“Breathing & Bracing”- How, When and Why

Ken Dobberpuhl, CPT, MAT

1. Breathing:
It seems natural enough but the fact of the matter is most adults don’t breathe in the most relaxed/efficient manner possible. Breathing and bracing or drawing-in are linked and I’ll tie them together shortly but first a word about diaphragmatic or belly breathing. If you have watched a baby breathing on it’s back you have observed belly breathing. Their tummies rhythmically travel up on inhalation and down on exhalation. As adults we typically breathe up in our chests which is less efficient and more work to accomplish. There are two easy ways to reassess this forgotten pattern (1) laying on your back, hands on your tummy try to breathe in through the nose feeling the belly raise and out through the mouth feeling your hands/belly drop. (2) The other method is to kneel on all fours (quadruped), with the back remaining flat, see if you can breathe in and let the belly drop on inhalation and then have the belly draw up on exhalation. You can monitor this by looking in a mirror from the side or having a partner hold a yardstick on your belly from the side and observe the raise and fall of the belly. This may take some practice but it is worth the effort.

Now that I have given you the “how to” let’s talk about the practical application. First, breathing from the chest brings about a distinctly different response from your nervous system. We operate on two systems, the Sympathetic (Fight or Flight) and Parasympathetic (relaxed, calming). Our survival sometimes depends upon our ability to react quickly so it is useful to have a shot of adrenaline from the adrenal glands to get us out of harms way. This also coupled with rapid chest type breathing. When we exercise if we can keep our breathing as belly breathing if is less stressful to the body (parasympathetic nervous system) and you can actually operate more efficiently. There are times in sports or daily activities where you may be pushing physically, this is a great place to practice belly breathing. If you are involved in an explosive effort (sprinting) belly breathing during recovery can help drop your pulse and restore normal breathing more quickly. Cyclists and runners have lots of opportunities to practice this technique while working below their anaerobic threshold. If you wear a heart rate monitor look at your heart rate after a climb or faster effort (intervals). Then consciously belly breathe during recovery and see how fast you can get back to your recovery rate. For athletes the ability to recover quickly after a high level effort is the true mark of conditioning. It just takes some conscious practice. Breathing during strength training should correspond to the exertion phase (when you are doing the most work) i.e. Push-ups, Pull-ups, Squats breathe out on the way up. The rate at which you exhale is related to bracing or drawing in so let’s talk about how breathing is part of bracing.

2. Bracing or Drawing In:
You will often hear trainers and class instructors say something to the effect of “keep your abs tight.” This drawing in or bracing technique helps your natural weight belt muscles stabilize your spine. “Drawing in” is accomplished by contracting some specific muscles of the core (transverse abdominis, internal oblique, rectus abdominis). When you breathe out consciously activating these muscles, the belly button pulls back toward the spine, the pelvic floor raises, and the diaphragm contracts, hence “drawing in.” This relatively simple movement is THE KEY to producing power from the lower extremities (legs) to the upper extremities (arms). It can be done slowly as in the preparation before a weight lifting exercise and then held for the duration of the repetitions or it can be the explosive as in a swing of a tennis racquet. In the explosive application of the breath out and bracing you will often hear a grunt or scream (Williams sisters grunt). At the moment of impact or maximal exertion the core is contracted (drawn in) to produce maximal force production. This action not only results in more power but insures that the spine is stabilized to prevent injury. When you see people wearing weight belts at the gym or Home Depot you should realize that (1) they don’t need them (we all have our own) and (2) they are probably using them incorrectly because it encourages them to push their bellies out! So when you are working around the house or at the gym and about to pick something up, “Draw in” or brace to create a corset effect that will protect your back and allow you to produce more force.

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