5 WORST Breathing & Bracing Mistakes Lifters Don't Know They Are Making

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

You’re focused, you’re feeling strong, and you are totally ready for today’s PR squat attempt. Today is your day, bro. You are completely dialed in.

It’s too bad you breathe like a doofus when you lift.

What’s that? That ain’t you? You’re just reading for a friend? Whatever the case, let’s get to it. There are a few mistakes commonly seen when it comes to breathing and bracing correctly (i.e., performing the Valsalva maneuver) when lifting. Let’s take a look at them and fix them fast.

1. Breathing in on the descent and out on the ascent
This flashback-to-the-80s error is less pervasive than it used to be, but it’s still all too common. Remember - if the bar is moving, you’re not breathing.

Breath is support, and we like support when lifting heavy weights, so simply take a breath in before the start of the lift, hold that breath with tightly contracted abs (and the rest of your trunk) throughout the rep, and then exhale only when the bar is back where it started.

2. Holding your breath with puffed cheeks
When you perform the Valsalva maneuver, you hold your breath against a closed glottis, not against your lips with your cheeks puffed out. Don’t know what a glottis is? Not a problem, simply say the word “hick” and hold the “ck” position with your mouth at the end - you’ll be holding your breath against a closed glottis.

Correctly performing the Valsalva maneuver with an open or closed mouth, so to see if you’re doing it correctly (and not holding your breath against your lips), try performing the Valsalva maneuver with your mouth open the next time you lift.

3. Letting out your breath at the top of your deadlift
Just don’t. Remember - breath is support, and you’re still supporting the bar at the top of the pull. Wait the extra half second it takes to lower the bar and then release your breath when the bar is back on the floor where it started. This can be a hard habit to break for some, so practice it during the warm-ups when the weight is light.

4. Pushing your belly out into your belt
Nope. You get tight and rigid before starting a rep in the exact same manner whether or not you’re wearing a belt. Among other things, the belt provides a great tactile reminder of the need to contract the muscles of your midsection - you can feel your abs tense against the belt - but don’t try to actively shove your belly outward into the belt. Simply tense up like you’re going to take a punch to the gut, and you’ll be doing just fine.

5. Too many breaths between reps
This error usually shows up on the squat or the deadlift. The brief moment between reps provides a tiny respite before the next rep, but you waste energy if you spend more time in that position than you have to. The best resting position is that chair you’re going to sit on when you’re done with the last rep, so finish the rep, take a breath, and then start the next rep.

As you get deeper into the set - say rep 4 or 5 - you might need another breath or two, but try to keep it to a minimum. The “deadlift dry heaves” - where you spend too much time and take 5 or 6 breaths between reps - are all too common, and they exhaust you before you even start the next rep. Get the set done.

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

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Training When It's HOT: 11 Lifting Tips in 4 Minutes

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How to handle training when it's hot? Phil gives you 11 tips in less than 4 minutes.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

Everything You Need to Know About Lifting Belts . . . QUICK!

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Today’s topic is a quick dive into lifting belts - specifically, the four Ws of belts: width, when, where, and what. We covered how to efficiently and quickly put on your belt in another article about a month back, so feel free to click here to read that article or watch the associated videos.

Width
If you can get your back set in rigid and flat extension on the deadlift using a 4” belt (i.e., the belt is 4” wide), then go ahead and get a 4” belt. If you can’t, then you probably need to go with a 3” belt. It’s possible that you need a 2.5” belt, but 3” and 4” are the most common widths.

When
When should you put your belt on? A good rule of thumb is to put your belt on for your last warm-up set and then wear it for all of your work sets as well. Time and experience will help you decide if you want to eventually take a different approach, but this is a good guide to start with. I recommend taking your belt off (or at least loosening it) between sets.

Where
Where should you place your belt? You can start by centering it on your belly button as a rough guideline, but the most important landmarks are your hips and your ribs. The belt should sit between your hips and your ribs, and it’s the space between these two regions that will largely determine your choice of a 3” or a 4” belt. It’s worth noting that you especially do not want your belt running into your ribs. It makes for a memorable - and uncomfortable - experience.

What
What do you do once your belt is on? Take a big breath, hold that breath with tightly contracted abs (i.e., Valsalva maneuver), and then perform the lift (watch the video on breathing and bracing). Release your breath only after the rep is completed - remember that if the bar is moving, you’re not breathing.

Don’t complicate the breathing, and don’t try to push your belly out against the belt. Simply take a breath, hold it, tighten your abs as if you’re about to take a punch or as if you’re constipated, and then continue holding that breath throughout the entire rep. You can do this with either a closed mouth or an open mouth - you shouldn’t be holding your breath against your lips with puffed out cheeks. Instead, you hold your breath against a closed glottis, which is located in your throat. Say the word “hick” out loud and hold the “ck” sound at the end - that’s how you do it.

Need to Buy a Belt? Watch This First.
If you’re getting ready to buy a lifting belt, I’d recommend watching the included video here to get a good sense of what to look for when purchasing one. You’ll also find some links below to a few belts we recommend to our members.

Belts
My belt is from Best Belts, and I’d love to recommend them to you, but as of July 2023, they're backlogged and aren't taking orders, so with that in mind, here are the belt options we typically recommend:

As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

(Some links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Testify earns from qualifying purchases.)

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?

Why Your Grandma Needs to Lift

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Why do we focus so much on strength, and how does a high school math & physics teacher end up coaching people with barbells? Phil discusses the importance of strength, why it's foundational, and why it's life-changing.

(This video is a Blast from the Past video originally published on 11/08/21.)

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

Don't Want to Train? Do THIS Instead.

/ Testify Strength & Conditioning/

What should you do when you don't want to train? Phil discusses a viable second option.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Click the button below to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach and start getting stronger TODAY.

One Cue to Rule Them All: Fix Every Single One of Your Lifts

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Let’s quickly cover a cue - specifically a type of cue - that helps every single one of your lifts.

What Could Possibly Help All of My Lifts?

When giving yourself a cue, use a positive cue - not a negative cue. I don’t mean a positive cue in the sense that it makes you feel good - you’re not doing this to feel better about yourself or your lifting. A positive cue simply means that you give yourself a task to accomplish. More specifically, give yourself something to do - not something to avoid doing.

Example: The Squat

If your knees slide forward on the squat, don’t tell yourself, “Stop letting my knees slide forward.” Instead, use the cue, “Set my knees” or “Block my knees.” Again, you’re giving yourself something to do rather than something not to do.

If you ride a motorcycle, you’re already familiar with this concept. When instructors teach you how to ride, they teach you to look where you intend to go - do NOT look where you don’t want to go because whatever you look at is invariably what you ride toward. Same idea here.

Example: The Clean (or Snatch)

If you’ve got an early arm pull on your clean or snatch, don’t cue “Don’t bend my arms.” It might work, but most of the time, you’re better off using a positive cue such as “Long arms,” “Straight arms,” or even “Tight triceps.”

Example: The Deadlift

If you’re letting the bar drift away from you on the deadlift, don’t cue “Don’t let it get away from me.” Instead, try “Pin it to the shins” or simply “Keep it close.” If the bar is looping because you’re pulling around your knees, try cueing “Push the floor” or “Stay over the bar.”

Again, give yourself a job to do, not something to avoid doing. As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you found this helpful, you’ll love our weekly email. It’s got useful videos, articles, and training tips just like the one in this article. Sign up below, and of course, if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

At Testify, we offer small group training, private coaching (in-person or remotely via Zoom), online coaching, and form checks. Would you like to get quality coaching from a Starting Strength Coach?