Learn to Breathe During Exercise: Why Your Breathing Technique Matters
When we exercise, we often concentrate on getting the movement right, but there is another important part of good exercise technique that is easy to overlook — breathing.
Learning to coordinate your breathing with your movement can help you feel more comfortable and controlled during your workout. One simple technique to start practising is to breathe out during the contraction phase of an exercise.
🌬️ What is the contraction phase?
The contraction phase is generally the part of an exercise where the muscles are working harder to produce the movement.
For example, during a sit-up, you are contracting your abdominal muscles as you lift your upper body.
A simple breathing pattern to practise is:
⬆️ Lift into the sit-up → BREATHE OUT
⬇️ Lower back down → BREATHE IN
This is a great starting point for learning how to coordinate your breathing with your movement.
💨 Why breathe out during the harder part?
When you’re concentrating on an exercise, it’s very easy to hold your breath without realising it. Focusing on breathing out during the contraction can encourage you to keep breathing steadily rather than holding your breath.
It can also help you become more aware of how your body is moving.
Good breathing habits during exercise can help you:
- Improve movement coordination
- Maintain a more controlled exercise technique
- Stay focused on the muscles you’re working
- Avoid unintentionally holding your breath
- Feel more comfortable during your workout
- Develop better mind-to-muscle awareness
🧘♀️ Start with one exercise
You don’t need to completely change your breathing pattern during your entire workout straight away.
Start with just one exercise.
Try a simple sit-up:
1. Lie comfortably with your knees bent.
2. Take a breath in as you prepare.
3. Slowly lift your upper body and breathe out.
4. Lower yourself back down while breathing in.
5. Repeat at a controlled pace.
As you become more comfortable, you can start applying the same principle to other exercises.
🏋️♀️ Think: “Breathe out on the effort”
A useful cue to remember is:
BREATHE OUT WHEN YOU WORK
For many exercises, the contraction or effort phase is when you’re pushing, pulling, lifting or rising.
For example:
Squat: Breathe out as you stand up.
Bicep curl: Breathe out as you curl the weight up.
Chest press: Breathe out as you push.
Sit-up: Breathe out as you lift up.
The exact breathing pattern can vary depending on the exercise, so the most important thing is to keep breathing and avoid holding your breath.
🌟 Make breathing part of your workout
Your breathing shouldn’t be something you only think about when you’re struggling. Practicing your breathing during easier exercises can help make it feel more natural when the intensity increases.
Next time you’re exercising, slow things down and ask yourself:
“Am I breathing?”
Then try to coordinate your breathing with your movement.
A small change in the way you breathe can help you become more aware of your body, your technique and how you’re performing each exercise.
💜 Move N Motion
At Move N Motion, we believe fitness isn’t just about moving more — it’s about learning to move well.
Whether you’re new to exercise or returning to fitness, taking the time to understand things like breathing, posture, technique and muscle control can help you get more out of your workouts.
Breathe well. Move well. Feel better. 💜💚
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