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The Power of Breath: Your Secret Weapon in Fitness
Unlock the Secret Power of Proper Breathing
Have you ever had that lovely feeling of being in “the zone” when you’re in the middle of a workout? Your movements are fluid and everything seems to flow.
But other times, things are more disjointed, the opposite of “flowing.” Here’s an example.
I had a friend who was struggling with her deadlifts. After watching her for a few minutes, I realized what was wrong. Her breathing was off! 🫁
Then, I showed her a simple breathing technique. After watching and trying a few times, she was able to add 20 pounds to her deadlift.
Such is the magic of breathing properly during a lift, rather than “winging” it.
And it doesn’t just apply to strength training. Proper breathing can help you run longer distances and be more efficient with almost every exercise you do.
The Science of Breathing
Back to this thing called breathing. Did you know we inhale and exhale about 20,000 times a day? And you mostly do it unconsciously.
But here’s the truth! Your breath does more than deliver oxygen to your tissues and release carbon dioxide. It’s a built-in performance enhancer.
Think about the last time you did a set of burpees. Although you might think you slumped into the chair because your muscles were tired, there’s a good chance that the way you were breathing caused you to throw in the towel first.
But why?
Why Breathing Matters When You Exercise
When you exercise, your body demands more oxygen for your muscles to convert to the master energy currency of ATP, which muscles use to fuel exercise.
Once you breathe in oxygen, you expel carbon dioxide, a waste product of energy production.
