Strength and flexibility are on opposite sides of the muscular contraction spectrum.
Strength describes a muscle’s ability to produce force by tensing and shortening. Flexibility describes a muscle’s ability to stretch by relaxing and lengthening.
And yet, there is a single, simple skill that can improve both abilities (and more) if you know how to use it properly in any given situation.
That skill is breathing.
Obviously, I know that you know how to breathe. We’ve all been doing it since we were born.
I also know that you’ve probably at least occasionally “breathed appropriately” in the past when lifting something heavy—you’ve grunted, right?!?—or when stretching. However, I’ve seen plenty of instances of either breath-holding or breathing opposite of what’s generally the most effective in a given situation too.
In any case, below are a few breathing strategies that you can start to use right away to improve your strength and flexibility or simply to help you relax.
If you’ve never been coached before on how to breathe when lifting or stretching, you’ll probably be surprised by how much of a difference these strategies make. If you have been previously coached on proper breathing mechanics, this should still be a good refresher—and a reminder to intentionally use the techniques if you haven’t been.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Both of the following skills require that you know how to breathe diaphragmatically. You can think of this as “inhaling into your stomach”. This is different than what many people do, particularly when stressed, by inhaling into the upper chest.
To practice:
- Lie down on the floor. You may choose to lie on your back or your stomach. If you lie on your back, place one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. If you lie on your stomach, place one hand over the other, and rest your forehead on your hands. (Note: We can breathe diaphragmatically in any position, but it’s typically easier to learn it lying down.)
- First, take a large inhalation through your mouth. You’re likely to notice your chest (if lying on your back) or your shoulders (if lying on your stomach) rise. This type of breathing typically causes a sort of “fight or flight” response and is a terrible way to breathe in pretty much any situation.
- Next, take a large (probably slower) inhalation through your nose. You’re likely to notice two things: (1) your stomach rises (if on your back) or presses into the floor (if on your stomach) and (2) you were able to take a much deeper breath. This is what we’re after. Without going into the minutiae, this type of breathing can be used to help you both relax and get access to more oxygen.
- Finally, sit in a chair or stand, and try to mimic the diaphragmatic breathing. This can be done breathing through your mouth, although you may find that it requires a bit of practice.
Breathing for strength
A quick, but IMPORTANT word of caution on this one: If you have any cardiovascular issues (high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.), consult your physician before attempting this!
And, for everyone: Do not get dizzy. Practice just a couple of reps before once again breathing normally. You’ll be able to breathe this way for more reps or under load (i.e. while lifting something) as you practice more.
To practice:
- Breathe diaphragmatically in a standing position. After a moderate inhalation, contract your abs and pelvic floor muscles (i.e. imagine you really have to go to the restroom, but it’s another 15 minutes away); press your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your top, front teeth; and let out a verbal “hiss” or “tsk”. Practice keeping the tension in your stomach instead of in your neck or face. If you did this correctly, you’ll probably feel an electric-like pulse radiate outward from your stomach. Remember, you do not want to get dizzy. If you feel like you might be getting close, take a break. Also in that case, practice this for a few days in a row before moving on to Step 2.
- Now practice the same thing in an exercise of your choice. Since you probably don’t have a weight immediately at hand, a pushup or squat is a great option. In any case, inhale on the way down—the eccentric or lengthening phase of an exercise. Immediately before starting the upward movement—the concentric or shortening phase—tense your abs and let out the verbal “hiss/tsk”. Finish the exhalation during the rest of the way up. This rhythm (inhale down, exhale up) is known as the biomechanical breathing match. It may feel challenging at first, but it’s an extremely effective way to immediately increase your strength and protect your back on a variety of lower body exercises once you’ve had some practice.
Breathing for flexibility
There are a variety of physical techniques that can make stretching more effective. That’s a tip for another time. For now, we’re going to use basically the same breathing technique as above with an extra “visualization” component.
To practice:
- Pick a stretch/drill of your choice. Lower body stretches (particularly hamstrings, quads, or glutes) usually work best for learning, but upper body stretches will work fine as well.
- In your chosen drill, move yourself into position to get a mild stretch.
- Next, slightly tense the muscle that you’re stretching while you take a deep inhalation. As you inhale, imagine the air being pulled into the stretching muscle, blowing it up like a balloon. (If that visualization is a bit much for you, just focus on breathing diaphragmatically. That is, “into your stomach”.)
- When you’re ready to exhale, release a quick yet relaxed breathe from your mouth while simultaneously relaxing the stretched (and slightly tensed) muscle. If you did this correctly, you likely just noticed yourself sinking much deeper into the stretch without any increase in the mild discomfort of the stretch.
Putting it into practice
Your homework for this week is fairly simple:
- Practice the diaphragmatic breathing while lying down immediately before bed each night. If you don’t typically have issues falling asleep, you may want to practice in bed since you’re likely to be asleep in about 2 minutes. If you do typically have issues falling asleep, practice for 5-10 minutes just prior to climbing into bed. It should help you relax a bit. 🙂
- If you were able to do the strength-based breathing without getting dizzy, practice the breathing rhythm during a single exercise during each of your training sessions. If you were about to get dizzy after a couple of breaths, however, simply practice Step 1 in that section for a few repetitions prior to your training sessions.
- Practice the flexibility-based breathing during at least one stretch after any of your training sessions. If you’re a regular yoga practitioner, give it a try during part of or an entire session!