Breath and Focal Point

Are you in control of your breath? Are you in control of the focal point of your eyes?

When you move, do you think about these things?

Think about squatting. Approach the bar. Unrack the bar. Walk the bar out. Get your feet set. Send your hips back and descend to below parallel. Stand up. Walk the bar back in. Rack the barbell. Walk away. What happens with your eyes? When do you breathe? Are these things that go through your mind?

What do you do during a somersault? What happens for a cartwheel? How do you do a barbell snatch? What about a muscle up?

In the squat example, think of setting your gaze out in front of you about chest height. Pick a screw on the wall. Pick a spot something that you can focus on. Your eyes stay set here. Having a gaze on the horizon has a huge impact on your balance, and knowing where you are in space. Eliminate the confusion and just lock your eyes in and hold. Breath should be the same every time. Personally, I take a breath just before the bar comes out of the rack. After my walkout and before the squat, I exhale and take a new breath. This breath stays in during the entire squat. I exhale when I come back up from the squat. The goal here is to keep the trunk as tight as possible, maintain posture, and protect the spine. A good thing to keep in mind about breath is to have a belly full of air while you are moving under load.

Think about this next time you are moving. “Where are my eyes and what am I doing with my breathing?” Don’t be one of those clowns that walk into a fountain texting on your cell phone.

 

Danny Lesslie

@dannylesslie