Proper breathing techniques while weight-lifting are necessary to help you lift better, with control and with rhythm. They also help you avoid injuries to your joints, according to Juan Carlos Santana, director of the Institute of Human Performance. And, of course, proper breathing supplies more oxygen to your muscles. There are two different ways of breathing when you lift dumbbells. One common way that many personal trainers recommend is to exhale when you lift and inhale when you lower the weight. The other way is the Valsalva maneuver, which is forceful exhalation through your mouth when lifting. Use the Valsalva maneuver when you are lifting heavy dumbbells and placing your muscles under tension.
Standard Breathing
Step 1
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your elbows close to your center of your body.
Step 2
Exhale and push the dumbbells over your head with your knuckles facing out to your sides.
Step 3
Lower the weights to your shoulders, and inhale deeply as you squat down as low as you can, keeping your torso upright.
Step 4
Brace your abdominal muscles and stand back up, exhaling through your mouth as you stand and press the dumbbells over your head.
Step 5
Inhale as you lower the weights to your shoulders and squat back down.
Valsalva Maneuver
Step 1
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, and hold a heavier dumbbell in your left hand by your side.
Step 2
Brace your abdominal muscles, and lift the weight by curling your arm up to just beyond 90 degrees at your elbow. Hiss the air out in the back of your throat and through you teeth while doing this.
Step 3
Lower the weight while hissing the air out through your mouth slowly.
Tips and Warnings
- Expand your abdominal muscles as you inhale through your mouth. Use dumbbells that you can lift properly without going out of form and having poor posture, and without fatiguing quickly. Use a heavier weight if you can perform the dumbbell exercises with little effort. Use the standard breathing technique if you are training for endurance strength that requires you to perform higher repetitions. Use the Valsalva maneuver if you are lifting heavy weights at near maximal exertion.
- Check with your physician before doing any dumbbell lifts. Do not perform the Valsalva maneuver if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, pulmonary disorders or other medical conditions that affects your cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, according to fitness professional Brett Jones, co-author of "Kettlebells From the Ground Up."
References
- "Kettlebells From the Ground Up"; Gray Cook and Brett Jones; 2010
- "Essence of Program Design"; Juan Carlos Santana; 2004
