you usually do it automatically. And normally, you want to keep it that way.

That's not true during exercise, though. When you're working out, it's worth ensuring your breathing is optimal.

For one thing, breathing is how we deliver oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from our body. That becomes particularly important when our bodies are under strain, like during exercise. A steady supply of oxygen helps delay muscular fatigue.

Your breathing can also support good technique. Experts coordinate their breaths with each movement to maximize force production and stability, and to reduce fatigue at the end of the workout.

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How Should I Breathe While Weightlifting?

These general principles of breathing apply no matter what kind of workout you're doing. But the specific breathing techniques may vary.

For example, experts often recommend syncing your breathing with your footsteps while running. You might inhale for three steps, then exhale for two.

Regular, continuous breathing is also important during high-rep workouts or circuit training.

During weightlifting, experts generally recommend syncing your breathing with each rep of whatever movement you're doing.

It's often not recommended to hold your breath, especially for long periods of time. Breath-holding can spike your blood pressure and cause lightheadedness.

Controlled breathing, on the other hand, can help prevent dizziness and loss of balance while lifting.

What Is the Concentric Phase?

The concentric phase of a rep is the part where your working muscle produces force. It's generally the hard part of a movement. For example, during a bench press, the concentric phase is when you're pushing the bar away from your chest.

The general rule is to exhale during the concentric phase. A forceful exhale can help you engage your core muscles, which is important for stability.

That doesn't mean blowing all the air out at once. Instead, try to keep your exhale and effort smooth and controlled throughout the complete range of motion.

What Is the Eccentric Phase

The eccentric phase of a rep is the part where your muscle lengthens under tension. To stick with our bench press example, it's when you lower the bar back down to your chest. This part might seem easier, but it requires careful control and discipline.

The general rule is to inhale during the eccentric phase. Let your breath fill your torso, setting you up for the exhale during the concentric phase. A deep inhale can help stabilize your spine's alignment, giving you a solid base for the effort ahead.

What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?

When you inhale, where does the air go? That might sound like a silly question, but it's not.

Many people breathe through their chest. When they inhale, their chests expand, and shoulders rise. This results in shallow breaths and isn't always ideal.

Another technique is called diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing. Your diaphragm is a muscle located underneath your lungs.

When you inhale, engage your diaphragm. As you pull it down, other muscles engage, organs shift to make room for more air, and your ribcage and abdomen expand.

Diaphragmatic breathing has a few advantages. It can help create intra-abdominal pressure, which is useful for support and stability while lifting weights. Diaphragmatic breathing can also use less energy than chest breathing, which can enhance endurance.

If you've never tried belly breathing before, here's a way to do so. Lie on your back and place one or both hands on your stomach. When you breathe in, try to do so in a way that causes your hand(s) to rise before your chest does. You're filling your lungs from the bottom up.

What Is the Valsalva Maneuver?

As we've discussed, when lifting lighter weights, it's generally recommended to exhale during exertion and inhale during the eccentric phase.

If you're tackling seriously heavy weights, like during powerlifting or attempting a one-rep max, the advice shifts. For heavy lifts, some lifters use a technique called the Valsalva maneuver.

The Valsalva maneuver involves taking a big, deep breath, then closing your airway and bracing your abdominal muscles while exhaling. You don't actually let any air out, but instead push against your own muscles, as if you're preparing to be punched in the gut. This builds intra-abdominal pressure, which helps stabilize the spine.

Most people reserve this technique for heavy, low-rep sets. As we explained, too much breath-holding can cause blood pressure spikes and dizziness.

How Do I Learn More About Proper Weightlifting Technique?

Proper breathing is just one aspect of good form in the gym. One of the best ways to learn proper form is with professional guidance.

Minibeast's 8-Week Workout Challenge gives you exactly that. You get access to multiple workout programs, customized calories, a 24/7 private support group, demonstration videos, education from professionals, and much more.

Conclusion

Good breathing is simple, but it can take practice to get right. Investing the time to get your breathing correct is a valuable way to support and enhance your workouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Inhale or Exhale When Pushing?

Experts generally recommend exhaling when pushing.

Is It Better to Breathe In or Out When Lifting?

Most people breathe out during the hard part of the lift, which is called the concentric phase. Then you breathe in during the easier part of the lift, the eccentric phase.

What Is the 4-7-8 Breathing Rule?

The 4-7-8 breathing rule is a popular breath control exercise used to promote relaxation. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat as needed.

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