The lungs are where the air you breathe is processed, and the
oxygen is removed and transferred to the blood stream for
distribution throughout your body. The amount of air your lungs can
process is the first limiting factor that determines an
The more conditioned your lungs are, the more conditioned the
rest of your body will become. This is why breathing properly
during exercise to provide the maximum load of oxygen is essential
during your training.
The question that always comes up is when to inhale and when to
exhale. If you take a yoga or Pilates class, the instructor will
tell you to inhale on the contraction or the shortening of the
muscle and exhale on the expansion or lengthening of the muscle
being worked. If you talk with a personal trainer, they will
typically tell you to inhale on the expansion and exhale on the
contraction of the muscle.
So who is right? Which should you do to get maximum results?
Breathing is one of the most natural things you do, but while
working out it can be difficult to incorporate correctly.
You may find yourself holding your breath temporarily to
increase your strength, but be aware of the risks of this. Holding
your breath during a weight-training set can result in higher blood
pressure. The increased blood pressure makes it harder for your
heart to pump blood and eventually will reduce blood flow to the
You may find yourself increasing your breathing as you work out
due to a higher heart rate and need of oxygen to the muscles at a
This occurs more often when you are doing cardio work such as
walking, running, bike riding or any other longer term activities.
During a weight training set, your heart rate will increase along
with your breathing to get the blood to the muscle that is being
Increasing your rate of breathing for a period of time can lead
to dizziness, dramatic pressure undulation or fluctuation and, in
some cases, nausea. It may even lead to fainting during or after an
This is why we need to make sure that our breathing techniques
are done properly.
Natural rhythmic breathing is usually the best way to go. Your
body will return to its natural state if you do not consciously try
to hold your breathe to get more power, talk too much during the
exertion of your workouts or try to take multiple deep breaths.
During heavy lifting you should inhale a little more than normal
prior to the movement and exhale as you are lifting or doing the
action. For example, if you are doing a chest press, you would
exhale as you lift the bar off your chest and inhale again as you
bring the bar back down. Do not make these breaths so deep and
powerful that you cannot breathe after the second repetition. Your
breaths should be natural, but with a little bit of force if