I tend to yawn a lot when I do squats.. why?

[MrEgo]

It seems to happen with squatting more so than any other lift. I get between 7-9 hours of sleep every day, and usually 10+ on the weekend. Would it be related to anything else?

 

[rcpratt]

You know, I think I tend to yawn a lot when I squat too. Not always, but sometimes.

 

[Alone]

Breathe more.

 

[ibex333]

Oxygen deprivation. Very strenuous exercise+not breathing enough=yawning

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Oxygen deprivation. Very strenuous exercise+not breathing enough=yawning

I'm pretty sure the idea that yawning increases oxygen in the blood is a myth. In fact I think a study showed that sometimes it even lowered the amount of oxygen in the blood

 

[highland145]

I'm pretty sure the idea that yawning increases oxygen in the blood is a myth. In fact I think a study showed that sometimes it even lowered the amount of oxygen in the blood

Interesting.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3120687

Using human college-age subjects, the present study tested the commonly cited but previously untested hypothesis that yawning is facilitated by higher than normal levels of CO2 or lower than normal levels of O2 in the blood by comparing the effect on yawning of breathing 100% O2 and gas mixtures with higher than normal levels of CO2 (3 or 5%) with compressed air, the control condition. If yawning is a response to heightened blood CO2, the CO2 mixtures should increase yawning rate and/or duration. If low blood O2 produced yawning, breathing 100% O2 should inhibit yawning. The CO2/O2 hypothesis was rejected because breathing neither pure O2 nor gases high in CO2 had a significant effect on yawning although both increased breathing rate. A second study found that exercise sufficient to double breathing rate had no effect on yawning. The two studies suggest that yawning does not serve a primary respiratory function and that yawning and breathing are triggered by different internal states and are controlled by separate mechanisms.

also,
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/yawn.asp

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]This quite plausible theory of yawning falls short of explaining many aspects of yawning. Scientists explain away the "contagious" nature of yawning, that is when one person's yawn triggers another nearby to yawn, as due to the power of suggestion, but are at a loss when attempting to explain why yawning occurs excessively in patients with lower brainstem damage or with multiple sclerosis.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Other unlocked mysteries include why fetuses in the womb yawn, when it is a well-known fact that they do not intake oxygen into their lungs until after live birth, or why individuals with high concentrations of oxygen in their blood streams yawn.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[MrEgo]

Well, I've been taking deeper breaths during my squats. Inhaling on the way down and exhaling on the way up.

Problem is.. now I feel like I'm going to pass out when I'm done with my set. I have to lean on the rack to help support my body weight. It's possible that I'm taking in too much air now, I guess.

 

[marvdmartian]

Possibly the elevation change while you're squatting?? :sneaky:

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Well, I've been taking deeper breaths during my squats. Inhaling on the way down and exhaling on the way up.

Problem is.. now I feel like I'm going to pass out when I'm done with my set. I have to lean on the rack to help support my body weight. It's possible that I'm taking in too much air now, I guess.

If you're squatting heavy enough, you're not supposed to exhale on the way up. You're supposed to complete a Valsalva maneuver where you breathe in and contract your abs (without expiring air), hold your breath throughout the squat, exhale and inhale again at the top. With exhaling during the squat, you're releasing all of your tension within your core, making your dynamic stabilizers work way, way too hard.

 

[Mackowitz]

I agree on not exhaling during the squat. Big belly breath at the start, flex the core, squat, stand up, exhale, and repeat.

Getting enough air is difficult. If you are flexing your core and pressing your abs against your weight belt to help stabilize everything (like you need to do to lift heavy), you are already using a lot of energy for just those stabilizer muscles. Add to it that squats are using large muscle groups (quads, glutes, hammys), thats a lot of oxygen your body needs.

 

[MrEgo]

If you're squatting heavy enough, you're not supposed to exhale on the way up. You're supposed to complete a Valsalva maneuver where you breathe in and contract your abs (without expiring air), hold your breath throughout the squat, exhale and inhale again at the top. With exhaling during the squat, you're releasing all of your tension within your core, making your dynamic stabilizers work way, way too hard.

Are you supposed to inhale on the way down or do all of your breathing before starting a new rep?

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Are you supposed to inhale on the way down or do all of your breathing before starting a new rep?

I wanna know this too. I've been taught inhale down exhale up. But then again i've been taught that for other lifts (bench). Maybe it doesn't translate to squats.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Are you supposed to inhale on the way down or do all of your breathing before starting a new rep?

Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver. I don't know where the whole breathe in on the eccentric, out on the concentric thing came from. It was likely from therapeutic exercise with older individuals because the Valsalva is bad for people with weak blood vessels or hypertension.

You take a breath BEFORE doing anything in the rep. You hold that breath and contract your abs to get tight. You go down in the squat, and come up. Sometimes if you're really exerting yourself, air will leak out or you'll grunt on the way up. Otherwise, try to just hold it tight. You exhale at the top, inhale again, and complete another rep. You have to find the sweet spot on how deep to inhale/exhale or else you'll have the same lightheadedness. It'll come with experience though.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I wanna know this too. I've been taught inhale down exhale up. But then again i've been taught that for other lifts (bench). Maybe it doesn't translate to squats.

To be perfectly honest, what you're saying doesn't apply to anything but isolation exercises or exercises for the geriatric population. Ask any powerlifter - they Valsalva on all lifts - bench, squat, deadlift. Anything requiring a tight core can benefit from a Valsalva, unless you're trying to respond to dynamic stimuli, like core specific or rotational ab-work/back-work.

 

[dmw16]

Always take a deep breath and make your core tight before any lift (deadlift, squat, bench, etc). A tight core is essential to proper form and optimum power.

 

[brikis98]

+1 on the Valsalva Maneuver any time you are moving heavy weight. I bet if you ever had to push something heavy in the real world - roll a rock, push a car, etc - you were holding your breath without even thinking about it. It keeps your core far more rigid, protecting the spine and letting you move a lot more weight.

 

[MrEgo]

+1 on the Valsalva Maneuver any time you are moving heavy weight. I bet if you ever had to push something heavy in the real world - roll a rock, push a car, etc - you were holding your breath without even thinking about it. It keeps your core far more rigid, protecting the spine and letting you move a lot more weight.

I bet you're right. Now that I think about it, I do do that in the real world. Thanks for all the tips from everyone.