by Juliana Sciaraffa For many, the Shop is a place of hard work, but also a place where we come to unwind from the day, a place to stop and breathe. But Here is the catch: Often, we forget to breathe. Breathing is an integral part of our training at the Shop, and imperative during every single strength training, metabolic conditioning, running, yoga or kickboxing class we push ourselves through. Very simply, it delivers vital oxygen to our bloodstream, which is then carried to our muscles and organs and helps us perform all of the work we are asking our body to do. Likewise, proper breathing will help brace the load and maintain lumbar stability during heavier lifts, allow the body to properly prepare and receive a strong kick, or relax into a deeper yoga pose. So, why do we find ourselves forgetting to breathe? Frankly, because we are often so focused on the physical task in front of us that we simply forget. It takes practice to learn
how to breathe correctly for each of the techniques we perform. If you’re wondering when you should be focusing on your breathing, here are some examples of proper breathing during a workout: Bench press: Exhale slowly and continuously while pressing the bar, then inhale at the top of the lift or on the return. Running: While there’s no absolute rule, many runners find it most comfortable to take two steps while breathing in, and two steps while breathing out. Kickboxing: Stay relaxed and exhale with each punch — build a rhythm to your breath and technique and increase the amount of power behind your punches. The golden rule, then, is “Stop holding your breath!” and listen to the insight your coaches share about when and how to breathe. Even though it seems simple, we should pay as much attention to the breaths that we take as to the actual technique, because, whether we remember this or not, breathing is technique. And we should always ask for clarification or guidance on any move that may be unclear. When you are finished with your day’s work, remember to take a moment to breathe and reflect on the previous hour and your accomplishments. Let’s take a breathe together one time for good measure: Breathe in… now, breathe out. Breathe through your kicks and punches with Juliana during KO Fusion, Thursday nights and every other Sunday morning, at the Shop. Details here.