Breathe

315lbs.

That is what the total weight of the barbell held. I was going for a PR or a personal record. It would be my one rep max on the squats. As I walked into the cage and settled underneath the barbell my coach yelled “don’t forget to breathe!” I took several deep breaths and thrusted the barbell off the rack. Walked back a few inches, let the weight settle on my shoulders. Took one more breathe and then lowered my body with the weight. I kept going until I heard my coach yell “UP!” and then I pressed the weight up as I let out the rest of the air that was in my lungs. I did it! PR was made.

This is not a story about how much I can lift, or the number of times I had PR going through high school and now as I continue to lift. It is about the simple instructions my coach gave me. Breathe.  You see breathing plays a bigger role in everything we do, of course we need to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. But this simple, sometime automated task gets forgotten. And when we do not have enough oxygen rich blood flowing through our bodies, and especially our heads, we do not perform well. In some case we may perform at a level lower than what we are used to.

You will hear several trainers that train the world’s best boxers and MMA athletes to continue to breathe. When they are in a hold or up against the ropes, their trainers will tell them to breathe. Get the oxygen in and continue to feed their minds. If the brain quits working so does everything else.

If you do not have enough oxygen in your brain your decision making process gets hindered, the speed in which you act or react slows down as well.

When I get stressed or about to enter what I perceive to be a potential stressful situation, a sales presentation, a phone call with a customer, meeting with upper management. I take a breath, and make sure I am breathing as I walk into the room, pick up the phone, or start the presentation. This not only relaxes me, but it ensures that I don’t pass out.

Go out there and beat yesterday and breathe!