How to Breathe During a Squat?

To breathe effectively during a squat, take a big breath at the top, brace your core, and then squat down, holding your breath until you return to the starting position. This technique helps stabilize your core.

Proper Breathing Technique for Squats:

Here's a breakdown of the breathing technique for squats, as outlined in the reference:

• Inhale: Take a deep breath before you begin the squat. This should be a diaphragmatic breath, expanding your abdomen.
• Brace: Brace your core muscles as if you're about to receive a punch. This creates internal pressure, providing stability to your spine.
• Descend: Squat down while holding your breath. Imagine you're going underwater; you shouldn't exhale during the downward phase.
• Ascend: Maintain your braced core and breath hold as you return to the starting position. Once you're at the top, you can exhale.

Why Hold Your Breath?

Holding your breath, specifically using the Valsalva maneuver, does the following:

• Increases Stability: It stabilizes the spine, allowing you to lift heavier weight safely.
• Core Activation: Creates intra-abdominal pressure, increasing core engagement.
• Better Power: Enables better force output when lifting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Breathing out on the way down: This will destabilize you.
• Not bracing your core: Failing to engage your core can reduce the effectiveness of the lift and increase risk of injury.
• Inconsistent Breathing: Having inconsistent breathing patterns disrupts core bracing.

By following these steps you will ensure you are breathing effectively during your squats and reduce the risk of injury as you perform squats.