Breathing & Core Training
Your diaphragm is your most important core muscle
You've Been Breathing Wrong Your Whole Life
Sounds dramatic, but most people breathe dysfunctionally. Chest breathing instead of belly breathing. Shallow breaths. Holding your breath during effort. Breathing into your shoulders. Using your neck muscles to breathe.
This doesn't just affect your cardio. It affects your core stability, your posture, your stress levels, your back pain, even your pelvic floor. Your breathing pattern influences almost everything about how your body functions.
Improve your breathing, and you improve a lot of other problems.
What Is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
Your diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits under your lungs. When it contracts, it pulls down, creating negative pressure that draws air into your lungs. This is how you're supposed to breathe.
Proper Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Belly expands on inhale (360 degree expansion)
- Chest rises minimally
- Shoulders stay relaxed
- Ribcage expands in all directions
- Pelvic floor descends slightly on inhale
- Creates intra-abdominal pressure for core stability
Dysfunctional Chest Breathing
- Chest and shoulders rise excessively
- Belly doesn't expand (might even pull in)
- Neck muscles visibly working
- Upper ribs flare
- Shallow, rapid breaths
- No core stability from breathing
Why Breathing Dysfunction Happens
Chronic Stress
Stress activates your sympathetic nervous system, shifting you into shallow, rapid chest breathing. Do this for years, and chest breathing becomes your default pattern even when you're calm.
Poor Posture
Slouched, forward head posture compresses your diaphragm and restricts rib mobility. You literally can't breathe properly in this position, so you compensate with chest breathing.
Tight Abs/Core Bracing
Constantly holding your abs tight (trying to "engage your core" all day) prevents your diaphragm from descending. You're bracing against breathing, forcing shallow chest breaths.
Restricted Ribcage
Tight fascia around your ribs, back, and chest limits ribcage expansion. Your diaphragm tries to work, but your ribs can't move, so you resort to shoulder breathing.
Never Learned Proper Breathing
Most people were never taught how to breathe properly. You picked up whatever pattern worked as a kid and kept it. That pattern might be terrible.
How Breathing Affects Everything
Core Stability: Your diaphragm creates intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) that stabilizes your spine. No proper diaphragm function = no real core stability. All the planks in the world won't resolve this.
Back Pain: Poor breathing means poor core stability, which means your back muscles overwork trying to stabilize you. Chronic back tension often starts with breathing dysfunction.
Pelvic Floor: Your diaphragm and pelvic floor work together. If your diaphragm doesn't descend properly, your pelvic floor can't function optimally. Issues like incontinence or pelvic pain often have a breathing component.
Stress and Anxiety: Breathing drives your nervous system. Chest breathing keeps you in sympathetic (fight or flight). Diaphragmatic breathing activates parasympathetic (rest and digest). You can literally breathe yourself calm.
Performance: Proper breathing improves oxygen delivery, endurance, and recovery. It also allows you to create more force (proper bracing) for lifting and explosive movements.
Posture: Your ribcage position affects your whole spine. Breathing pattern directly influences whether you're in extension (ribs flared) or neutral position.
My Approach to Breathing & Core Training
1. Release Restrictions
Through Structural Integration:
- • Free up ribcage mobility
- • Release tight diaphragm attachments
- • Address restricted fascia around chest, back, and abs
- • Improve thoracic spine mobility
- • Create space for proper breathing mechanics
2. Retrain Breathing Patterns
Movement education focused on breath:
- • Teach proper diaphragmatic breathing
- • 360 degree breathing (ribcage expansion in all directions)
- • Breathing during movement (don't hold your breath)
- • Stress management breathing techniques
- • Proper bracing for lifting (IAP)
3. Build Real Core Strength
Not crunches. Functional core stability:
- • Anti-rotation work
- • Anti-extension work
- • Breathing with load (deadbugs, carries, etc.)
- • Integrate breathing into all movements
- • Build a core that actually stabilizes you
What Changes When You Breathe Right
For Santa Cruz Active People
Whether you're dealing with chronic back pain, feeling stressed, or just want better core stability and performance, breathing is where we start. It's the foundation of everything. Let's get yours working right.