breathing when exercising

[MR.Ryan]

just a question on breathing

when doing an exercise, for example say a squat, your meant to breathe out going down and then breathe in when coming up

is it ok to do it the other way; breathe in going down,then breathe out coming up

does it make much of a difference ?

 

[woody]

It is an exhalation on the concentric contraction. Exhaling while standing up from the squat. Reason being is that your core contracts on exhalation thus increasing core stability. Also exhaling will prevent you from straining and holding your breath upon large exertion/contraction.

 

[Chr1sG]

exhaling on the concentric phase also lowers your sv(stroke volume) thus putting less pressure on your brain if you were to breathe inhale or hold your breathe

 

[Kyle Aaron]

does it make much of a difference ?

My view is that whatever comes naturally to you is the best for you. It makes a small difference, but unless you're competing in powerlifting competitions this small difference won't matter. So you lift 102kg instead of 104kg, so what, your muscles are still being worked.

That's the general guideline with everything, how you perform lifts and so on. If it feels natural then it's probably right, if it feels unnatural and uncomfortable then it probably isn't.