Many of us spend a lot of time designing the exercise routine itself, like how to get that extra pump on chest day, as well as our form, gear, and recovery. One category we don’t pay much attention to. The most important thing is breathing.
Kirk Krack, a freediving coach at Performance Freediving Academy, taught the team how to use breathing drills to improve their lungs. The men’s health fitness director served as the guinea pig. The video shows how Krack can help people with their breathing. We learned a few things.
Krack said that their lungs were balloons trapped inside of cages. How do we increase the lung’s ability to expand more than the ribs and the muscles? We can increase our lung volume up to 15%.
Krack said that we can push more red blood cells into the system by holding our breath underwater. He said that it was like a natural form of performance enhancing drugs.
There is a level of risk in holding our breath. He said that if you were doing it by yourself in a pool, it could be a fatal mistake. This is something that we always do with a trained buddy, knowing what the procedures are and what to look for, as well as how to do it properly.
3 Breathwork Drills for Better Lung Capacity
Krack taught Samuel three drills. Everyone trained with a partner at the seminar with Krack leading the exercise.
The first drill is called Ventilation.
The inhale-and-exhale cycle can be used to relieve stress. It’s great for focus control and stress, as well as calming you down and relaxing you, because it’s about lowering the heart rate over those course of breaths.
The Purge was the second drill of the day.
Your chest will be incorporated into this one. You accumulate carbon dioxide with high intensity exercises. You’re breathing heavily because of that. If you breathe with more intention, you’ll be prepared for the next exercise.
The third drill deals with peak inhalation.
It’s time to get those lungs filled up. Krack said it was good to aim for a two-minute breath hold for most people. We are going from the lower to the upper chest. Krack said they were going to try to get as much volume into their lungs as possible. The main fuel tank is what we use.
This isn’t easy mentally as well as physically. If this isn’t easy, give yourself time to recover. Krack saidBreath holding is part of our fears. Fear of falling, being eaten, and suffocation are what it is.
The fitness editor at Men’s Health is a former pro football player and tech reporter who splits his workouts between strength and conditioning training, martial arts, and running. His work can be found at other websites.
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