Proper Breathing Technique for Weight Lifting

Have you ever been in the gym and heard that horrible grunting in the weight room? Another bodybuilder “ooomph”-ing his way into your headphones, effectively interrupting your morning workout mix? Oh wait, sorry, you are that guy? Just a note, dude—you are breathing all wrong.

The way to breathe when you do strength training is to exhale during the positive movement and inhale during the negative movement. The positive movement is the one in which you exert yourself (for instance, when your forearm curls back up to meet your upper arm in a bicep curl), and the negative movement is the one in which you come back down from the exertion (i.e., moving back down toward the floor in a push up). When you exhale on exertion, not only does it protect your internal organs, but it focuses your efforts on the task at hand. When you inhale, make sure you inhale through your nose, and then exhale through the mouth. The most important thing is to breathe naturally, and always, always, remember not to hold your breath during exercise. Enjoy your workouts!