Breathing During Training

8 min read

Most athletes never consciously think about their breathing during training. And that's understandable - you have enough to do with proper technique, the right weight, and counting your reps. But how you breathe directly affects your strength, stability, and safety. The difference between good and bad breathing can be the difference between a strong lift and an injury.

The Valsalva Maneuver: Your Most Important Tool for Heavy Lifting

The Valsalva maneuver sounds complicated, but it's something you probably already do unconsciously when lifting something heavy. The principle: you breathe deeply into your belly (not your chest), close your glottis, brace your core, and hold that pressure while performing the heavy phase of the lift. Only after passing the most difficult point do you exhale in a controlled manner.

What happens physiologically is that you build up intra-abdominal pressure. That pressure acts as a kind of internal belt around your spine. Research measures pressure values of 150 to 200 mmHg during heavy squats with the Valsalva technique, compared to only 70 to 80 mmHg with normal breathing. That extra pressure translates directly into a more stable midsection and more strength.

One study showed that experienced lifters 10 to 15 percent more weight could squat with the Valsalva maneuver compared to continuous breathing. Not because their muscles were stronger, but because their torso was more stable and force was transferred more efficiently.

When to Use and Not Use the Valsalva

The Valsalva maneuver is specifically intended for heavy compound exercises where your spine is under load:

• Squats, deadlifts, and their variations
• Overhead press and push press
• Barbell rows and bent-over rows
• Heavy bench press (less critical but still useful)

For isolation exercises and lighter sets (above 12 repetitions), the Valsalva is not needed and also not practical. There you use the standard breathing rule: inhale during the eccentric (negative) phase, exhale during the concentric (positive) phase. So for a bicep curl, you breathe in as you lower the weight, and out as you curl it up.

Bracing: More Than Just Holding Your Breath

Bracing means engaging your entire core - abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, pelvic floor - 360 degrees around. Imagine someone is going to punch you in the stomach. That reflex to tense everything, that is bracing.

The order is important:

1. Stand upright with the barbell on your back (or in your hands for a deadlift)
2. Breathe deeply through your nose, into your belly - your ribs should move outward, not your shoulders up
3. Engage your core 360 degrees while holding your breath
4. Perform the eccentric phase (lowering for squat, lowering for bench)
5. Push through the most difficult point
6. Exhale at the top, or after passing the sticking point

For sets of 5 or more repetitions, you can briefly exhale at the top and inhale again for the next rep. Some experienced lifters hold their breath for 2 to 3 reps in a row, but this is only wise once your technique becomes automatic.

Safety and Blood Pressure

You regularly hear that the Valsalva maneuver would be dangerous due to the blood pressure spike. It's true that your blood pressure briefly rises - sometimes to 300/200 mmHg during a maximal squat. But that peak lasts only a few seconds and normalizes immediately after the repetition.

For healthy people, this is not a problem. Your blood vessels are elastic and built to withstand short pressure peaks. The risk of injury from an unstable torso is many times greater than the risk of a short blood pressure spike.

There are exceptions. Consult your doctor if you:

• Have known high blood pressure that is not under control
• Have a hernia or other abdominal wall issues
• Have heart or vascular problems
• Get dizzy during the Valsalva maneuver

Breathing for Specific Exercises

Squat: Breathe in at the top, brace, descend, push up, breathe out at the top. For sets of 1 to 3 reps, you hold your breath the entire rep. For 5+ reps, you briefly exhale at the top and inhale again.

Deadlift: Breathe in and brace while you're still standing or halfway through your setup. Hold throughout the entire lift. Exhale when standing. Lower the weight with a new breath or exhaling in a controlled manner.

Bench press: Breathe in as the bar comes to your chest. Hold while pressing. Exhale at the top. The Valsalva is less critical here than with squats because your back is on the bench, but it still helps in creating a stable base.

Isolation exercises: Just breathe normally. Out during the contraction, in during the extension. Never hold your breath during curls, lateral raises, or leg extensions - it adds nothing and can make you dizzy.

Practical Tips to Learn It

• Practice bracing without weight: place your hands on your stomach and breathe deeply. Your hands should be pushed forward, not your chest up
• Use a belt for heavy sets (above 85 percent of your max). The belt gives you something to push against, which further increases intra-abdominal pressure
• Film yourself from the side. You can see whether you're using chest breathing or belly breathing
• Start with light weights and build it up. If the breathing isn't right at 60 kilos, it won't get better at 120 kilos
• Breathe calmly in and out through your nose between sets. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system and helps you recover faster. Conscious breathing between sets lowers your heart rate faster than random breathing

Common Breathing Mistakes

• Exhaling at the beginning of the heavy phase - Exhaling during a squat as you begin to descend is the fastest way to lose your core stability. Breathe in and hold before you begin to descend
• Holding your breath too long - For sets of 8+ reps, you don't need to hold your breath the entire set. Breathe in again at the top of each rep
• Chest breathing instead of belly breathing - If your shoulders go up when inhaling, you're breathing into your chest. This builds less intra-abdominal pressure. Practice belly breathing until it becomes automatic

Breathing is not a side issue in training. It is the basis of stability and strength. Learn it well, and your lifts will become safer and stronger without you needing to add a kilo of muscle mass.