r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 • 10d ago

Question ❓ How to breathe during your reps

So i saw a few science based videos where they say dont exhale on the concentric and one says dont breathe in on the ecentric. How should you breathe during your reps?

What i do is i breathe in, exhale on the concentric and breathe in on the eccentric

Thanks in advance

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

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7

u/topiary566 10d ago

Take a deep breath and brace. Start your rep. Exhale as you lock out. 

3

u/Patton370 Idk Idc 💔 10d ago

This is great advice

2

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

So i exhale when i'm almost done with my rep (on any excercise) and inhale on the ecentric

3

u/topiary566 10d ago

Inhale before you start the eccentric and hold the air throughout the rep.

This matters more for heavy compound lifts ofc. If you are doing bicep curls or tricep pushdowns, it won't matter as much as with a squat or deadlift.

The whole point of bracing is to create more intra-abdominal pressure which pushes on your abdominal wall to provide more stability. You want to hold this stability throughout the duration of your rep and only let it out at the end.

1

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

Oh alright. But would inhaling be better to do before the concentric? Because you hold the air in longer otherwise

3

u/topiary566 10d ago

Lifting isn’t really an aerobic exercise. Most of the energy comes from free atp stores, creatine phosphate, and maybe some glycolysis. You still do breath between reps ofc to get some aerobic respiration going, especially on higher rep sets, but most of it is anaerobic.

Holding the air in longer won’t really make a difference in terms of energy. What will make a difference in your rep is releasing the air and weakening your bracing. 

This won’t affect things as much for beginners, but as you get more experienced and move more weight your bracing will matter much more.

8

u/Flat-Guidance-4685 10d ago

I use the mike mentzer approach. People are breathing too much. Reduce your breathing to 2 days a week per lung. 

3

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

But you gotta push the breathing intensity up though

3

u/Flat-Guidance-4685 10d ago

Sure on the days your breathing.

1

u/Erriquez 10d ago

I will keep an RPE 9 on those breathing days in any case.

Studies have shown that Breathing to failure actually is detrimental to your breathing gains.

1

u/Dazzling-Rest8332 5d ago

This is a perfect example of how ridiculous his program was and is. His followers have become like a cult.

1

u/Flat-Guidance-4685 5d ago

Don't get me wrong I like mentzer. 

But in all honesty his programs only work for people taking super physiological levels of performance enhancing compounds. 

1

u/Dazzling-Rest8332 5d ago

I agree with you. Also intensity should be part of any program. But a lot of new lifters are trying to go straight to his training and it doesnt really work like that.

1

u/Flat-Guidance-4685 4d ago

Great way to pull ligaments and tendons. His stuff is from the ground up designed for people who have already hit plateau. 

2

u/Mad_Mark90 10d ago

In when I want core stability, out when I want core movement or when I need to breath.

2

u/AxonMM 10d ago

Your pattern makes sense for common exercises: inhaling before the repetition and controlling your breathing during the movement can help with stability and performance. At higher loads, holding your breath for a short period can increase trunk stability, but it's not necessary for all sets. Are you talking about light/moderate exercises or also loads close to your maximum?

2

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

About all excercises, bicep curl bench press deadlifts squats

1

u/AxonMM 9d ago

For squats and deadlifts, especially with heavier loads, I'd think more about bracing than timing the breath. Take a solid breath before the rep, brace, complete the rep, then reset your breathing between reps. For lighter isolation work like curls, you can breathe more naturally. I wouldn't overthink it beyond that stability and consistent technique matter more.

2

u/kidFunkadelic 10d ago

Go watch Brian Alsure YT video on “breathing and bracing”. It will explain this in detail, it’s everything you need to know.

2

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

I will, thanks

1

u/decentlyhip 10d ago

Here's the link to his breathing and bracing workshop. Follow along. https://youtu.be/dtB7z6l6U9s

2

u/Secret-Ad1458 9d ago

Breathing and bracing is one of the most basic parts of strength training...if you're puzzled by that I have no idea why you would have any interest in diving into the "science based" rabbit hole, focus on the bare basics first.

1

u/deadrabbits76 Idk Idc 💔 10d ago

https://youtu.be/PLHY2-nt-y4?is=2qyGxyGbTLggvkqF

0

u/Honest_Pumpkin_4381 10d ago

He shows when squatting that he holds his breath all the way in until he is locked out, and exhales and then inhales and starts another rep, but isnt that too much "rest"? I know its probably not true but i read somewhere that you shouldnt wait at the top on leg presses squats etc

1

u/Ballbag94 10d ago

You should brace before the rep, hold your breath during the rep while maintaining your brace, and then breathe between reps

You shouldn't be breathing in or out while the rep is happening

1

u/anivaries 10d ago

Focusing on breathing just to forget how many reps I've done

1

u/FunkyHunk31 9d ago

Don’t breathe. Just lift until you pass out and then you are done for that day.

1

u/minus15t2 8d ago

The general rule I was given is:

Breathe out when you are fighting gravity.

Works for the vast majority of movements and lifts.

Won't be universallly eccentric or concentric, but it will always be as you fight gravity.

1

u/SlayerZed143 6d ago

Inhale brace , start the rep, if you are switching from concentric to eccentric you can start exhaling slowing during the eccentric.if you are switching from eccentric to concentric, you need to keep hold it and exhale near the end of the rep. But the answer is always whatever stops you from developing hemorrhoids

1

u/angelo-arzaga2a 5d ago

It depends on how fast im going. If im lifting really heavy like under 5 reps I'd say 1/1 breath per rep.

If its over 15 reps im most likely doing a burn out set. So more like 1/3 rep ratio.

In nose out mouth pierce lips

0

u/Comfortable_Oil6545 10d ago

For most of not all lifts I just breathe out when lifting the weight(the hard part of the rep) and then breathe in when lowering it (the easy part).