How do you do the valsalva maneuver correctly?

[confused_enthusiast]

I actually do know how to perform it, but never in front of the bar. If I'm at home, sitting in a chair or lying in my bed, I can easily do it. I just take a big belly breath and squeeze my abs as hard as I can. I can feel a lot of pressure in my trunk this way.

But whenever I get to the gym and try to do the valsalva before getting under the bar, I just can't replicate the big breath and the hard contraction for any lift, except the bench.

Can anyone figure out why this is happening to me? I know I didn't provide much info, but maybe some of you had similar problems with this technique.

[Brodie Butland]

Kind of hard to figure out the issue from your description, but I'll offer a few things that may be contributing to it.

The Valsalva involves forcing air against a closed glottis...it's not just squeezing abs. I don't know if you're doing that or not.

I don't know what you mean by a "big belly breath." If you mean you're only "breathing through your stomach," I'd move to a full breath. You'll notice that some of the lifters on this forum look like they're taking a massive bite out of the air during their breath.

I also don't know what you mean by doing the valsalva "before getting under the bar." If it's a squat, you'll get under the bar, take a breath and tighten everything so you can unrack the bar and take a couple steps back. Then you'll reset your breath, valsalva, and do a rep. Then you'll repeat that four more times. If it's a deadlift, you'll have to do your valsalva-ing before each rep.

Also, do you use a belt?

[confused_enthusiast]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try this out next time.

I don't use a belt though. Would it be recommended? I squat about 1.5bw*5

[Adam Skillin]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try this out next time.

I don't use a belt though. Would it be recommended? I squat about 1.5bw*5

Belts are absolutely recommended when they become necessary and useful, not when you squat a certain percentage of bodyweight. We'd need to know a lot more about your training history and personal stats, but if you don't know how to Valsalva correctly, you should absolutely learn that skill first and foremost.

[Brodie Butland]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try this out next time.

I don't use a belt though. Would it be recommended? I squat about 1.5bw*5

I weigh about 220 and still belt everything above 225 lbs for the squat (and sometimes I'll even belt below 225 depending on the day). As Skillin says, there's no "right" time set in stone to get a belt--you get one when it allows you to keep making progress. In my case, I had to belt fairly early because my lordotic curve is exaggerated, and thus it is exceptionally easy for me to overextend without a really hard abdominal contraction. If you're having trouble with a valsalva, it may be very useful to you now.