I hear some of you say you feel it in your neck…or shoulder…or back…

Or perhaps you get light headed sometimes.

Or maybe you feel like you’re struggling through an exercise more than you should be.

I’m wondering if you’re breathing properly?!

Breathing properly will:

✅ Help improve blood circulation

✅ Help your muscles receive more oxygen

✅ Make you feel stronger

✅ Help you feel more in control and actively engage working muscles

✅ Maximize your strength & endurance

I often cue with certain phrases like:

“Relax your neck.”

Or, “brace your core but breathe.”

Some of this is going to come down to self-discovery and practice.

Lemme give you a few things to think about:

#1. Just breathe.

Let’s not make things super complicated yet. Just make sure you’re breathing in and out. How about this—don’t hold your breath when you exercise!

#2. Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.

Sound too simplified? If I’m going down on a bench press or squat, I’m breathing in on the way down, I’m exhaling on the way up.

#3. Practice breathing through your nose, not your mouth.

I like to practice using only my nose for both inhale and exhale, but I’m usually inhaling through nose and exhaling out my mouth.

#4. Don’t be a chest breather.

Did you know that when you breathe in, your belly should actually expand (both to the front and sides)? It’s called diaphragmatic breathing. Your chest and shoulders shouldn’t actually rise or shrug or move. I tried to find the simplest video to get your gears turning.

VIDEO 1 Watch this & Practice it——> https://youtu.be/ldNnKVGxabA?si=Lour_vEHkaqsD8Vk

Breathing is super important. Beyond the training aspect, “Your body’s sympathetic nervous system triggers a “fight or flight” response when you are stressed to help you react to a perceived danger. Diaphragmatic breathing activates a different part of your nervous system, called the parasympathetic nervous system, which has the opposite effect.”

You benefit from being in a parasympathetic state (relaxed). That’s why even when we push sleds fast, I sometimes say it’s still a “relaxed intensity.”

Diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. This technique also helps to decrease blood pressure, improve lung function, increase alertness, and decrease the production of stress hormones in your body. https://www.verywellhealth.com/diaphragmatic-breathing-how-to-benefits-and-exercises-5219974

So even when you’re at home, practice breathing properly. Slow down. Do some box breathing:

-Breathe in for :5 seconds

-Hold for :5 seconds

-Breathe out for :5 seconds

-Hold for :5 seconds

-Repeat 5x. Do as often as you think about it throughout the day.

VIDEO 2 Great visual here—> https://youtu.be/tEmt1Znux58?si=2iMXPZWthFBQZW9D

Hey…that’s your trainer’s tip of the day!

God Bless,

Coach Theo