Watch this video to learn more about:

• What is piston breathing and how is it different from regular diaphragmatic breathing

• How to use “exhale on effort” as a breath strategy during exercise to recruit the deep abdominals increase core support.

Piston Breathing

Piston breathing is a term adapted from Julie Wiebe, who is a PT that has done a ton of work using this breath strategy.

This is an active breath strategy that is designed to recruit the pelvic floor and abdominals to contract and stabilize in response to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure.

We use this breath strategy for increased support and improved core recruitment as we return back to exercise.

This is what it looks like:

INHALE: same as the diaphragmatic breathing. As you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and descends, abdominals expand gently and the pelvic floor lengthens.

EXHALE: blow out like you are blowing through a straw (this helps generate resistance through your system), as you gently lift the pelvic floor and draw in the abdominals.

On the exhale, we are actively recruiting the core to support us and blowing out pressure at the same time. This is a helpful strategy to avoid straining and pushing down and out on the pelvic floor. Think of it as “locking and loading from the bottom up”.

The draw in of the core is more of a “wrapping in” vs. “sucking in”. You are thinking of:

• zipping your pubic bone to sternum

• drawing in lower, middle and upper abs evenly

• drawing your belly from your waistband

Because the transverse abs and pelvic floor are synergistic to each other, the draw in of the abdominals will also lead to a lift of the pelvic floor.

Inhale, expand and lengthen. Exhale, draw in.

Exhale on Effort

As mentioned above, we use the piston breathing for increased support in situations of increased pressure. This is the case during exercise. There are often phases of movement that are easier effort and others that are more difficult. We are going to apply the exhale on the harder/more effortful phase of the movement.

For example, the video mentions an overhead press. It is usually harder to press the weight up and easier to lower back down. To apply, exhale (draw in core) as you press the weight up. Your core is on, drawn in, stabilizing and supporting your trunk when your body needs it the most. Inhale, lengthen and reset as you lower back down.

Exhale on effort can be applied to MOST movements because there are usually have two phases of work. The thought process changes a bit when you have a movement that you stay in one position the whole time (plank, side plank holds, bear crawl holds, etc.) OR when there isn’t an “easy” phase of the movement. I’ll go over this in a later video called “inner range breathing”.