MON: Breathe for Strength-Speed

You’ve heard your coaches talk about the importance of breathe under heavy load for years, most noticeably on days where we perform squats and deadlifts. The reason for this is simple. Our abdominal and oblique muscles act as stabilizers against too much spinal flexion and rotation when axial (spinal) loaded. If we deflate that air, we increase our instability and likelihood of injury to the lumbar spine (a quick tanget, this is why sandbag squats are so beneficial. They don’t load the spine and they directly train our obliques ability to contribute to spinal stability).

We know breathe is important for absolute strength movements like the squat and the deadlift, but what about strength-speed movements? What do we do about breathe during movements like the snatch and the clean and jerk?

Research shows that optimal lung volume is maintained at about 75%, which is a lot. Specifically, during the first pull of both movements, and the jerk and snatch lockout.

Not only does this holding of the breathe improve our stability and strength of the lift, but it can also serve to improve our accuracy, something that is an underrated component of the Olympic lifts.

Start channeling the power of breathe on your strength-speed movements in the same manner as your absolute strength, and you should see an immediate difference.

-Dave

References: Siff

Monday, 7.23.18

First, for Structure.
8 Bench Press
30” Easy AB Ride
Complete 4 sets in 16 minutes.   
—
Then, For PPB Re-Test.
“Biathlon”
800m Row
800m Run
—
Finish Fo’ Abs.
5×3” Eccentric Low Side Plank Hips Drops
10” Hollow Hold – 10” Tight Arch
(x3)