吸氣與呼氣

幾時吸氣，幾時呼氣？

無論在伸展或是肌力訓練，教練必然會提示呼吸。但當我們掌握到呼吸的目的，就可以將動作與呼吸結合：吸氣動作會增加腹內壓穩定脊柱，呼氣動作能啟動核心肌群並將力量傳遞。

在肌力訓練時，大關節需要活動，所以脊柱穩定性的要求就最高；而肌肉需要向心收縮時，身體就需要有效的力量表現。所以一般而言，肌力訓練時會吸氣準備，呼氣用力還原。

而在伸展時，呼吸就變成了調節神經系統的工具。當呼吸持續變得深而長，心率就會隨呼吸而產生週期性的變化，吸氣時心率加快，呼氣時心率變慢，過程中自律神經會隨慢而有節奏的呼吸而變協調 ，人體的血壓、心跳收到生理回饋能作出與呼吸一致的變化，就能更有效的放鬆身體，甚或能改善不明原因的頭暈、心悸或血壓異常等問題。

所以下次不妨試用此邏輯推理一下，呼吸就會變得更有趣呢。

Inhale | Exhale

Breathing is an essential cue during exercising. Take squat as an example, inhale when we squat down, and exhale return. But why?

As we mentioned in the previous posts, inhalation increases the intra-abdominal pressure and stabilise the spine, while exhalation activates the core muscles for better force transmission.

So when we are doing strength training, joints are moving during the eccentric stage and spine must be stabilised in order to load correctly, thats why we need an inhalation. But then during the concentric stage we need that strength, better from the ground to the body, thats why we exhale and squeeze those core muscles.

What about stretching? Something similar but yet in a neurological way. When the breathing becomes slow and deep for a period of time, heart rate will rise and fall like the tides, synchronised with the inhalation and exhalation. During the process, Autonomic Nervous System may repair by itself and improve the dizziness and fainting upon standing up.

Everything is interesting if you go into it deep enough. Stay hungry, stay foolish!