Blood Pressure Meds and Valsalva

[quaw]

Hey Quaw, how do you breathe during your other movements more specifically the press?

I have no problem with the press even though I am standing. I guess part of the problem is the change that happens when I stand up. Also with the DL the weights are heavier as well the greater effort needed to keep the back straight. With the press I take a breath when the bar is at shoulder level and take a breath when it is there again. A large part of how I stabilize myself is by contracting my glutes as hard as I can. This keeps my lumbar from extending too much as well as helping me keep my knees locked so I don't cheat there. Because of this as well as the lighter weights and no change of position by standing up I do not need as much pressure from the Valsalva compared to the DL to stabilize my torso. I have also refined my DL technique from when I started so it is much easier for me now but I still have to be conscious of my breathing.

With the BP I breathe every rep when the bar is up. I do not have problems with my squat, go figure. I breathe with every rep of the workset, of course at the top.

[MRP]

The valsalva maneuver is also a called a vagel maneuver. When you bear down you stimulate the vagus nerve which in turn lowers your heart rate and possibly your bp. It is used in pre-hospital medicine to treat SVT (supraventriculartachycardia) prior to using drugs or cardioverting the patient. The drop in bp is a normal physiological response. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagus_nerve