Breathing is an important but often overlooked factor in training. If you breathe incorrectly, you may experience shortness of breath, lose strength quickly, reduce training performance, and even increase the risk of injury. So, what is the correct way to breathe when exercising at the gym to optimize strength and increase endurance? Let’s explore this with us in the following article!
1. Breathing rules when exercising at the gym
When exercising at the gym, breathing correctly not only helps increase training performance but also reduces the risk of injury, and supports strength control and heart rate. Here are the breathing rules when exercising at the gym that you need to remember:
• Inhale when stretching (preparing), exhale when tensing (exerting force).
• Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth: Inhaling through the nose helps filter dirt and provide oxygen more effectively. Meanwhile, exhaling through the mouth helps eliminate CO₂ gas faster, avoiding the feeling of shortness of breath when exercising heavily.
• Hold your breath during heavy exercises to increase strength: In exercises such as squats, deadlifts, or heavy bench presses, you can use a controlled breath-holding technique to create pressure in the abdominal cavity, helping to strengthen the spine. However, do not overdo it and practice the correct technique to avoid sudden increases in blood pressure.
• Do not hold your breath for too long, unless using a controlled breath-holding technique.
• Maintain a steady breathing rhythm when doing cardio to avoid pain and rapid loss of strength. The common way is to inhale after 2-3 running steps and exhale after 2-3 steps, which helps control breathing better and limits hip pain.
2. How to breathe when lifting weights (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Shoulder Press, etc.)
Inhale when lowering the weight (eccentric phase): Inhale deeply through the nose to provide oxygen to the body and create stable pressure on the core. For example:
• Squat: Inhale when sitting down.
• Bench Press: Inhale as you lower the barbell to your chest.
• Deadlift: Inhale before you start pulling the barbell from the floor.
Exhale as you push the barbell up (concentric phase): Exhale forcefully through your mouth to release tension and maintain maximum power. For example:
• Squat: Exhale as you push yourself up to a standing position.
• Bench Press: Exhale as you push the barbell up.
• Deadlift: Exhale as you pull the barbell up to a standing position.
Hold your breath while lifting heavy weights: At heavy weights, you can use the hold-breath technique to increase pressure in the abdominal cavity, helping to stabilize the spine. How to do it:
• Inhale deeply, hold your breath, and tighten your abdominal muscles before lifting the barbell.
• Hold your breath throughout the lifting phase, only exhaling when you complete the movement.
Note: Do not hold your breath for too long to avoid increasing blood pressure or dizziness.
3. How to breathe when doing cardio (Running, Cycling, Jumping rope)
Running
• Slow running (light speed, maintaining endurance): Inhale for 3 steps, exhale for 3 steps (3:3 rhythm).
• Endurance running (long distance, increasing heart rate): Inhale for 3 steps, exhale for 2 steps (3:2 rhythm).
• If you are sprinting or doing high-intensity exercise, you can reduce to a 2:1 rhythm to ensure enough oxygen.
Cycling
• Keep your breathing steady, inhale when pedaling lightly (preparing), and exhale when pedaling hard.
• When pedaling at high speed or climbing hills, you can combine deeper breathing to maintain endurance.
Jumping rope
• Inhale for 2-3 jumps, exhale for 2-3 jumps to avoid losing strength quickly.
• If jumping at high speed, breathe through both nose and mouth to provide enough oxygen.
4. How to breathe when practicing Bodyweight (Push-ups, Plank, Burpees, Pull-ups)
Push-ups
• Inhale when lowering your body (muscles stretch).
• Exhale strongly when pushing your body up (muscles contract). This helps your body become more stable and creates strong force when pushing up.
Plank
• Keep your breathing steady, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
• Avoid holding your breath because it will increase pressure on your abdominal muscles and make you lose strength quickly.
• Breathe slowly and deeply to maintain the position longer.
Burpees
• Inhale when lowering your body to a squat or push-up position.
• Exhale strongly when jumping up to create maximum force.
• Since this is a high-intensity exercise, you can combine breathing through both your nose and mouth to ensure adequate oxygen supply.
Pull-ups
• Inhale as you lower yourself to prepare for strength.
Exhale strongly as you pull yourself up, helping to activate your back and arm muscles more effectively.
5. How to breathe when stretching, Yoga
Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose to optimize stretching
• Inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your chest and abdomen to provide enough oxygen to your muscles.
• Exhale slowly, lengthening your breath to help your body relax and reduce stress.
Exhale when stretching
• When performing stretching or yoga movements, inhale when preparing, and exhale when stretching to help your body become more flexible.
• Exhaling when stretching helps reduce pressure on the muscles, increase the depth of the movement, and limit the risk of injury.
Maintain a steady and controlled breathing rhythm
• In static yoga poses (like warrior pose, bridge pose, triangle pose…), maintain slow and steady breathing to help stabilize the body.
• In dynamic yoga exercises (like sun salutations), synchronize your breathing with each movement to maintain rhythm.
6. 5 classic mistakes when breathing when working out at the gym that cause quick exhaustion and injury
1. Holding your breath for too long when lifting weights
One of the most common mistakes when lifting weights is holding your breath throughout the entire exercise. This can cause the body to lack oxygen, causing dizziness, loss of movement control, and even the risk of fainting.
• Wrong: Holding your breath from the beginning to the end of the movement, especially when lifting heavy weights.
• Correct: If you use the short breath-holding technique to create pressure to stabilize the spine when lifting heavy weights, you need to make sure to exhale immediately when finishing the movement of pushing the weight up, this is the correct way to breathe when working out at the gym.
2. Breathing in the opposite rhythm to the movement
Breathing in the opposite rhythm to the movement not only reduces exercise performance but also makes you lose control of your muscles, making it easy to lose balance when performing heavy exercises.
• Wrong: Exhale when lowering the weight, inhale when pushing the weight up. This method reduces muscle tension, making the exercise less effective.
• Correct: Inhale when lowering the weight, exhale when pushing the weight up.
3. Shortness of breath, irregular rhythm when doing cardio
When running, cycling, or jumping rope, many people often breathe irregularly or only breathe through the mouth, leading to shortness of breath, rapid loss of strength, and easy hip shock (diaphragmatic cramps).
• Incorrect: Running without rhythmic breathing, only breathing through the mouth, causes the body to lose control of oxygen.
• Correct: Inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth according to the running rhythm.
• When running slowly: Inhale 3 steps – Exhale 3 steps.
•When running fast, sprinting: Inhale 2 steps – Exhale 1 step.
This breathing rhythm helps control the amount of oxygen brought into the lungs, avoid rapid loss of strength, and support maintaining a stable running speed.
4. Holding your breath while doing plank
Plank is a static exercise that requires holding the body for a long time, but many people unconsciously hold their breath, causing the muscles to quickly tire and not be able to maintain the position for a long time.
Wrong: Holding the plank but not breathing or breathing too shallowly increases pressure on the abdominal muscles, leading to rapid loss of strength.
Right: Maintain slow, deep breathing through the nose, and slowly exhale through the mouth.
5. Shallow breathing, not getting enough oxygen
Breathing only with the chest instead of using the entire lung capacity will limit the amount of oxygen entering the body, leading to rapid muscle fatigue and reduced exercise performance.
Wrong: Breathing only with the chest, short and shallow breaths, not providing enough oxygen to the muscles.
Right: Apply the abdominal breathing technique (diaphragm) to optimize the amount of oxygen.
- When inhaling, the abdomen expands, not just the chest.
- When exhaling, the abdomen contracts.
How to check: Place your hand on your stomach – If your stomach moves clearly when you inhale, it means you are breathing correctly. This type of breathing helps to provide oxygen more effectively, improve endurance, and reduce stress during exercise.
The correct way to breathe when exercising is an important factor to improve exercise performance and minimize the risk of injury. Focus on synchronizing your breathing with your movements, maintain a steady breathing rhythm and avoid holding your breath for too long. When your body receives enough oxygen, you will feel more durable, exercise more effectively and achieve better results!
