3 mistakes when breathing while working out at the gym that reduce the effectiveness of your workout

When exercising, many people often focus on intensity, movement technique, heart rate or weight. However, not everyone pays attention to breathing. In fact, breathing also has a significant impact on exercise performance.

Breathing properly not only helps the body get enough oxygen but also regulates the heart rate, stabilizes blood pressure, helps metabolism and limits early fatigue. On the contrary, breathing incorrectly can cause a lack of oxygen, increase abdominal pressure, cause fluctuations in heart rate and reduce exercise efficiency, according to the health website Verywellfit (USA).

Holding your breath for too long is one of the common mistakes when lifting heavy weights.

PHOTO: AI

While practicing, people should avoid the following breathing methods:

Hold breath for too long

Breath holding is a state where we neither inhale nor exhale while exerting force. This is essential when lifting weights, especially heavy weights. However, holding your breath for too long is one of the most common and risky mistakes.

Experts say that holding your breath for too long during heavy exercise will cause a sudden increase in blood pressure, putting pressure on the heart and blood vessels, even leading to dizziness or fainting. In addition, holding your breath interrupts the steady supply of oxygen to the muscles, limiting the process of creating energy from oxygen, causing lactic acid buildup and fatigue.

The principle when exercising heavily is to inhale before applying force, exhale when applying force or pulling, avoid holding breath for a long time. This helps maintain moderate and safe abdominal pressure.

Shallow breathing

Shallow breathing is a state of only expanding the chest without expanding the abdomen and using the diaphragm too much. This is a very common mistake, especially when exercising at a high intensity level. Shallow breathing limits the amount of air entering the lower part of the lungs, causing less oxygen to be absorbed, leading to quick fatigue, making it difficult to maintain exercise performance.

Experts note that breathing through the nose and using the diaphragm helps improve oxygen efficiency by up to 25%. Because when breathing through the nose, the body produces nitric oxide, which helps dilate blood vessels, increase oxygen transport, and reduce pressure on the respiratory system. Moreover, deep breathing will expand lung capacity, allowing the respiratory system to work more effectively, reducing early fatigue.

Breathing disturbances

Another mistake is irregular breathing, that is, sometimes inhaling quickly, sometimes inhaling slowly, sometimes holding your breath, sometimes exhaling heavily. This irregularity creates fluctuations in lung and blood pressure, forcing the body to constantly adjust. Poorly controlled breathing deprives muscles and tissues of oxygen and puts pressure on the nervous system.

For people who do cardio, if their breathing is not stable, they will easily run out of breath, lose their rhythm and have to slow down to recover. Experts recommend creating a breathing rhythm that is synchronized with their steps to maintain a stable flow of oxygen. For example, if you walk, you can inhale while taking 2-3 steps, then exhale while taking the next 2-3 steps and maintain a steady pace, according to Verywellfit .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/3-sai-lam-khi-tho-luc-tap-gym-giam-hieu-qua-tap-luyen-185251017142502733.htm