Relaxation breathing

These notes combine advice from 61 reviewed passages across 44 workouts.

Overview

Coach’s advice

A main goal of the practice is to slow the heart rate during recovery. Slow, deep breathing is described as the healthiest approach to breathing exercises.

The 7-3-5 pattern

Coach’s advice

The standard drill is 7-3-5: inhale for seven seconds, hold for three, and exhale for five. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, and count the seconds in your mind.

Coach’s advice

Do the drill in a comfortable, upright position: seated on the floor, standing, or leaning the back against a wall. The body stays upright and relaxed throughout.

Coach’s advice

Coordinate the breath with tension. While inhaling, gradually tense or stretch the body and gather the tension. During the three-second hold, feel the final tension. As you exhale over five seconds, release everything and imagine the muscles flowing away like water or liquid.

Coach’s advice

Coach says that with each exhalation the muscles relax a little more and that the five-second exhale relaxes the whole body.

Coach’s advice

Repeat the pattern several times; the usual count is five repetitions, and sometimes three breaths are used. After five cycles, breathe in and out very slowly, then gradually return to your own pace. In one version, the drill runs for five minutes.

Coach’s advice

The pattern is optional. If you prefer, plain deep breathing is enough; the exact pattern is not always required.

Coach’s advice

The 7-3-5 practice is said to clear the mind and clarify strength during training.

Relaxation cues

Coach’s advice

Relax the body in a deliberate order: relax the shoulders first, then let the head go, and stand upright. Repeating a cue such as ‘the muscles are relaxing’ can reinforce the effect.

Breathing route and pace

Coach’s advice

Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Use this route after finishing a workout while you rest.

Coach’s advice

Keep the breath deep and slow, and slow it down as much as possible. Do not speed up. Take long, deep inhalations and slow exhalations. Consciously use all of the lungs; do not take small, shallow breaths.

Recovery between efforts

Coach’s advice

Use the rests between intervals for breathing. During each interval, slow the breathing as much as possible, and if you need to, stand up and walk to regulate the breath. Rest pauses are for breathing: breathe deeply and slowly, then exhale.

Coach’s advice

The goal of the rest is to slow the heart rate as much as possible. During recovery intervals, slowing the breathing and heart rate matters more than muscular rest.

Coach’s advice

A simple paced pattern is two seconds in and two seconds out, done slowly. After dynamic, powerful work, breathe in for four seconds and out for four seconds, and treat the next movement as a resting movement. For cooldown, inhale for four seconds and exhale for five seconds.

Before an attempt

Coach’s advice

Before resuming an attempt, close your eyes and take a deep breath, sometimes for five seconds, to reset, then go in again.

Before entering a handstand or balance hold, take a deep breath, exhale, and enter in a relaxed manner. Enter balance work in a calm state; a relaxed, peaceful, fluid physical and mental state helps you hold longer.

Coach’s advice

Before repeating a movement, rest briefly and lengthen the breathing; do not start immediately.

After the workout

Coach’s advice

After finishing, use breathing to help the body adjust and settle. Rest in a relaxed position, such as lying down on the floor or extending the legs straight, and let the body relax while breathing deeply.

Coach’s experience

In his own breath-holding, the coach found he still had breath in his lungs but his heart started beating fast. Slowing the heart rate and staying relaxed made it comfortable, while continued tension was the problem.

The coach does the 7-3-5 breathing at the end of about 80 percent of his workouts and recommends it because it relaxes the muscles well.

The coach always uses the 7-3-5 pattern because he has found it relaxes the muscles most effectively.