What Patterns Or Techniques Of Deep Breathing Work Best?

 The breath is one of our reasons for living and yet many of us take it for granted and don't give it a second thought. Let's face it, if we can't breathe, we will die, there's no getting around that. The type of breathing we do however can determine how calm we are and when we're in panic mode (negative stress), there's a lot of information out there on that subject but what is best to develop a strong system and flow of the body, not just to the muscles but to the organs and the brain?

Experimenting with different breathing patterns for years, some have worked very well and others have caused problems and even made me dizzy and disoriented. There are many patterns of breathing if you do enough research but which ones are worthy to trust and give you a better sense of focus and being relaxed or tense? There's Chest Breathing, Diaphragmatic Breathing, Box Breathing and others but which ones are bad for you and which ones are the real deal? 

Most people Chest Breathe because that was what they were taught later on in life and most likely picked up on it through observation and it become a normal thing. There are courses out there specifically for this type of breathing and some give it a few good points but it goes without saying, Chest Breathing can cause more harm than good; first off, it conditions the body to react to negative stress much faster and causes the Flight or Fight mode which depending on the situation puts an individual in a state of panic, anxiety and other forms of stress. In fitness, it is taught in old time courses to "expand the chest" and trim the waistline and help develop that V-Shape from the low abdomen to the top areas of the back. It can do wonders for a physique (possibly) but to overall health, it can be dangerous.

Diaphragmatic Breathing has shown to condition the body to react in a more calming state even in stressful situations, it's an expansion of the belly on the inhale and a pull back towards the lower back on the exhale. Some people use it as a meditative practice to keep the body relaxed and more in tuned with the mind and control of the breath. There are different areas of Diaphragmatic breathing that teach the body to stay in that relaxed state. Some have even shown results of increased cardio doing this. The Gracie family (most famously Rickson) use certain breathing patterns to keep going in BJJ and be able to roll around without gassing. 

Box Breathing is a specific technique where you inhale for a count, exhale for a count say a 4-count for each inhale and exhale. This is a more concentrated form of breathing where it programs the mind and body to focus more on where the breath goes and creating a "Boxed" format. Some people use this for walking and count the steps per inhale and exhale to create a rhythm or stride at a brisk pace. 

When you get caught in a situation that forces you to breathe in a certain manner, you never know what your breathing is because in a certain situation you don't always know if you need to be calm or go for the fight or flight. When I was in BJJ, I didn't understand completely what was happening around me and I did get caught in fight or flight mode and was gassing much quicker even though I was in decent shape. As I got better in handling my opponent, I was also breathing differently and was learning how to breathe during spars (just the workout of sparring in itself can bring on stress) but I was lasting a little longer each time, I still got my ass kicked but little by little I was lasting longer in matches and at certain times didn't get tapped at all and was able to keep going. 

What patterns or techniques work best? It depends on the goals you want to achieve but from my experiences, Diaphragmatic Breathing always worked in my favor more than anything else. Whenever I practiced Chest Breathing, I lost energy and stamina much faster and nearly blacked out one time in the gym after working so hard on a circuit and my breathing automatically went to the Chest because back then I didn't know any better. When I began experimenting with it in a different setting, the main difference between almost blacking out and actually concentrating on it was the way my body just caused more problems internally. With the "belly" breathing and even box breathing, I have greater energy, my cardio lasts longer and my body feels much better whether in the middle of a workout or after. I use it for Step-Up Training, Hiking, Swimming, during Animal Workouts and other activities. 

A variation of the Diaphragmatic Breathing is doing the "Breath Of Fire" technique I've seen Rickson Gracie do has been my latest experiment in how I apply breathing whether in a meditation or through my hard workouts and so far, I'm really liking it and it keeps me fresh every workout or activity I do. Is it for everyone? Maybe, maybe not but see what it can do and practice carefully and with focus, if you are having trouble with it, don't force it or hurt yourself. Breathe my friend. 

The Freedom Of Bodyweight Training

 When you become invested in your body's potential, you experiment and learn what it is capable of doing. Granted some programs are just flat out wrong or are twisted to the point where you're expected to do hundreds of a single exercise and call it training. Is hundreds of push-ups, squats, step-ups and/or pull-ups really necessary? Hell no unless you're a pro athlete and need to build a level of conditioning suited to specific goals and/or sports oriented training.

One of the benefits of bodyweight training is not just the fact they can be done anywhere and anytime, but they allow freedom in ways most methods can't. The freedom to express yourself through the use of your own body and do something unique and stepping out of the box. There's Animal Movements, there's a way to express the way you do push-ups and other calisthenics without feeling bored or sore the next day and you can learn how to use them as play more than just a workout. Now I do believe in safety and some exercises are not meant for everyone but with a long term goal, you can be creative without risking injury.

This ability to develop an imagination with exercise and movement in general can be an asset through the use of CoreForce Energy where it teaches how to incorporate sounds, techniques that pit the mind and body together to create faster movements, explosiveness and endurance. The breath work from this course is worth the price in itself as it shows how to be stronger on both the inhale and the exhale while most feel stronger through one or the other. It teaches how to pinpoint certain aspects of movement so you can be more fluid and stronger at the same time whether it's lifting a kettlebell, going up a flight of stairs, carrying a suitcase or building greater strength in your push-ups and squats.

With safe modalities and unnecessary risks, you create bodyweight workouts how you see fit, you don't always have to do things up and down, you can go sideways, make twists and turn, forwards and backwards, hell you can even do 360 jumps if your body can withstand it and create combinations that would baffle people. Sure I have done goofy stuff in my workouts and have done some workouts where I was told how nuts I was but that's the beauty of the way I do things, it gives me freedom to express myself without saying anything and just doing it. 

You learn to apply the mindset that when you let yourself be free, a whole new world will open up to you. This could apply to weights too and the best person that teaches the freedom with weights in my opinion is Bud Jeffries, nobody I've ever heard of except maybe Garin Bader and a couple others uses more expression and off the wall experimental aspects of training than Bud does, he's unique in that aspect and challenges the norm more than anyone. Having the fundamentals is a key and once you have them down, in the words of Anakin Skywalker in Episode 3 "This is where the fun begins", you now learn how to use your imagination to create workouts that are meant for you and your goals. 

Be expressive in your training, make it work for you and inspire others to show their creative side to exercise. You can learn all the exercises you want and some may not work but don't restrict yourself to what's going on externally, once you can bring out what's internal, you'll have greater power and movement. Bodyweight Training is not just calisthenic based exercise, it's a window to a creative world where your body is the canvas, your mind is the paint brush and your movement is the painting. 

 

Where Did Ginastica Natural Really Originate?

 Experimentation is always the best way of finding out what works, what doesn't and how to apply it to your daily life (or through a program). Where do these experimentations come from? Someone had to come up with something and someone else takes a concept and molds it to their own design. That's one of the beautiful things about exercise, there's always something to develop either in addition or as a self-discovery through practice of what makes you the best you can be.

One of the fascinating practices of bodyweight training is what's called Ginastica Natural; it's a Brazilian based exercise concept using techniques and combinations in Yoga, Gymnastics & Animal Style Movements that although can be used for developing a healthy lifestyle is more along the lines of being used to train BJJ Fighters and other sources of MMA. One of the most famous fighters to train in this style (successfully) has been Rickson Gracie. It was created by Alvaro Ramano (who was trained by the Gracies) and later adopted by his son Rafael . 

It doesn't just apply to movements in a more natural setting, it also takes on the practice of certain breathing techniques and patterns based on areas of Yoga that helps one stay relaxed and oxygenated to the point where if it's mastered, you can practically go for long periods of time without getting winded or create unnecessary tension. Rickson demonstrates this so beautifully in a clip from the movie Choke. To see a smaller sample of this type of breathing (still from Rickson), there's a scene in 2008's The Incredible Hulk where an instructor shows Bruce Banner how to control his emotions and breathing, it is a very inspiring scene that only lasts less than a minute or so. Some of the control in the breathing makes the Abdominals move like a dance, similar to old time bodybuilders such as Otto Arco practicing Muscle Control.

Now, where did this combo style even come from, it's been proven Alvaro didn't invent it (more or so popularized it and was adapted by others later on with similar concepts). From my research (and more so on Rickson), the practice was based on the teachings of Brazilian Yoga Instructor Orlando Cani. Orlando demonstrates practically an identical format that shows the breathing patterns, the movements, the stretches and more long before Alvaro came along. This practice was more to the tune of giving people an opportunity to understand their own body's abilities to create a more natural state of activity along with controlling the emotional state and well being. Alvaro used this as well but if you look deep into his style, it's more for athletes (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners) and those who want to develop a greater physique. 

For all intents and purposes, GN originally came from Cani (which he called Biogymnastics) who was a former athlete in his own right in Swimming, Artistic Gymnastics and other sports. He trained many athletes alongside his instruction for Yoga from all walks of life (including Rickson Gracie and MMA Legend Marco Ruas) that included those in MMA, Dance, Swimming, Theater and Beach Volleyball. 

Now does it really matter where this concept originated from? To the masses, not so much but there should be credit where credit is due. Both Orlando & Alvaro aren't big dudes, at best soaking wet they're no more than 145-155 lbs. but they're skills are incredible and their breath work is so powerful yet beautiful. If you ever watch sparring sessions with the Gracies, they're a testament to this concept in how to apply the breath not just for staying calm in very intense situations but to be in such physical condition, getting winded is almost non-existent. They're conditioning is by far some of the best in history. 

Step Ups: An Underrated Conditioning Exercise

 Step Ups were first known as a fitness test during World War 2 (called the Harvard Step Test by Lucien Brouha) to test a person's cardiovascular system which also helped determine a person's recovery ability after strenuous exercise. To test this, the way it went down was a person had to step up and down within a second per leg and went at a rate of 30 reps total per minute for 5 minutes or until complete exhaustion. There were variations of this test by others but this was the biggest one known at the time.

Although many athletes have done this exercise, it has gone by the wayside because it's not a big time exercise that executes top level strength as opposed to Squats and other Leg Movements. The truth of the matter is, with the right height for a person that is congruent with a leveled step up, it can be and should regarded as a great conditioning exercise that does build muscle while acting as a phenomenal stamina builder. When this test was first issued, the subject at hand didn't factor in a person's height or the dangers of overlapping the leg's ability to stay within a level for the joints. If a person was too tall, the test would've been too easy because it wouldn't take much to step up but if a person was too short, they're overextending the hip joint and that could cause an injury to the joints along the hips and quad muscles.

To make this exercise efficient and provide a safe level of working the muscles and the hip joints, a person should have a step up that doesn't extend their knees past the navel point of the abdomen. Some people are flexible with their legs but if you're doing reps over an extended period of time, you don't want to risk the health of your joints otherwise you'll be in pain for a very long time. My step up is no more than 14 inches which is perfect for my height (5'10) and doesn't put pressure on the ankle joints and shin bones from my injuries. I have been training my wife in the step ups and for her height (4'11), 14 inch step up would be too much on her knees and ankles so we have a gym step up that is at best 10 inches which gives her a good lift but doesn't put pressure on her legs, she'll often do 50-200 reps in a workout depending on her energy levels and the workouts I put her through.

My workouts normally with step ups is 20-30 minutes non stop doing 10-20 reps per leg at a time. If I'm feeling ambitious on certain days, i'll do no more than 1000 within an hour or less. In other words I don't do workouts longer than an episode of a tv show. Most of the time, I'll just do step ups as a cardio workout and than do other stuff later in the day. To ensure I'm keeping my joints healthy to continue doing them, I would do Isometric Step Ups from time to time. This type of training has helped me do hikes without getting winded or fatigued and can easily go up flights of stairs.  

Most wouldn't think Step Ups are hard and often times don't consider it much of an exercise unless there's added weight involved. There's nothing wrong with adding resistance to step ups but just doing them in and of themselves can be tough as hell especially if you're hitting the hundreds to a thousand or more. What you may not realize is that at some point during the day, a lot of us already do some form of step up whether it's going up stairs, walking up the steps of an arena, going up hill or taking up boxes to an apartment. The funny thing is, climbing up stairs and such can give you a real test to see how your conditioning is.

One of the best athletes to ever do the Step Up and has made it an exercise that holds true testament is legendary wrestling champion Bob Backlund who has gone sometimes hours doing this exercise. At a tv taping of Impact one year when he was doing an appearance, he did step ups the whole time for 2 hours that included before the fans arrived till the time they left. That is some crazy conditioning. 

For most people, just a few minutes of this exercise can tell you a lot about your cardio and how fit you are. Don't underestimate it, try it out in your own workouts and see what you can do. Just do your bodyweight, don't add resistance until you have done a good number of reps within a solid time frame. Start out doing them 1-2 times a week for no more than 10 minutes, if you prefer sets and need to recover in between, do so and reduce the rest time each workout 5-10 seconds, As you get better, add reps. If you can do a total of 100 without stopping, that's a great start, 500 is pretty damn good, once you hit 1000 in under an hour, that's a sure way of saying "yep that guy's crazy" lol. 

Remember, "Conditioning is your best hold."- Karl Gotch. 

Slow Moving Push-Ups

 Every now and then I like to test my strength in various ways and with the training or demo videos I've put up on tik tok recently it's starting to slowly get noticed which I'm grateful for. I'm not big on push-ups these days but it's cool to see what's possible and how much strength it takes to do something you normally don't do. 

I test myself in how slow I can do a push-ups in a variety of ways and one of them was to see if I can do one push-up within a minute or so on my fists. For some, it's not that difficult but for others, it takes a lot of strength and patience to keep the tension going and I'm happy to say I've done it. You can view it HERE. Another video I tested myself on was doing a Fingertip Push-up and seeing if I can even do a minute, after a few attempts, I did in just over a minute. That one hurt (discomforting not painful) and still feeling some of the effects just in my thumbs but I'm glad I did it. You can view it HERE. This was more about how strong my tendons are and how far I've come in my training. Safe to say, I'm not doing this again anytime soon.

Doing push-ups slower builds a different level of strength and endurance that might actually be safer than doing dozens to hundreds of push-ups a day. Doing them slower tests your not just the muscles but the structure itself and learning to control your body in a different manner. Think about it, if someone can do 100 Push-ups in a row and someone can do just 1 Push-up that takes just as long as 100 Push-ups who's stronger? Either one has awesome strength and endurance but when it comes to control, that 1 Push-up might have to take the cake. It's basically a Dynamic Tension exercise where you create tension as you move. 

I've always believed in challenging yourself to see what is possible and if you never do it again afterwards, that's awesome and you know that at one time or another you made something possible and nobody can take that away from you. I started doing slower push-ups when I was doing DDP Yoga for a period and doing 9-30 count Push-ups were hard but I loved the challenge. It tested me in a way that still makes me work hard to this day when it comes to a challenge. After doing thousands of Push-ups over the years, doing them slower actually feels better and seeing strength from a different point of view. 

That one minute plus Fingertip Push-up however, was one of the hardest I've ever attempted and although I didn't think or a second my fingers would dislocate, I still felt the discomfort from pressing that hard into the mat and trying to control my body, as you see in the video, I start shaking really hard during that last part of the ascent, I didn't want to fail so I kept going. I even made it a challenge on Tik Tok and only one person took it, it was a female welsh fighter and she did her damndest, I applaud her for even attempting, it takes a toll on someone and you need very strong fingers to pull it off. 

So, even if you don't go after that kind of push-up, just doing regular push-ups slowly and see what is possible. You'd be surprised how much strength it takes to do one so damn slow that muscular strength isn't the only thing going into play. Give it a try and see how you do.