How’s this for a breath of fresh air – there is no right or wrong pattern to breathing while working out.

Although you may often hear individuals say it’s best to exhale during exertion (or as you wrote, contraction) and inhale during relaxation, the most important part is to be sure you are breathing evenly and regularly during exercise.

Nearly all individuals may think they are breathing while they are working out, but they are actually holding their breath in short bursts.

To see when this applies to you, take a few seconds to focus on your breathing next time you are engaged in strenuous exercise, whether it is at the gym running to catch a bus, or going up a flight of stairs.

You may surprise yourself by locating out you’re holding your breath most of the time!

It is important to breathe during exercise because your muscles are working hard and use oxygen as their primary source of fuel. It is okay to breathe with your mouth, your nose, or both – all of these choices are normal and help the body to get oxygen.

Relaxing your jaw and keeping your mouth slightly open during exercise will help you breathe normally and naturally without much thought or effort.

It’s specifically important to breathe normally during strength training, such as weightlifting; otherwise, your blood pressure (BP) can climb up to hazardous levels.

Also, feel free to breathe easily – as long as you’re breathing, the rhythm makes  no difference in the performance. That means that breathing quicker won’t make you run faster (and vice versa).

If you have asthma, severe allergies, or other respiratory issues, it’s important to give additional thought to the kinds of the activity you are doing and what they mean in terms of management of your health.

Lastly, pain does not lead to gain, so be certain to stop when you’re feeling dizzy, have chest pains, or become severely out of breath.