How You Should Breathe When Lifting Weights
Sep 1st, 2007 by Mehdi Posted in Weight Lifting
A discussion on a forum some months ago:
Question: “Today when I completed a Power Clean, I nearly blacked out. Extreme dizziness, complete silence, unable to see clearly, jello limbs, etc.
I don’t really pay attention to my breathing. I breathe out (grunt out) at the top of the lift. Then hold my breath as I lower it. The dizziness is worst at the top as soon as I’ve racked the barbell on my shoulders.“
Forum Members: “Don’t use the Valsalva maneuver: don’t hold your breath. You could get dizzy and faint.“
“You can damage your eyes if you don’t breathe while doing heavy lifts. Your eyes are the first to give out if internal pressure is too great.”
“Exhale during the concentric phase and inhale on the eccentric phase. Failing to breathe properly builds up pressure in all the wrong places.”
Valsalva Maneuver. When you move a heavy object, you take a big breath, hold it & exert force. Whether you push your car of move a piece of furniture. Holding your breath is something you do naturally.
Breathing in strength training is the same. Big breath. Hold breath during the lift. Breathe between reps.
Why You Should Hold Your Breath. Your lower back supports the weight from the back. Your abs from the front. Holding your breath increases the pressure in your abdominal cavity. You’re adding front support, helping your back.
Exhale during a Squat & the pressure in your abdomen decreases. Your lower back gets all the weight. Holding your breath is safer.
Eye Damage. This comes from the study on eye damage & weightlifting.
The 30 volunteers had to Bench Press 4 reps in 2 different ways:
- Holding their breath during the 4 reps
- Breathing normally during the 4 reps
While they were holding their breath, pressure in the right eye was measured. While they breathed normally, pressure in the left eye was measured. In both cases eye pressure was measured during the last rep.
- When they held their breath eye pressure rose 4.3 mm of mercury (average) in 90% of the weightlifters.
- When they breathed normally eye pressure rose 2.2 mm or mercury in 62% of weightlifters.
The researchers concluded that prolonged weightlifting might be a potential risk factor for the development as well as the progression of glaucoma.
First. Nobody should hold his breath for 4 reps. Breathe between reps. Second. Your body adapts. You gain muscle, you become stronger, your cardiovascular system adapts and whatever else is needed to lift big weights.
Five millions weightlifters worldwide participate in championships & use the Valsalva maneuver.
- Find a video of an Olympic weightlifter breathing during a lift.
- Find a weightlifter who injured his eye because he held his breath.
I’ve been lifting for 10 years, I’m still waiting for it to happen.
Fainting. Back to the original question. The poster could have faint for several reasons:
- Bad day. Illness. Poor nutrition.
- Bad shape. Overweight. Fat. Just started training.
- Received the bar against his throat on the power clean.
I suspect number 3. Positioning the bar against your throat on Front Squats & Power Cleans can make you dizzy. Work on your technique. Increase weight progressively. Let your body adapt.
How You Should Breathe. Get ready for your lift. Take a big breath. Hold against your glottis. Move the weight. Breathe between reps. Feel free to grunt on the way up.
The Valsalva maneuver happens naturally. Don’t think about it. Trust your instinct. You’ll be ok.
I got sort of the same thing on wednesday. Had slept poorly and eaten bad that day. About 3/4 into the program I really started to feel weak, a bit dizzy and my vision got weird. So I had a really bad day, was fearing puking in fact. Bad bad day.
I don’t completely agree with the sentence “breathe inbetween reps”.
Let’s say you’re bench pressing. You’d want to breathe out when you push. As for squats, I think both options are OK, and for deadlifting you should indeed breathe inbetween reps.
I can vouch for this. I didn’t breathe right on my squats, and my front got weak. Needless to say, the barbell rolled over my neck and fell on the rack. Good thing it was just a bruise. Moral of the story: As well as technique, learn to breathe correctly!
BTW That’s how you get those abs.
yeah this is a good tip that i don’t think is common knowledge to the average gym goer
i don’t think it’s possible to squat or deadlift very heavy and still maintain a tight trunk without holding your air
i’ve been told before that “your muscles need oxygen” but weight training is ANAEROBIC activity
Bad days happen. I have them a lot. Don’t pay too much attention to them. What’s important is that you went to the gym & completed the workout. As long as you have more good days than bad days, you’ll be successful. Bad days are great to build character.
Wimmos. Check back the blockquote example of the study on eye damage. I wouldn’t naturally hold my breath for 4 reps doing a Bench Press. Neither on a Overhead Press or Squat (only exception if you’re doing speed work maybe).
Dave. That’s a perfect example of what could happen if you don’t hold breathe correctly. Just as Brent writes: you can’t Squat or Deadlift heavy if you don’t maintain a tight trunk. People who avocate breathing during reps, apply the rules of running or whatever other aerobic activity, to weight training. Different sports, different rules.
Is it me or is this NASA.gov page explaining the Valsalva Maneuver incorrectly?
http://rehabworks.ksc.nasa.gov/education/topics/valsalva.php
Wouldn’t surprise me
Hey, now here’s a new one — see the subheadline on this page:
http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/valsalva.html
Also, I thought it’s weird that the Wikipedia entry on the Valsalva Maneuver doesn’t, at all, mention weight training:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver
Hi mehdi I have been reading pavels power to the people book, and in there he recommends power breathing, and says Power breathing is performed by taking a slow deep breath through the nose about 75% of your lung capacity. Breathe in to the stomach using the diaphragm don’t just raise the chest. Exhale through the mouth plugging your teeth with your tongue and hiss while tensing the abs until a full contraction has been obtained. Ive have tried this and this can make you a little lightheaded when pressing a heavy weight, what are your thoughts. Thanks for an excellent site.
@Mark
Best is not to pay too much attention to it. Your body naturally knows how to breathe when lifting heavy.