Old Forum Military Press Breathing

[Steve Freides]

How does everyone handle breathing for multiple reps of the 2-kettlebell military press?  I've been finding I feel strongest by refreshing my air at the lockout position - press, relax a little at the lockout, quick inhale, hold, build tension on the lowering, pause in the rack, and  press again.

I'm curious what others do, and also confess I don't know if we have an official recommendation on this technique point for our certs, which is part of why I asked.  I have tried inhaling while lowering but feel I don't get maximum tension in the rack for the next press that way.

Thanks in advance.

-S-

 

[Boris Bachmann]

It depends on how many reps and how heavy.

Heavy heavy = not a lot of breathing.

Heavy = at the top, and maybe an inhale on the eccentric, pressurized exhale on the concentric ("breathing behind the shield")

 

[Steve Freides]

Multiple reps - I mean the 5 or so we do at certs.  How do you breath for a 5-rep set with an 8-rep max weight.

Heavy heavy = not a lot of breathing because it's also not a lot of reps.

-S-

 

[Mark Limbaga]

What I have done so far: light exhale then quickly inhale after cleaning the bells.

Steve, I will try inhaling at lockout, kinda makes sense with how I learned breathing patterns for lifting years ago. I'll get back to you ASAP

 

[Steve Freides]

Mark, whatever you do for the first one will be different because of the clean.  I'm talking about doing one clean followed by many presses and how one breathes for that.  Not that talking about breathing for the clean and press is a bad subject, either, of course, just not what I'm asking about in particular here.

Here are the principles at work, I think: inhale at the point of least tension which, in a repetition press with a moderately heavy weight, should be at the lockout; feel the tension increase as you pull the bell down, much along the lines of the balloon analogy for the squat; pause briefly then imagine your arm's "balloon" straightening as you press.

-S-

 

[Samuel]

Inhaling on the lower generally works best for me, Steve. It is only really when things get much heavier and harder that I find I need to maintain more tension and only do short, sharp inhales either in the lockout or the rack. Or sometimes I will take an extra breath or two in these positions later in a set, but generally I will still inhale on the eccentric and exhale on the concentric (appropriate power breathing, that is). Obviously our mileages vary on this one.