How to breathe during squats

Exercise helps to improve appearance and well-being. During the squats, the leg joints warm up, the blood circulation in the pelvic area returns to normal, and endurance increases. Formed abdominals, train the muscles of the buttocks, thighs and back. When performing such exercises, it is necessary to adhere to several basic recommendations, among which is correct breathing.

Why is it so important to breathe properly when squats

Active loads - a little stress for the body, so it needs additional oxygen. Proper breathing ensures a steady flow of necessary substances into the muscle tissue and internal organs. If you dramatically fill the lungs with air or empty them with jerks, the load on the heart increases.The body does not receive the required amount of oxygen, the person suffers from hypoxia, and may lose consciousness during exercise.

Tip: During the squats, you must keep your back straight, take the correct starting position, and do not roll the body forward, otherwise the breath will constantly lose its way.

Recommendations and Tips

1. You can not give up a little warm-up, which will prepare the muscles and lungs for the main loads.
2. Air must flow into the bronchi through the nose. Oxygen activates receptors hidden in the mucous membrane that send a signal to the brain. Gray matter reacts to messages, and stimulates the work of all internal organs.
3. You can exhale through the mouth, but you should not accompany the process with loud cries, as professional athletes sometimes do. Carbon dioxide from beginners should go silently, through the nostrils, or clenched teeth.
4. It is useful to do breathing exercises, which increases the volume of the lungs, and trains the intercostal muscles, so that during squats they expand better and easier.
5. You can not hold the exhalation or breath for longer than a second - two.Especially dangerous is the stagnation of oxygen when the lungs are filled, when a person performs squats with heavy dumbbells or a barbell. The risk of losing consciousness increases.
6. Not advised to constantly focus on breathing. This process should be easy and easy. It is better to pay attention to the technique of doing squats, then it will be easier for the body to normalize the frequency and depth of breaths and exits.

Important: Training should be carried out on the street or in a well-ventilated area. In closed, stuffy rooms, there is not enough oxygen, and with an increase in the number of students, the concentration of carbon dioxide increases.

Varieties of breathing

At rest, a person uses the lungs and chest muscles to saturate the body with oxygen. The body with this type of breathing gets a small portion of air, which is enough for normal functioning.

Squatting, professional athletes engage the abdominal cavity, namely the diaphragm. When you inhale, it is filled with air along with the lungs, and from the inside it presses against the rib cage, expanding it and increasing the volume of oxygen entering the body.The second type needs to be developed, and it can be difficult for a beginner to master abdominal breathing. But thanks to regular training and self-control, you can gradually modify for the better both the chest and the diaphragm.

How it works:

• Gathering air through the nose, you should try to direct it to the lungs and the stomach.
• The stomach slightly bulges forward, expanding to the maximum size.
• Slowly push carbon dioxide out through the mouth or nostrils while straining the abs and drawing in the abdominal muscles.
• On the exhale, the abdomen should be pressed as far as possible. Thanks to this type of breathing, the body receives a lot of oxygen, and the press is additionally trained.

Important: One of the main problems of athletes is a protrusion of the abdomen during exercises, including squats. It is necessary at the moments of maximum load, that is, lifting, try to engage the abdominal muscles. If this is not done, in time the press will start to come forward, and the person will appear thicker than he really is.

Classic exercises: slow and measured

Begin to advise with squats with a body weight, without using barbells or dumbbells.After 6-10 repetitions, when all muscles, including the intercostal muscles, are warmed up, weighting agents can be added.

1. A person who has assumed the initial position should free his lungs from carbon dioxide residues.
2. Gently sinking down lips tightly, and slowly inhale the air with your nose. No need to rush, and try to capture more oxygen than the lungs can hold.
3. When the pelvis is in front of the knees, stop breathing, and begin to exhale. You can push carbon dioxide out of the lungs only by rising to half.
4. It is better to stretch your arms in front of you, or lift it to your shoulders. The alternative is to dissolve to the sides. The limbs should not hang down the sides, this position prevents the chest cell from expanding.

Tip: J. Weider, author of the book on the basics of bodybuilding, offers to breathe as comfortable. The athlete believes that focusing solely on the rhythm of inhalation - exhalation, the person ceases to fully control his body, and does the exercises incorrectly.

Enhanced version

Squats with a load help pump up the buttocks and thighs, develop the lumbar and abdominal muscles. The first rule that beginners and experienced athletes must follow is posture alwaysshould remain perfectly straight.

• Deep breath, and a sharp exhalation.
• Go to the machine, and put the barbell on the shoulders.
• Spreading your legs and straightening your back, fill your lungs with 3/4 of air.
• Gently descend to the desired mark, you can hold your breath for a second.
• Lifting, especially with a load, requires some effort. It is advised not to rush to exhale, returning to the original position.
• The air from the lungs should go smoothly, without sharp jerks, through the nostrils or linked teeth.
• Straightening up, you need to exhale the remnants of carbon dioxide, and re-fill the chest with oxygen.

Option Two: for experienced athletes

Most people think that holding their breath is bad, but there is a special category that says: the air in the lungs during the ascent is natural. In this case, the squatting barbell scheme will be slightly different:

• Putting the barbell on the shoulders, fill the chest with air by three quarters.
• Oxygen can be captured by mouth, taking a sharp, shallow sip.
• Hold your breath, doing an exercise with a barbell.
• Sit down quickly and return to the starting position, “spit out” carbon dioxide with effort, and refill the lungs with oxygen.

Important: Some bodybuilders take a shallow breath before the next approach, and exhale only after they complete the squat. They manage to sit down 4 to 10 times with full breasts. But this approach is dangerous for the heart, and can only be used by an experienced athlete with a trained body and a developed respiratory system.

Proper rest

Between approaches, a break of 1–2 minutes to 4–6 is required. During the rest period, breathe exclusively with the nose, trying to take a deep breath, filling the lungs to the brim with air. The exhalation should be slow, and continue until the chest cell is empty.

It is recommended to breathe in a uniform rhythm, and to return to squats, when the pulse returns to normal, and the body is saturated with oxygen.

Starting to perform the next exercise, it is advised to take a deep breath so that the lungs are fully opened. Exhale to complete each repetition and approach.

If after squats it is hard to breathe, then it is necessary to reduce the load. In this way, the body signals that it is not ready for a lot of weight or so many repetitions. You need to start with small achievements, constantly raising the bar.

Women's lungs can hold from 4 to 6 liters of air, depending on the physique. The volume of male respiratory organs varies from 5 to 7, with a maximum of 8 liters. But with a breath in the body enters only about 2 liters of oxygen, and leaves a similar amount of carbon dioxide.

Tip: A bad idea is to try to breathe before training. You can not "push" into the lungs more air than they can hold. Otherwise, it will end up with hyperventilation of the respiratory organs, insufficient oxygen supply, and dizziness, and in rare cases, loss of consciousness.

Additional recommendations

1. Quick squats - frequent and shallow breaths. Slow and smooth workouts - breathing measured and slow.
2. During inhalation, the muscles relax as much as possible in order to expand, while exhaling, they tighten and contract. If the main purpose of squats with dumbbells or a barbell is to pump up the legs, then it is necessary to empty the lungs when lifting. Need to improve your posture or form not only beautiful buttocks, but also a taut press? Recommend to breathe air, returning to its original position.
3. People who do not suffer from pressure problemsYou can try the following type of breathing: inhale sharply in the starting position, and in the middle of the amplitude, without reaching the dead center, hold the air. Going down, you can not exhale, so as not to disturb the balance. Rise again to the middle, and only then dramatically empty the lungs. Returning to the starting position, stop breathing again for a few seconds.
4. Beginners need to start with light squats. They should constantly monitor breathing, but not focus on it. Properly chosen rate of breaths - expiration increases endurance, and helps to quickly achieve the desired effect. It is better to initially master the breathing technique during physical exertion than to relearn after a few weeks, or even months.