Push-ups: How to breathe?

Am I the only one with this problem?

I have no problem exhaling but inhaling is an issue. Not a big deal when I was doing the short segments (3 to 8 push ups) but now that I'm doing more than 10 at a time it's a bit of a problem. I can exhale all right, every time I go up, but as I go up I am busy thinking about my core and if I do breathe in it's pretty shallow, so I'm out of breath by the time I'm done.

Suggestions? I will need to master push-up breathing if I am to start doing more than 20 at a time in the next few weeks!!!!

Good question! I find that I start doing pups and then have to go "Breathe! BREATHE!!" because I forget and by that point it's too late. Suggestions would be most appreciated.

grog, are you breathing in as you push upward? Just making sure I'm interpreting your post correctly.

I have no idea if I'm doing it right but I do a forceful exhale through my mouth as I push up. This does two things for me: 1) I must breathe or die and 2) it seems to help me belly breathe mo' bettah. Oh yeah, this also help me maintain a rhythm which just helps the overall effort.

So what I'm DOING for sure is EXHALING when I push UP.

Thus I deduct that I should be INHALING as I go DOWN but somehow that doesn't seem to register in my head and body.

I guess thinking about belly breathing on the way down seems like a good idea. But then I'll need to get someone to count for me!!!

Suggestions welcome.

In weight lifting, they teach you to exhale on the force - so exhale up. You can inhale before you go down, if you'd like.
You can eventually teach yourself to breath rhythmically.
I don't know what the PUPs site says (torn rotator cuff means I'm not part of the fun), but with weightlifting, you should go fastish against the weight and slow to return - so I'd power my way up and control my way down on a push up. If you get all of that with the breathing, it becomes second nature.
I think it's why so many weightlifters grunt so much ;)

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Originally Posted by Grog

I guess thinking about belly breathing on the way down seems like a good idea. But then I'll need to get someone to count for me!!!

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Yeah, you can't count outloud and breathe properly. The forceful part of the exhale triggers the inhale . . . but you can't be doing no talkin'.

I'm not in this challenge, and the most pushups I ever do in one set is 15, but I've been doing weight training for a long time. My advice is to just keep practicing until proper breathing becomes second nature, even if that means you keep to a low number of pushups a little while longer while you're getting the technique down.

Good luck!

Funny you should mention this..I just realized that after about 10-12, I am holding my breath....:confused: trying to get it over with.

The way I breathe doing pups is more like Pilates breathing than belly breathing, I think. Abs are engaged, so I'm breathing more into my ribcage.

If you don't do Pilates, try this Stott Pilates breathing practice: sit on a mat, hug your knees in and curl over them, then just practice inhaling and exhaling. The only way for your lungs to expand is into your ribcage. Doing that will give you an idea of how it feels to breathe into your sides and back.

Yup, forceful exhale on the way up. You can subvocalize counting as you exhale, if it helps to count out loud.

HTH.

Thanks all! I will try these tricks on Wednesday. I think I will be able to count and exhale at the same time as you describe, Oakleaf! Will keep you posted.

Ok, tried and tested this:

I experimented on the breathing thing. I got it right on the second and third level, and then kept "experimenting" and that's how I almost failed the fifth level, as my breathing was totally out of whack. Anyway I've figured out what I have to do: I need to breathe out before I start, then I breathe in during the descend and the start of the push up, and exhale the rest of the way up. Start inhaling again before I start going down, and the beat seems about right. My heart rate shoots up, but that will improve in time.

Does this make sense?

I was talking to my trainer about this on Monday. He said, if you hold your breath, the worst that will happen is that you'll pass out. And since you're doing push-ups you're already close to the floor so you probably won't hurt yourself. Although you might want to have a mat under you just in case.

(Yeah, he can be quite the wise-*** at times. And yet I've been putting up with him for over 11 years now. Of course if you asked him, he'd say he's been putting up with me.)

Anyway it sounds like you're doing a good job figuring it out. Keep practicing and before you know it, you won't even have to think about it anymore.