An observation that I’ve made over the years when watching individuals strength train is improper breathing mechanics or the lack there of altogether. Many times when working with a new client in the personal training setting, they are unsure of how to breathe, when to breathe, or why to breathe in the first place. Typically, in most scenarios, you will exhale during the concentric phase (contraction or shortening of the muscle) and inhale during the eccentric phase (relaxation or lengthening of the muscle). This is the standard protocol to follow in 90% of the situations you will engage in while strength training.
A discussion we will have today is the appropriateness of the valsalva maneuver and when it should be used in a strength training session. The valsalva maneuver is defined as an increase in intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressure brought about by holding one’s breath (1).
To dive deeper into this concept, when the diaphragm and the deep muscles of the torso contract, pressure is generated within the abdominal cavity. Because the abdomen is composed mainly of fluid and normally contains very little gas, it is virtually incompressible. The abdominal fluids and tissue kept under pressure by tensing surrounding muscle (deep abdominal muscles and diaphragm) have been described as a ‘fluid ball’ that aids in supporting the vertebral column during resistance training. Such support may significantly reduce both the forces required by the erector spinae muscles to perform an exercise and the associated compressive forces on the disks (2).
Why would an individual want to use this technique in strength training? How could holding one’s breath be beneficial when applying force to an external load – The answers to these questions will follow shortly. Please observe the valsalva maneuver in the following video:
The reason I chose the above video as a demonstration is because it is a very extreme example that uses the valsalva maneuver. As we watch the video of Eric’s working sets, you can see that every repetition is setup exactly the same. Eric’s approach to the bar, his mental ques before unracking the weight, and breathing are identical with 700lbs up to 955lbs. He maintains tightness underneath the loads and displays controlled breathing during the eccentric phase (lowering of the weight), the isometric phase (bottom position of the squat), and concentric phase (lifting of the weight). If Eric were to walk up to the bar and unrack the weight with a ‘non-chalant’ attitude, he would fold underneath the load and wouldn’t be nearly as powerful when applying force to the bar.
The valsalva maneuver doesn’t apply to only the back squat. It applies to all structural movements that load the vertebral column such as different squatting variations (back, front, or overhead), pressing movements (bench press, strict press, push press), deadlift movements (from the floor, rack position), and Olympic movements (power clean, snatch, clean and jerk).
Another important factor to consider is the load and repetition range being used in the movement pattern. It is recommended that any loads above 90% of an individual’s 1RM warrant the use of the valsalva maneuver or a weight belt to create intra-abdominal pressure. This would fall in the repetition range of 1 to 4 based on the NSCA guidelines.
For further discussion on breathing and the valsalva maneuver, listen to the podcast below on Gray Cook Radio: https://graycook.com/
References:
- Earle, R., & Baechle, T. (2008).Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
- Ratamess, N. (2012). ACSM’s Foundations of Strength Training and Conditioning. Indianapolis, IN: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
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