Breath control important to lifting technique

This week is the MCAT edition of "Inside Fitness:" I take a look at breathing during repetitions and the use of weight belts.

I started lifting recently and I'm getting much bigger but I'm still in the process of learning the ropes of weightlifting. The main thing that I'm having trouble with is controlling my breathing during reps. Can you give me some pointers? -- Peeps Thomas, '06

Breathing during repetitions can be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll easily learn how to apply breathing technique to any exercise you choose.

The most difficult portion of a repetition is called the sticking point, or the plateau. For example, in the bench press, it's the pushing portion of the rep slightly above the chest; people have the most difficulty breaking through that specific point in the rep. In the bicep curl, the sticking point is about halfway through the upward portion of the rep, where the upper arm and lower arm make a ninety degree angle with one another.

Once you figure out what the sticking point is of the exercise you're about to perform, the rest is easy. For most exercises, you should exhale through the sticking point and inhale during the other half of the repetition. So for the bench press, you should exhale as you push the bar up into the air and inhale as you slowly bring it back down to your chest. During the bicep curl, exhale as you curl the bar up towards your face, and inhale as you lower it back down towards your thighs.

This breathing technique works for most resistance exercises. If you're sloppy with your breathing technique and breathe completely wrong during your reps, it is possible to pass out. So be careful! There are a select few vertebral-loading exercises in which it may be suggested that a breath-holding technique is better; however, this technique is very difficult to learn and can be dangerous so I would recommend against using it.

I have this furry pink weight belt that my parents gave me for my birthday and I'm kind of afraid to bring it to the gym. But my lower back has started to hurt me during some of my heavy lifts and I'm thinking that the weight belt will come in handy now. When should I use it? -- Karim Bin-Humam, '05

I'm glad you brought this up. Lots of people either use weight belts too frequently or don't use them enough. Weight belt use is simple: a weight belt should be used during exercises that place stress on your lower back and involves near-maximal, or maximal loads. In all other instances, a weight belt is not needed.

So if you're trying to max-out with the tricep pulldown or the lat pulldown, don't wear a weight belt. And if you're performing squats or deadlifts with light loads, don't use one either. But if you're trying to max out in the squat, the use of a weight belt is a good safety precaution to take.

If you use a weight belt for every exercise you perform, regardless of whether or not it involves the lower back, your abdominal muscles will not be trained to their full potential, as your body will use the weight belt as an abdominal cushion during each rep. In addition, your body will become accustomed to the weight belt, which can be a bad thing if you're stuck without a weight belt during a training session.