CategoriesAssessment Corrective Exercise

Why You Need to Consider How You Breathe

This post covers breathing.

(Cue the cavalcade of eye rolls)

But I PROMISE I am going to 1) be brief, and more importantly 2) showcase why it’s important and why it will help you feel better, move better, perform better, and likely turn you into a Jedi Master Spartan Sex God of Minas Tirith.1

Deal?

Lets do this.

Copyright: zsirosistvan / 123RF Stock Photo

How You Breathe Matters

To be clear: This post has nothing to do with oxygen exchange.

I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this you’ve got that part nailed down, because, you know, you’re not dead.

Rather, the main objective is to shed light on HOW you breath and how, if it’s “faulty,” it can have ramifications up and down the kinetic chain.

To keep this as succinct as possible, I want you to take a moment to take a deep breath in and to note what happens?

  • Did you notice your chest move up or out?
  • Did you notice your belly move out or maybe it didn’t move at all?
  • How about your ribs? Did you notice any movement there?
  • What about in your mid- back? Anything?
  • Eyeballs? Anything there?2

The reason I ask is because, ideally, you want to see a 360 or 3D expansion of your ribcage when you take a breath in.

In other words you want to see a little of everything move – chest, belly, back, sides, not eyeballs.

Unfortunately, for the bulk of people out there, this isn’t the case. Many tend to be just be

“chest breathers” or just “belly breathers,” and what ends up happening is a poor Zone of Apposition.

A Zone of Appo Come Again Now?

Zone of Apposition can simply be referred to as alignment. Or, more specifically, it can be described as the act of bringing together or into proximity.

Photo Credit: Postural Restoration Institute (<– AKA smart mofo’s)

If you take a gander at the Optimal ZOA picture (middle) you’ll see a diaphragm that’s domed out as well as aligned (stacked) above the pelvic floor; the ribcage is connected to the pelvis.

Conversely, in the Sub-Optimal ZOA picture (right), the diaphragm is flattened out and the ribs are in a more flared position; they might as well be located in Mordor in relation to the pelvis.

In non-nerd speak: Shit’s all out of whack.

At this point you may be thinking to yourself, “fuck outta here Tony. Who cares? Zone of Apposition sounds more like a term accountants use than anything I need to be worried about. Squats.”

Well, after listening to my colleague, Dr. Sarah Duvall, speak on the matter, here’s why it matters.

A Loss of Zone of Apposition Means:

  • Decreased core stability, control, respiratory efficiency, and exercise tolerance under fatigue…in addition to postural ramifications.
  • Increased accessory breathing muscle activity (scalenes, traps, levator), paraspinal activity, lumbo-pelvic instability, low back pain, SI joint pain, and even headaches.

A Quickie Breathing Assessment

Sit down in a chair and place your hands so that your fingers sit underneath and go around the sides of your ribcage.

Inhale.

What happens?

If an alien explodes out of your chest, that sucks.

You should feel LATERAL (into your fingers) expansion of the ribcage with a some motion in your chest and belly too. To steal another train of thought from Sarah, you should think of your breath as the handle at the side of a bucket.

Empty bucket

As you take a breath in the handle should move out – LATERALLY – away from the bucket. This is a brilliant analogy for your ribs expanding.

Too, another overlooked aspect of the breath is what’s referred to as the High Hinge Point. This is the area that’s just underneath the bra line.

Can you (or your clients) expand air into this area.

Normal ZOA. Uncanny Jackedness.

Sub-Optimal ZOA (High Hinge Point). Still Uncanny Jackedness

Breathing into the back is an arduous and foreign task for many people, but it’s a key element to improving the ZOA.

Here’s a nice drill to help with that which I’ve used many times with my postpartum clients (as well as those attempting to resolve nagging low back or shoulder issues; encouraging the ribcage to move/expand works wonders for many people).

 

And That’s That

I suck at writing conclusions. To summarize:

1. Work on LATERAL rib motion.

2. Consider a high-hinge point in people and work to promote back-body expansion as well.

3. My wife and I bought the yellow chair on Wayfair in case anyone’s wondering…;o)

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Program Design Rehab/Prehab

What Would I Say to Someone Starting Out?

Being human means being enamored by a litany of things in the health/wellness/physical preparation realm. Some people are easily swooned by fancy watches and elaborate looking exercises

Others by cryochambers and Paleo recipes that taste like sawdust.

I am not here to play judgement police. For the most part, everything has a time and place3 and everyone responds differently to different things.

What works for me may not work for you (and vice versa). It’s all good.

Back in 2009-2010, while at Cressey Sports Performance, I was introduced to PRI (Postural Restoration Institute). As a collective, we adopted some of their principles & protocols (specifically positional breathing) and applied them to our athletes’ and clients’ programming, I’d say with a high degree of success.

In the years since, PRI has grown in popularity and is still something I “subscribe” to. However, the key term I want to highlight here is “some.”

I’ve adopted some of their principles.

The thing about PRI (for better or worse) is that it has an uncanny ability to suck people in and plop them into a never-ending rabbit hole of mystery and multi-verses.

Today’s guest post is via Boston-based physical therapist, Mike DeMille, and offers a needed perspective on this phenomenon.

(PS: I’d encourage anyone interested with PRI to check out Mike’s course/mentorship below).

Copyright: yanik88

What Would I Say to Someone Starting Out?

In a world of biomechanics, neurology, complex chronic pain, and a desire to create resilience, it can be difficult to decide as a Physical Therapist or movement specialist what continuing education courses to take and why.

Personally, I have been a PRC (Postural Restoration Certified) Physical Therapist for five years, and anyone familiar with the Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) knows how easy it can be to go down the “rabbit hole”

Note From TG: I wrote a bit about this “rabbit hole” a number of years ago when PRI was first gaining steam in the S&C side of the spectrum. You can check it out HERE.4

After taking different courses, it can be very difficult to sift through the information and add principles to your practice (or programming), while leaving behind minutiae that ultimately won’t contribute to the further results of your clients.

via GIPHY

What is that minutia you ask?

What are those techniques, exercises, prehab/rehab protocol, cues, sick hip-hop rhymes that probably do not need to come along for the ride as you build out your systems as a coach?

That is exactly why we are here today.

After working in a cash-based Physical Therapy and Personal Training setting over the last four years and starting my own clinic (just outside Boston,. MA) I’ve developed rules (or tenets) of information to hold on to and which ones to leave behind.

Let’s dive in.

Think Practitioner/Coach, Speak Client

Your clients do not care what things are called, and neither should you.

Exhale, eccentrically orient, compress, early-mid-late stance, inhaling from an exhaled skeleton expansion, these terms can get complicated, if not bordering on someone speaking Elvish.

via MEME

A general rule of thumb would be if you cannot explain a concept in very simple terms to your client, then you likely shouldn’t spend a ton of time thinking about it yourself.

I like to think of this as writing a letter with a big bold sharpie instead of a small fine pencil that is difficult to see and read.

For example, if you have a client who you feel like is in a position of lumbar extension and they need to learn how to exhale to help get them out of pain, then you can leave the messaging at just that.

 

You will create the buy-in from spinning a simple story and allowing your client to feel the difference when undergoing your program. You do not need to explain all of the varying “compensatory strategies” to them in an effort to create belief in your program.

This will more likely than not lead to confusion, in addition to increasing the urge they’ll want to punch you in the face.

Nothing Is New; It Just Has a Fancier Name

Remember that these principles existed long before the most recent course that you took. One of the biggest problems that I see mentees and fresh PTs and movement professionals face is shiny object syndrome.

Understandably, when you go to a course and watch someone’s shoulder flexion increase from 140 degrees to 8000 after a fancy breathing exercise, you want to give everyone that fancy breathing exercise.

via GIPHY

Remember, there is a difference between a new technique that creates transient changes, and principles that create long lasting repeatable results.

Examples of a few principles that could make sense in a movement practice geared towards clients with pain:

  • Sound communication (avoiding nocebo).
  • Axial skeleton position that creates pressure underneath load bearing joints.
  • Progressive overload.

Does it feel less exciting to not be blowing all of your clients minds?

Sure it does.

But will these principles give you a sustainable business where you can more accurately sell results to potential clients?

Definitely.

Closing Thoughts

There is nothing wrong with taking new courses, finding helpful information, and creating buy-in with prospective clients, as well as appreciating the nuances of Physical Therapy and Strength and Conditioning.

But let’s not forget: the name of the game is being able to tie your name to something that can produce consistent results, and that is why we decided to take on this profession in the first place.

PRI Pique Your Interest?

Does this message resonate with you? Are you a Physical Therapist or movement professional looking to sift through the information and take the relevant principles into your practice?

Tyler Tanaka and I have created a community where we take individuals that are looking to finally apply the information that they have learned and effectively communicate with their ideal clients to build the business that they have always wanted.

This is your chance to learn the system of two PRC PTs and ask any and every question that you have ever had. In the 10 week Solidify Program you will undergo a detailed curriculum as well as take part in one on one Refinement calls to get your questions answered about those difficult patients that are the ”non-responders” as well as big picture questions about your practice and business.

Click HERE for more information.

Solidify begins June 6th and the spots are limited.