Proper Breathing During Fitness Training

How do I breathe correctly during sports and fitness training?

In cardio training and strength training, proper breathing is of the utmost importance. It is crucial never to hold your breath. For instance, you should exhale when pushing the weight up during bench pressing. Over time, athletes learn relatively quickly how to breathe properly.

Breathing correctly saves time and effort

We breathe all our lives without really being conscious of it. When we exhale, our body frees itself from metabolic waste products no longer needed. When inhaling, on the other hand, the lungs are supplied with fresh air to pass it along to the blood in the form of oxygen. It is then transported to the various organs and cells. The more the body performs, the more oxygen it requires. That's why it's important for a strength athlete to breathe correctly in order to perform at full capacity.

Breathing correctly during muscle training

Under exertion, a few extra breaths are required because the body needs more oxygen. As a rule, during muscle-building training, you should exhale on exertion and inhale as the strain eases. In this way, the so-called contraction of the respiratory muscles can be perfectly coordinated with the muscles being worked at that moment. This improves workout results and makes the exercises easier to execute.

Learn to breathe correctly with yoga and Pilates

Of course, relaxation should also be prioritized after a strenuous workout. The body needs this to recover from exertion and recharge its strength. Pilates and yoga can provide an optimal foundation for this. Because relaxation is the main focus in these exercises, making them an ideal complement to strength training. In addition, you can learn the correct breathing technique for sports. Eventually, you should be able to breathe correctly during workouts without overthinking it.

In running, on the other hand, there are several suitable breathing techniques. For example, with the so-called breath-to-stride rhythm technique, at a slow running pace you inhale and exhale every four steps. If you run faster, the frequency of breaths must be adjusted accordingly. Here, you need to count with focus, which is especially difficult when running in a group while talking or listening to music.

Deep breathing

Especially during very strenuous workouts, you should inhale as deeply as possible. This fills the lungs with more fresh air, making more oxygen available. However, this breathing technique should not be used if air exchange occurs primarily in the upper respiratory tract, as the density of blood vessels is significantly lower there, resulting in less oxygen overall being exchanged.

After a few sessions, athletes will notice how best to breathe during exercise. They can rely on their body awareness to find their own personal style. A distinction must also be made between nasal and mouth breathing. The former offers an advantage in winter, as each breath moistens and warms the air before it reaches the lungs. In general, however, everyone should try out for themselves which breathing technique suits them best.

Deep breathing provides relaxation

Taking deep breaths can create a brief relaxation phase, whether during the day or before falling asleep. To do this, reduce the number of breaths per minute while increasing the intensity of inhaling and exhaling. This relaxes the body while simultaneously training breathing techniques for sports.