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Sep / 09

Until Your Face Turns Blue

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Greg's first DL session 210# 5 rep PR!!!!

Greg's first DL session 210# 5 rep PR!!!!

Well, maybe not to that extreme, but breathing is an often overlooked component to lifting.  Greg Everett wrote in his article, “Breathing,” about the importance of maintaining the structural integrity by supporting your body with a deep breath.   Imagine the structural integrity of a closed soda can vs that of an open or empty one.  When you take a deep breath, your lungs expand and help pressurize the thoracic and abdominal cavities,  so your torso remains solid and stable (like a closed soda can) throughout the entire lift.    So before you begin your next lift,  remember:

  • take a deep breath and make sure that you expand your abdomen instead of puffing up your chest (which limits the amount of air you take in and also can lend to rounding of the back)
  • hold that breath by clamping down on the glottis (the muscle in the throat that seals off the trachea)
  • tighten your abs and back to increase internal pressure and support the spine
  • maintain that pressure throughout the lift (if you feel dizzy during the lift, though, release just enough air to alleviate the dizziness)

WOD 09.01.09

OHS 3×5 (80%1RM)
SoCal Qual WOD#2
3rds:
450m
30 OHS (95/65#)

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6 Responses to “Until Your Face Turns Blue”

Sean
September 1, 2009 at 6:58 AM

This may be one of the many lifting myths, but I feel it’s relevant to bring up based on todday’s post on breathing properly while lifting. I’ve always been under the impression that one should exhale during the positive phase of any lift (the part that goes against gravity). One reason is to cut down on the potential of getting a hernia, or a tear in the musculature of the abdominal wall. After reading the article it sounds like we should exhale as little air possible instead of releasing our entire breath, and this will serve to release enough pressure to keep from getting a hernia while still keeping our chest structurally sound under the heavy load. Is that how you read it? Also, on today’s WOD is the 450m a run or row?

ruth
September 1, 2009 at 7:35 AM

It’s gonna be a run.
And you’re absolutely right about the article! Keeping your body as solid as possible will help you get through the lift and prevent injuries.

Sean
September 1, 2009 at 3:29 PM

Wish I did your WOD today, but the folks at CrossFit Creek here in Ohio had other plans:

“Running Fran”
Run 1 mile
21 Thrusters
21 Pullups
Run 800m
15 Thrusters
15 Pullups
Run 400m
9 Thrusters
9 Pullups

18:54 using 95# for Thrusters

marcus
September 1, 2009 at 3:36 PM

I saw that on the main site today and cringed. You’re a beast Sean.

ruth
September 1, 2009 at 10:26 PM

didn’t get to do the strength portion, but did revisit that ungodly regional wod…
14:20 PR (but without the wod#1 and sun factor!!)

CrossFit Intrepid » Bracing
September 8, 2010 at 6:05 AM

[...] for us simple folk so please check out the video for his demos and cues.  Ruth has previously posted on the importance of breathing but K-Star goes a little more in depth.  I highly recommend [...]
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