How to breathe to improve your workout and recover faster

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Three breathing techniques to help your body not burn out during intense exercise and begin recovery faster.

If you don't see any progress or feel overwhelmed and can't recover from training for a long time, it may not be a lot of stress, but a lack of recovery. Without proper rest, even the most intense workouts will not work. In the end, the nervous system will fail and you will simply burn out.

By accelerating your recovery, you will not only feel better during and after exercise, but you will also achieve results faster.

1. Breath of a crocodile

The correct breathing pattern is deep diaphragmatic breathing, when the lungs are completely filled with air upon inhalation.

This breathing has several advantages at once:

1. Keeps the diaphragm in good shape, which has a positive effect on the work of internal organs.
2. Provides the necessary intra-abdominal pressure and maintains correct posture.
3. Relaxes the muscles in the neck and shoulders that tense with shallow breathing.
4. Saves energy because deep breathing requires fewer breaths to get the same amount of air than shallow breathing.

Crocodile breathing will help correct irregular patterns and get used to diaphragmatic breathing.

Starting position

Lie facedown on your stomach. Place your left palm on your right fist and lower your forehead to your hands. Stretch your legs and relax.

At first, this position may not seem the most convenient, but for our purposes it is optimal for two reasons at once:

1. In this position, the head and neck are in a neutral position so that air flows into the lungs unimpeded.
2. The muscles of the neck and the upper trapezium, which should not be involved in breathing, are in a relaxed position, not stretched or compressed.

How to do

Inhale for 4 seconds. In this case, not only the stomach should expand, but also the sides. And since your abs are flat on the floor, your lower back should rise.

At the peak of inhalation, hold your breath for 2-4 seconds and try to feel the expansion of the body 360 degrees - this is your goal.

Exhale for 6 seconds. It is not necessary to strictly follow this pace. Just aim for the exhalation to be longer than the inhalation. This will help optimize gas exchange.

When to use

Start with 1-3 minutes of crocodile breathing a day and incorporate it into your workout as you workout.

To see how well you are doing, have someone put blocks on your chest and lower back and watch to see if they rise from your breathing.

Once you have mastered the technique, you can stop doing the abdominal exercise. Further training will take place during normal daytime activities and sports.

2. Tactical breathing

You may have heard this technique called square breathing. It is recommended for use during stress and panic attacks. The same type of breathing will help you recover faster between sets and calm the central nervous system.

Starting position

Sit on the floor with your legs crossed and rest your back against the wall. Place your hands on your knees, close your eyes, and relax.

How to do

Inhale for 4 seconds, inflating first your stomach and then your chest. Hold your breath for 4 seconds at the peak of inhalation. Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds and hold your breath again for a few seconds.

Exercise until breathing becomes automatic. Then try to breathe like this, kneeling, and then - erect up to your full height.

To prevent hyperventilation between the sets of the deadlift, first pump the skill at home, in a relaxed atmosphere, and only then go to the gym.

If you want to use the technique in the gym, reduce the post-exhalation hold time from four seconds to one. Then one breathing cycle will be equal not to 16, but 13 seconds. The difference is small, but when it comes to recovery between sets, a couple of extra breaths will be helpful.

When to use

Tactical breathing will help you get into recovery mode during rest periods. And the faster you recover, the less energy you lose and the more you can do in a training session.

This does not mean that you need to inhale and exhale for 5 minutes after each set of squats. Use tactical breathing between challenging exercises to prepare your central nervous system, optimize recovery, and train at the highest level.

3. Parasympathetic restorative breathing

To recover faster after exercise, you need quality nutrition, sufficient water, and the absence of stress. However, for recovery to begin, the parasympathetic nervous system needs to be activated.

The amount of time between the last set and the start of recovery depends on the intensity of the workout, your fitness, and your CNS. One of the most effective ways to start recovering faster is post-workout breathing exercises.

Starting position

Find a quiet spot in the gym. Lie on your back, place your legs and arms so that they are above the level of the heart: this will improve the flow of lymph from the limbs. Close your eyes and relax.

How to do

Take a full breath in 3-4 seconds. At the peak of inhalation, hold your breath for 2-3 seconds.

Try to exhale a little longer: about 6-8 seconds. Don't worry about timing: it's okay if you lose track of it.

Lie there until your body calms down after training, your pulse slows down, and your arousal subsides. Decide for yourself how long you can lie like that, and set a timer so as not to look at the clock.

You can add positive thoughts to get the most out of these minutes.

When to use

If you are feeling exhausted even a few hours after your workout, this exercise will help. Every day you will relax better and recover faster.

Also, this exercise will solve the problem of anxiety after morning workouts. Spending 3-5 minutes on it, you will release yourself from stress. Your body will stop pressing the gas pedal of the central nervous system and arousing you for half a day.

At first, you will be embarrassed to lie on the floor with your eyes closed when iron is being pulled around. But the rapid increase in energy and increased performance will force you to do it every time and not think about how it looks from the outside.