Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Proper Gasping

This week might be a little light. I was sick yesterday, and I'm pretty busy on getting ready to head back home for Holidays.

Yesterday on the treadmill, I was running at a fair pace, and at one point I started to wonder how I should be breathing. I've read and heard about the importance of breathing, and what better time to practice it while on a repetitive treadmill run. I tried a few methods such as mouth and nose, mouth in then nose out, nose in mouth out, etc. In other words, I had no clue what was best.

I'm even worse in the gym when it comes to core exercises, pull ups, and push ups. For these exercises I'm holding my breath for much of the contractions.

Like in all these matters, the web has a range of resources on the topic:

The second article is particularly interesting as it mentions how you should be breathing. I'll work on this the next time I'm in the gym, and try to have it as part of my repertoire for the coming season.

PJ

3 comments:

Unknown said...

The "Breathing Right" article suggests that you don't hold your breath while lifting weights. That's not really a very good idea, especially for the lifts that ultimate players should be doing (squats, deadlifts, cleans). Of course breathe between reps or you'll pass out.

Bill Mill said...

It's hill sprints that get me, I always tend to hold my breath on them. Also wheel rollouts, but those compress your chest so I guess it's no surprise that I need to make extra effort to breathe during those.

Josh Roberson said...

I have found Body, Mind and Sport by John Douillard useful. Here is a link to follow to get an idea what he has to share.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2008/10/ayurveda-qa-with-dr-john-douillard-fight-competition-fatigue-with-nasal-breathing-during-athletic-activity/