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Old Forum If you are interested in breathing ladders....

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Iron Tamer

Iron Tamer

Strongman, Speaker and Seeker of Truth
I put together a blog with a detailed way to integrate them into your life.

http://strengthdojo.com/the-forge-part-one/

I hope you find it useful....
 
Thank you for sharing this. I followed the 2 youtube videos you did recently on breathing ladders,  they were really useful and I've been trying them out. Just read "The Forge" and looks great, I will try and schedule that in for later in the year.
 
Great stuff. I've never been interested in the X swings in Y time challenges because, well, I've been doing a lot of swings weekly for years, doing a bit more doesn't seem like it would benefit me a whole lot. But this one has piqued my interest and I'm filing it away for after I finish S&S.
 
I’m a little confused about the part where is says 10:2, 20:4, 30:6, 40:8 = 100 total swings, 20 controlled breaths, is that how where suppose to do the sets ? One set of 10 swings with 2 breaths, one set of 20 with 4 breaths and so on ?
 
An excellent idea, carefully thought through and thoroughly explained - thank you, Tamer.

-S-
 
Yes, that is it Scott. 10+20+30+40=100 swings, 2+4+6+8=20 breaths down between sets of swings.
 
Ok I thought so, very cool. I will be implementing it asap. Thanks for the clarification
 
Tamer,

Could you please write a paragraph or two about what a trainee would get out of doing breathing ladders, whether the results be physical, mental, or psychological?  I would like to hear it from you.
 
Dave,

That looks like an incredible plan for the breathing ladders!  I already knew I was in pitiful aerobic shape.  The breathing ladders drove it home for me.  But, unlike some aerobic training that just makes me take stock of how out of shape I am, the breathing ladders (as you outlined, especially the one I used - the Day 2, Week 1 version) felt like they would quickly make me much less out of shape.  

I think they are probably a great diagnostic fitness tool - as well as being a corrective. 

I'm doing the 300 swings every day challenge.  That's why I chose the Day 2, Week 1 version of the breathing ladders.  I also used a much lighter weight than I did on the first day of the swing challenge.  That way I was able to concentrate on the prescribed breath to swing ratio. 

I'm doing 300 more swings this morning when I get home from my 12-hour shift.  Might have to do them faster than the breathing ladders because of my infant.  But, I will be experimenting with the breathing ladders as often as time and my schedule (and my infant, lol) allows. 

Just wanted to tell you that your expertise and fitness offerings are very appreciated!  Sometimes we forget to thank those that enrich our lives in one way or another.  This is not that day. 

-Ben
 
Ben- Thanks for th eking words and very good of you to take the concept and implement it into YOUR life and current goals. That's what's up.

 

 
 
Jeffrey - I hesitate to do it because there is a certain amount of self discovery here. There are things that can be learned but not taught and in particular there are somethings that can only be learned when purposefully controlling the breath at a HR of 170 BPM.

However, I realize that for some folks, they need more info  than simply "Go see this movie-it's awesome!".

Paraphrasing The Mighty Atom- If you control the breath, you control all bodily functions.  If you can experience the sensation of deliberately affecting your autonomic nervous system and lowering your heart rate between sets, how valuable a carryover into everyday life is that?  Literally calming down function, as in "make less excited" is a pretty valuable skill. How could that help the athlete in a bike race? Boxing ring? The regular human who gets cut off in traffic?

 
 
Jeffrey, like Tamer said, self discovery is really the only the only way to see how it applies to you.

But here is what I personally have learned from it.

It is the best tool I know of to slow an out of control heart rate.  As a cop this comes in handy a lot.  When I am dispatched to a hot call like a burglary or robbery in progress, or a disturbance involving armed parties, initially I get a huge spike in heart rate as my adrenalin starts dumping.  That is bad when you then have to maneuver through busy traffic and arrive on scene calm enough to give commands, take control of a suspect, or shoot to protect yourself.  I find that using the slow controlled breathing that I learned from breathing ladders is the best way to get my nerves under control quickly.

 

The USMC MCMAP program is where I first learned it.  The instructor had us grapple for about two minutes and then you had a few seconds to recover before completing another task.  We did it with calling in a 9-line medical evac request, and shooting several precision shots with a rifle.  Those that used the slow controlled breathing technique did far better than anyone that frantically gulped air.
 
I really like this breathing ladders concept. Explanation are really clear and solid, so i will put this to my training.

Today was the first day of "The Forge", and seriously is not a joke, looking forward to it.

I will put full review when i finish the full 12 weeks.
 
Dave,

Do you feel that dealing with intense emotional stress outside the gym feels very much like dealing with the stress of breathing ladders while in the gym, and that the one prepares you for the other?
 
Certainly not exactly the same, no.
But I do feel there are some correlations between the two. In either case, you are trying to slow your breath rate in a situation where your body is trying to tell you to just breath faster. It is something that I feel has worked for me.
Lots of guys more knowledgeable than me and with more experience are teaching this type of thing to Mil/LE groups.

More research definitely should be done with this. It's probably difficult to achieve a real intense fight or flight response in a lab though.

Try it out and report back here if you get the opportunity.
 
I first heard about this type of thing from Dave Grossman.

Found this with a quick google search.

http://onresilience.com/2011/06/02/tactical-breathing-can-stop-stress-on-the-spot/
 
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