Proper Breathing to Engage Your Core
Proper Breathing to Engage Your Core
When I get a new client, especially one who is unfamiliar with strength training, I begin by teaching some basics like form, tempo and breathing. Probably the hardest of the three to teach is breathing.
Proper breathing will help you engage your core when you need it the most. Core strength is essential for all of your movements - it is your center, after all - and it has the big task of holding you upright. And while you could choose to knock out some crunches or sweat through an ab-quaking plank series to work the muscle group, you could also do some breathing exercises for core strength, which involve practically zero movement at all. The key? Engaging in belly-based, diaphragmatic breaths. Which unlike shallow breathing, when only your chest and shoulders move with each inhale, with deep, diaphragmatic breathing, your rib cage, abdomen, and diaphragm should be working together to move air in and out of the lungs. This, in turn, engages your core.
Deep abdominal muscles are your diaphragm's partners, so first they lengthen on the inhale, then contract on the exhale as the diaphragm relaxes. If you get the correct expansion of your entire abdominal wall, you will be able to maintain some core tension through an exercise while breathing for both the inhale and exhale. It will also help to protect your spine, pelvic floor, and lower back.
To see for yourself, try the following: Lie down on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place both hands on the outside of your ribcage, where your bottom bra line is/just beneath your chest. Breathe in slowly through the nose, feeling your ribs expand underneath your hands as you press your back ribs into the floor. Then, exhale through your mouth like you're blowing up a balloon, feeling how the abdominal muscles gently tighten and pull in. Complete five breath cycles like this and you will see how effective breathing is for proper core engagement.
Once you understand the how and whys for breathing while strength training, the rest will flow much more fluidly.
Kim Duke is a certified personal trainer and owner of Core Performance Fitness and Training, located at 55 Bristol Lane, Ellicottville, NY. Kim resides in Ellicottville where she raised her two sons, Zach and Nik. For more information about her studio visit her Facebook page or www.coreperformancefitness.com. Kim can be reached directly at 716-698-1198.
