Q: At times it feels very natural to breathe out as Ilift a barbell during upright rows and breathe in as I lower it. But other times, it feels just as natural to breathe in as I lift the barbell.
A: Lynda Espada, fitness director at Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center, tells her clients not to stress about breathing. The rule is that you’re supposed to be exhaling on exertion and inhaling on release. Reversing these – or even worse, holding your breath – can raise blood pressure and make you dizzy. But when she tells people to focus on their breath, their form suffers.
She’s had good results by encouraging air flow in tricky ways: “I tell them to relax their mouths. If I see some teeth, I know they’re breathing.”
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Q: I have a naturally small frame and have been trying for about two months to increase the size of my butt, but there hasn’t been any change.
I have been doing squats with progressively heavier weights. I’m using 40 pounds and am moving up to 45. Are there any other exercises that I can do to see any gains?
A: Lance Breger, head trainer at Mint Fitness, says that for the first eight weeks of strength training, your ability to handle progressive weight is only 20 percent due to muscles getting stronger.
The other 80? That’s your nervous system learning how to perform the movement more efficiently. But after that initial stage, those percentages reverse.
If you’re after expansion, though, follow Breger’s plan to a “derriere extraordinaire.” Begin by massaging your hip flexors on a foam roller, and take 30 seconds to perform a hip flexor stretch (kneel on one knee and have the other thigh parallel to the ground, and gradually force your hips forward). Then get your hiney in the air in a hip bridge.
“Squeeze like you’re holding a winning lottery ticket between them,” Breger says. Single leg moves, such as balancing on one foot while taking a medicine ball through a figure 8, are a good prep step.
If three times a week you’re doing 3-6 sets in a rep range of 8-12, using progressively heavier weights that leave you fatigued, Breger predicts big things for you.
