Manifesting Results

 Back in the innocent days of weightraining in the 1950s and 1960s, the publishers of the leading magazines on these activities, Bob Hoffman (Strength & Health), and Perry Rader (Iron Man), both advocated 20 repetitions of the breathing squat alternated with 20 repetitions of the breathing pullover as the foundation for any bodybuilding program. The weight suggested was largely irrelevant, as the primary importance was on the proper and deep breathing rhythm — and so bodybuilders (weight trainers), were largely distinguished by this prodigious development of their ribcage — upon which they added everything else. Even the most prolific bench presser of that time, Pat Casey had a very pronounced barrel chest from doing pullovers — rather than the bench press — presumably because the pullovers were done with the primary attention to full range breathing in high repetition sets, while the bench press were usually done for much fewer repetitions — without the attention to breathing but actually holding their breath for the duration of their one rep maximum.

Thus weighlifting and weight training came to be regarded as an anaerobic activity — because it was not empowered by breathing — which makes any activity aerobic (with breathing). Many people who think they are training to muscular failure in this fashion are instead failing because of cardiovascular failure because the weight constricts their breathing — as they not only shorten the range of movement for each subsequent lift, but also shorten the range of their breathing — and the effectiveness of breathing, is dependent on the last half of it, rather than the first half of it — when the air is moving only in and out of the windpipe and upper half of the lungs. The air that remains in the lungs, is called residual air, and blocks the freshest air from reaching the bottom portion of the lungs where the critical exchange of gases occurs.

The important part of breathing, is thus the fullest exhalation of air from the lungs, and not as most people think, that they need to breathe in most deeply or forcefully. You cannot force more air into an already filled lung. The proper understanding and strategy, is to breathe out as thoroughly as possible — so that any air entering into the lungs, has a chance to reach that critical interface where fine lung tissue meets fine blood vessels for that valuable exchange. Faster, harder breathing does not overcome the problem because it merely moves the air in and out of the windpipe and upper lung, while the residual air in the lungs blocks the most efficient exchange.

That is why modern First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation came to realize that mouth to mouth breathing is redundant if one is doing chest compressions — because the chest compressions expel the residual air in the lungs — while blowing more air into an already half-filled lung, doesn’t do much additional good — because when the compression vacates the lungs, when the pressure is released alternatively, the atmospheric pressure of 15 lbs per square inch automatically fills the vacuum created by those compressions.

Unfortunately, that understanding and its resulting benefit, has been largely lost in today’s exercise/bodybuilding hype/jargon of the blind leading the blind — for $500 weekend certificates of expertise as exercise gurus — when all that it was originally intended to “certify,” was that one obtained the First Aid and CPR as a prerequisite to signing up for their exercise certification.

In most of the exercises that are taught, producing this breathlessness is taught as a desirable thing, rather than synchronizing the movement and activity to the breathing, to produce an even greater deficit — rather than increasing the aerobic capacity and ability to persist (endure). And so this kind of premature “failure” is produced, rather than the more productive emphasis on endurance and persistence which produce long term benefits over the short term performance. That former is likely to be much more productive over a lifetime than the one time thrill of going over the cliff — no matter how spectacular.

Unfortunately, that is the kind of orientation most young people have today — of being too eager to jump on the treadmill, and wind themselves as quickly as possible, or simply burning as many calories as possible — as though that was all there is to it. The more valuable questioned unanswered, is what can one be doing productively with that expenditure of time, energy and resources. We all note that the critically important vital activity of life is breathing and circulation — but not in the direction we think of it. It is the exhalation that determines the effectiveness — and not as it is thought, the inhalation, or taking a deep breath in — an already filled lung.

In the same way, we also mistake the overworking of the heart and lungs as the measure of the effectiveness of the other muscles we wish to develop — and their failure as indicators of actual muscle failure. That is the problem with most videos of people purportedly training to muscular failure — when because of excessive weights used, actually cause a constriction of their breathing — or no breathing at all. The proper course and proven remedy, is to do as those old tine bodybuilders did — in taking a light weight and placing primary importance on their breathing and muscle relaxation and contraction only possible with nominal weights over a sustained time. Instead, what we most often see in gyms and other venues, is low rep maximums, with liberal rest times that account for 90% of their gym time — while claiming they are training to muscular failure, while predictably reporting that they experience no muscle soreness in subsequent days.

And thus they have the time, energy and recovery ability to go to the gym five times a week — yet get no results, and wonder why? Obviously, one hasn’t done anything that would alter that fact — because even the grade school pupil will show how one “makes a muscle” — immediately and instantly — and not wait around for a year for the results to manifest.