Bracing is the art of pressurizing the midsection. When you’re lifting weights, you’re transmitting force throughout your body. And the force flows better when the links in the chain are solid and sturdy. Loose links cause leaks. Leaks make you weak. This is why push-ups on a bed mattress are more difficult than push-ups on a slab of concrete.
Pressurizing the midsection allows for better force transfer throughout your body, which makes you stronger.
Imagine stacking weights atop an empty can of beer as opposed to an unopened can of beer. The empty can would collapse much quicker because the unopened can is pressurized. Bracing has a similar effect on the body.
How to brace
First, get familiar with 360 breathing. You should know how to expand the diaphragm in every direction before you try to brace.
Second, (ASSUME NEUTRAL, HIPS STACKED OVER RIBS TO MAKE CYLINDER) take a 360-degree inhale. Through your nose for five seconds, expand
Third, trap the air inside of you by bearing down and exhaling against a closed glottis. (This is known as the Valsalva maneuver.) An easy way to close the glottis without trying is to say “hut!” quickly. When pushing out the “t” ending, your throat naturally seals up. All you have to do is keep it closed.
Note: Keep your jaw relaxed. Try to push the tension down into your torso.
Fourth, experiment. You are bracing. As long as your throat stays sealed, you’ll stay braced. The harder you try to expire against a closed glottis, the tighter and more pressurized you will become.
Fifth, breathe and relax.
Next, learn how to breathe during the brace without depressurizing.
Bracing is easiest when you hold your breath, but you don’t have to completely depressurize with every breath You can brace and breathe. To practice this, repeat steps 2-3 above: inhale and then bear down by expiring against a closed glottis. You are now braced.
From here, shallowly exhale through pursed lips, while continuing to push outward in every direction with your diaphragm. Don’t expel all your air and become a limp noodle. Exhale slowly for one or two seconds. Follow this with an equal and opposite inhale to repressurize.
Throughout this process, when you want to become more pressurized, simply bear down and expire against a closed glottis. Resume shallow breathing afterward without complete depressurization.
Next, apply.
Assuming you don’t have underlying medical conditions, you’re best off bracing when you’re lifting heavy. If you have underlying medical conditions or concerns, you might be better off using a different breathing pattern. This is something you’re gonna have to figure out with your doctor. Speaking of which: make sure you talk to your doctor and get medical clearance before beginning barbell training.
In an ideal world, you’d take one 360-degree breath, bear down, and finish every rep called for within a set. This is farfetched. When you’re a beginner, you’ll probably only be able to squeeze out one or two reps per breath.
The best time to breathe during sets depends on the exercise. In general, you want to stay pressurized (bear down after a 360-degree breath) during the most strenuous part, using the “resting” potion to exhale and inhale (without complete depressurization). The “resting” portion of any exercise is when the muscular effort is lowest. Here are a few examples:
- Back squat: standing upright, at lockout.
- Incline press: arms outstretched, at lockout.
- Conventional deadlift: weight resting on the floor.
- Romanian deadlift: standing upright, at lockout.
- Chin-up: arms outstretched, during the hang.
Some exercises will have different “resting” portions depending on how they are performed. For instance, you might be better off catching your breath at the top of the overhead press (at lockout with the arms outstretched) as opposed to the bottom if you’re using the stretch reflex to help with the lift. But if you’re doing dead-stop overhead presses and the bar comes to a complete stop between reps, you might be better off catching your breath at the bottom.
of course,
IRRADITION
Irradiation is the act of radiating tension outward from the midsection. This helps with force generation and getting a strong muscle contraction in the absence of being bullied by an external load.
The motto for irradiation: every muscle contraction helps every muscle contract. In other words, contracting one muscle will increase the contraction potential of the neighboring muscles, amplifying overall strength.
Give this a try: Keep your forearm limp and contract your biceps as much as you can. Note the strength of the biceps contraction. After, contract your forearms and your biceps as much as you can. Much stronger biceps contraction, right? (Take it one step further by contracting your forearms, your biceps, your triceps, and your shoulder as much as you can.)
You get a stronger biceps contraction when the muscles around the biceps contract. This is the power of irradiation.
How to irradiate
First, get familiar with bracing. You should know how to create and sustain intra-abdominal pressure while breathing before you try to irradiate.
Second, (ASSUME NEUTRAL, HIPS STACKED OVER RIBS TO MAKE CYLINDER) take a 360-degree inhale. Through your nose for five seconds, expand
Third, trap the air inside of you by bearing down and expiring with 50% of max strength against a closed glottis. (As you practice, you can ramp up the tension.)
Fourth, radiate the intra-abdominal pressure outward, one body part at a time, with 50%
Carry the tightness into glutes and hip flexors, then quads and hamstrings, then calves and tibialis, then push the toes into the ground.
chest and back, then shoulders, then biceps and triceps, then forearm and hand.
carry up to upper body and down to lower body, into toes. push feet into ground. (jaw relaxed!)
carry the tightness across your body systematically. contract every muscle you can with 50% strength (except the muscles in your jaw; keep your jaw relaxed).
Fifth, hold this tension for ten seconds. Take breaths as needed during this process, but don’t stop bracing. (Remember, you should be able to brace and breathe.)
Sixth, relax and exhale. Gently ease from the contractions and get your breathing under control. don’t just flop like a fish.
Next, try to scale.
once you’re comfortable ramping to 50% tension, experiment with ramping to 100% tension. when you’re exerting maximal force, you should be shaking. if you aren’t shaking, you’re doing it wrong. also, if you can hold peak tension for more than three seconds, you’re not tense enough.
Next, apply.
irradiation has many applications, but it’s mostly used during mobility-based strength training. you’ll get 10x more out of your mobilizations if you irradiate. irradiating will produce a stronger contraction and move closer to your end range. this is good. irradiating will also help you minimize movement beyond the joint you’re trying to mobilize. this is also good.