Inhale or Exhale?

Well, hopefully you are doing both!  Seriously though, one of our participants submitted the following question:

"We laugh about this, but when we're doing our cool down, you'll tell us to do something while inhaling, let go and exhale, etc. We joke that we feel lucky to be breathing and we can't remember that when we're in one position it's supposed to be an inhale vs. exhale. So, tell us why that is important. Or maybe it's not. But if it is, if there is a reason you want us exhaling vs. inhaling while we're doing something, I'm curious as to why it matters."

Actually, you have all been part of a human behavioral study for the past three and a half years.  It has nothing to do with the exercises you have been doing, but we wanted to know if physically tired subjects will listen to directions.  Apparently we found our answer :-)

The short answer is that you inhale on the relaxation phase or preparation phase of the stretch, and you exhale during the actual stretch.  Take, for example, our back stretch where you lie on the floor and bring your knees toward your chest.  We ask you to inhale when you release the stretch and exhale as you pull your knees in toward your chest and stretch your glutes and spinal extensors.  By exhaling into the stretch your body will relax into the stretch.

The longer and more scientific answer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explains that, "Proper breathing control is important for a successful stretch. Proper breathing helps to relax the body, increases blood flow throughout the body, and helps to mechanically remove lactic acid and other by-products of exercise.  As you breathe in, the diaphragm presses downward on the internal organs and their associated blood vessels, squeezing the blood out of them. As you exhale, the abdomen, its organs and muscles, and their blood vessels flood with new blood. This rhythmic contraction and expansion of the abdominal blood vessels is partially responsible for the circulation of blood in the body. Also, the rhythmic pumping action helps to remove waste products from the muscles in the torso. This pumping action is referred to as the respiratory pump. The respiratory pump is important during stretching because increased blood flow to the stretched muscles improves their elasticity, and increases the rate at which lactic acid is purged from them."

So, as always, there is a purpose and reason for everything we ask you to do.  So inhale deeply and then stretch those fingers out as you exhale and sign your name to your certificate of respiration.