Building a Solid Foundation: Breathing and Bracing

with our incredible personal trainer, Denise

I have yet to encounter a client who has not gained immense benefit, despite their experience or goals, from learning how to breathe and brace properly. Whether you’re postpartum, dealing with back pain, looking to improve your lifting technique, or to improve your posture, alignment, physical confidence, and presence, gaining a deep understanding and facility with your breath and core engagement is the key to flow and power in your body.

You have probably heard of the term “diaphragmatic breathing” and know that we are supposed to breathe deeply, but that only gives us part of the picture.

What is the diaphragm?

It’s a large dome-shaped muscle at the base of the lungs, and it works in concert with our pelvic floor. When we fully inhale, the diaphragm and pelvic floor descend; as we fully exhale, they ascend. However, we often have pressure leaks in our torso by way of excess tension in some areas and too much laxity in others. The goal is not only to breathe deeply but also fully, 360 degrees around. If we

have restrictions or chronic gripping in some areas, such as the glutes, low back, or the upper abdominals, just like squeezing an inflated balloon in one spot, the air is forced excessively into other areas of our torso, like the lower abdominals and the front of the pelvic floor.

What’s the goal?

Stack! We want to be in a strong, stacked position with the rib cage balanced over

the pelvis. How do we achieve this stack? Removing restrictions and increasing engagement appropriately. Then we can achieve that healthy 360-degree breathing we were all born doing. When we can breathe, we can

engage the deep core muscles as we exhale and properly brace. This alignment feels good, and whether it’s carrying things in daily living, training in the gym, standing, speaking, or singing, we can do so with more ease and power. Getting back into alignment takes understanding and practice, but just as our bodies adjust to less than ideal positions and patterns, we can train ourselves into a more

functional, pain free, and powerful state.

Ready to do all this and more? Register for Denise’s 4-week online workshop! Reach out at hello@framefidelity.com for more information and to sign up.

Denise Mader