You’ve heard it said on the news, you’ve seen it in popular magazines, and you’ve watched it in those exercise videos — one of the important things you can do for yourself is learn how to breathe during workouts.  While most people have that part down, they don’t really understand what proper breathing really is. There are some people who take shallow breaths during their workouts, while there are others that take deep breaths. If you don’t breathe during workouts correctly, how are you going to get the results you want?

Breathing effectively is one of the most often overlooked aspects of a workout routine. Most people are taught that breathing matches their workout intensity, but that’s not always the case. Check out these tips that will teach you how to breathe properly during workouts and get the most out of your workout routine.

Breathing when you’re planking
As soon as you start an abdominal exercise, your muscles naturally begin to contract to prepare for movement. The rectus abdominis and obliques (the muscles on the front of your torso that are responsible for crunching your body in half or pulling your belly in tight) also contract to help maintain this balancing position. Breathing can help these muscles stabilize and prepare for the upcoming movement.

Breathing when you’re doing weights
 Often times, we’re too focused on what muscles we’re working instead of focusing on our breathing. Rather than focusing on your biceps, inhale as you lift the weight and exhale as you lower it. This is the best way to breathe during workouts. It will help with your focus, keep you from straining yourself and possibly hurting yourself, and get the most out of your exercise!

Breathing when you’re doing an HIIT workout
 When you’re performing high-intensity interval training, learning the proper way to breathe during workouts is key to getting the most out of your workout and avoiding injury. With high-intensity workouts, it’s common to feel out of breath fairly quickly. If you reach a point where you’re too out of breath and find that you’re starting to lose your form, slow down until you can resume again.

Breathing is one thing we tend to overlook when we’re working out, even though it’s the single most crucial tool to putting in a quality effort — and keeping the body healthy. And while you may have spent months or even years perfecting your squat technique or counting push ups at the end of a workout, you may be forgetting to take one factor into consideration: The importance of proper breathing.

So how do you breathe while working out? We hope this article has helped you identify any mistakes and breathe better!