Exercise is a tough activity. This is why essential things like the importance of correct breathing matter big time during a workout.
Breathing is a natural process. It is one of the most obvious signs that a person is alive. We breathe in and breathe out. Our body does it automatically. However, in an exercise, breathing pattern is crucial in getting better results.
When you perform a cardio exercise such as running or swimming or strength training like weightlifting, a specific breathing pattern is needed to help our body get the right amount of oxygen. Here’s everything you need to know how correct breathing impacts your body during a workout.
And to achieve better breathing process, make sure you are wearing the right fitness attire such as workout tank tops or athletic tank tops.
Oxygen as Fuel
While our body uses food as its own propellant, our muscles utilize oxygen as its fuel. To perform various exercises such as jogging, lifting, and swimming, the muscles need the right amount of oxygen.
As the activities get bigger and more intense, the more our muscles need oxygen to perform. If this is sustained, then the performance of your body during a workout will be more effective.
In connection with this, you need to pay attention to correct breathing during an exercise. With the right oxygen in the muscles, a person can have better power, precision, and endurance. It also helps the body recover more quickly during high-intensity training.
Sadly, many fitness enthusiasts disregard the importance of correct breathing. This is one of the main reasons why they easily get tired and why progress are delayed. Some people tend to hold their breathe during an intense workout or take shallow breathes. Some breathe too quick while others breathe too deep.
When you are finally aware of the importnce of correct breating in a workout, you will realise that timing pays off big time. When you do not inhale or exhale at the right time, there will be adverse impacts on your body muscles, the coordination, power, and movements.
How To Breathe Correctly During Exercise?
So how do you practice correct breathing during a workout?
According to experts, there is only one technique that can be best used when you are performing an exercise. It is called diaphragmatic breathing.
Located between the chest and abdomen, diapahragm serves as the main engine that propels our breathing. This technique, the diaphragmatic breathing, involves the work of muscles for a more efficient breathing.
It involves inhaling oxyegn through the mouth or nose and filling up the abdominal area with air. As you breathe, you engage your diaphragm muscle before slowly exhaling upon the collapse of the stomach.
Breathing in this way allows you to deliver more oxygenated air to the lungs. With more oxygen now present, you can avoid higher blood pressure and increased heart rate. It also helps you avoid experiencing abdominal cramps and mid-workout side stitches, which are products of wrong breathing techniques.
To master this technique, practice it by breathing in and out as you lie on the ground, with one hand touching the belly and the other on the chest. Observe if which part rises and falls during inhaling and exhaling. In diaphragmatic breathing, the belly should be the one rising and falling, not the chest.