One piece of insider info that isn’t often shared on social media is that if you learn how to breathe and brace, you will automatically train your “core”. And, if you brace correctly under load and train all the primary patterns, you will get all the “core” training you will ever need.

Depending on the intensity/load you use in an exercise will alter the type of brace you need. 

For lighter load, higher rep and unilateral exercises using a “hollowing” of the abdominals will be enough to create stability in the spine. True core strength requires the ability to be mobile as well as strong and stable. The hollow is a great way to generate some stiffness but allows controlled motion. 

But, when it comes to heavier loads, especially when the load works directly through the spine (deadlifts or squats). The need for a more robust “brace” will be essential. There are two ways to do this.

• INHALE – this is the most common way to brace. Take a sharp NASEL to inhale, and use that inhale to brace on top. This brace often elevates the ribcage and drives tension into the lumbar spine, which is fine if you naturally round your spine and fall into a “flexed” posture when lifting. But if you naturally over-extend and arch your back, this isn’t the brace for you.
• EXHALE – a full MOUTH exhale brings the ribcage down and lets the lifter control spinal extension better by stacking the ribcage over the hips. Bracing on top of this breath is much better suited for some people. 

The number of reps you do should alter the breathing and bracing technique. Hard INHALES or EXHALES are hard to master and tricky to maintain over reps of 6. So when you do 6+ reps, you can use a lighter version of the technique or a hollow to stabilise the spine simply because high reps = low load, and low load require less spinal stability to manage.

Big HARD braces are not an optimal way to breathe for all exercises, and we use them because of the demands of specific exercises at certain loads. Various breathing techniques (including some relaxing breathing drills) should be used throughout your sessions. 

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, where I share exercise techniques and show you how to maximise your training. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, if you have any questions, I host a weekly  Q&A session on my Instagram channel. Otherwise, please feel free to email me at andy@andyvincentpt.com. 

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