As you know, your weightlifting, Crossfit, or everyday gym workout involves more than just pushing and pulling weights.  Of course proper form and technique are the most important goal, as well as the composition of your workout itself including warm up and cool down periods, but proper breathing habits are crucial as well. How to breathe when weightlifting depends slightly on what type of exercise you're executing, but the maintaining a solid mind-body connection is crucial. 

How To Breathe When Weightlifting

Recently, the smarty pants at Harvard Health EDU released a guide to exercise with some of the most important tips to keep in MIND during your workout, and you guessed it, proper breathing technique was right up there with consistency and intensity of exercise. 

You prep your body for a grueling Crossfit or weightlifting session by wearing the appropriate gym clothing to allow for maximum cooling effects and mobility.  You may even use workout gloves to enhance your grip, increase confidence with the weights, and protect you hands against friction causing calluses.  What you're probably not paying attention to is your breathing. If you've ever worked with a Personal Trainer, one of the most consistent commands you'll hear is "breathe."

Here are some tips for how to breathe when weightlifting : 

Holding your breath during the execution of ANY exercise raises your blood pressure. Don't do it!

Before grabbing those pull up bars or getting ready for a huge deadlift.  Take a deep breath.  Not too deep that you increase pressure, but a little deeper than normal. 

Just like with doing a cardio workout, your body NEEDS oxygen, however it's slightly different than when weightlifting.  Focus more on belly breathing. 

If you feel like you need some extra breaths to bust through your set, don't fight the urge, but do it during the concentric phase of the exercise.  So if you're doing a bench press that would be at the top. 

Despite what ANYONE tells you, never ever ever hold your breath.  How to breathe when weightlifting requires giving your body optimum amounts of oxygen, and holding your breath spikes blood pressure during an already stressful situation for your body. 

Always consult a health professional before starting any exercise regime, and always wear some sort of gym gloves or workout gloves to help you maintain control of the weights. YOu can get GymPaws on http://www.amazon.com/shops/gympaws or right here using your Amazon account to checkout, Paypal, or credit card. 

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