Over on calories but optimistic on training today

As I listen to the F-35s fly over for training at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, I’m gearing up to do my 3 strength exercises. Yesterday, I saw lots of good food at the homeless shelter where I serve, and afterwords treated myself to homemade whole wheat bread. It’s too easy to consume a lot of that bread, which is partly why I almost entirely eliminated it from my food program, replaced by whole wheat pasta and black beans. It might have been smarter to lessen the amount of bread and cook a can of black beans with it.

I will be cooking bread as a gift to the hotel staff in the next couple days, but if I go to a vegan Thanksgiving potluck dinner, I will make 2 large loaves of bread. The ingredients are:

• Whole wheat flour
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Salt

I will not eat bread with salt in it as I eliminated it from my diet. I think it causes a bit more hunger for me, and I tend to not measure it so it can get out of hand. The bread tastes a little flat without it but I need to add other spices like I do the whole wheat pasta and black beans.

I’m not hating on myself for overeating since it overeating with healthy food, and I don’t do it much. I think two things have increased my hunger recently: strength exercises, and stress. My sleep schedule is a little off and it is said that lack of sleep can increase calorie consumption.

Bulgarian Split Squats: Breathing

I don’t breath enough and I’m using a huge amount of oxygen when doing 7 second reps, now at 9 reps. I need to research this but how I research is key.

Update:

I know I need to find recognized and respected experts when searching for videos in any speciality. Using a scattershot method searching in Youtube and Google isn’t useful and can be harmful. I do know some of the video presenters, though. There are several Youtube channels I trust more for bodybuilding advice, trust at varying levels. For example, I have high respect for a champion level power-lifter when it comes to breathing during any strength exercise. I have a varying level of confidence of strength trainers across the web depending on which organization they serve, such as a major league baseball team, for example. There are a great deal of ‘trainers’ and ‘experts’ on the web who insinuate great knowledge but I can’t trust without a history of being a high level participant in the sport or a physical therapist.

Another method of determining good strength training form is to actually ask some of the power lifters. Although I won’t be doing power-lifting for maximums, I will still be doing progressive overload, plus they may know if there’s a difference in the way I should be breathing compared to what they do. Many power lifters have websites and are readily available to answer questions. Same goes for many fields of study and interest.

An example is a video I found OmarIsuf – HOW to Deadlift & Squat Correctly: Breathing, Abdominal Bracing & Total Tension (Ft. Cody Lefever). Cody Lefever has what I consider a decent competitive background in power-lifting. To me, this advice will therefore have decent credibility. However, the video pertains to lifting to what appears to be a single rep maximum and very high weight, not repeated lifts during a set of sub-maximal weight. I could contact this individual.

Here’s another lifter highlighted on OmarIsuf’s channel: Clarence Kennedy Squats More Than You. He’s a highly accomplished lifter who has squatted over 750 pounds. He’s doing something right and while he may or may not not utilize optimal form (without knowing more about him), I have at least some level of credibility in him since he was selected a Omar’s trainer. Omar seems to have a great deal of knowledge in lifting and frequently interviews researchers, scientists, and accomplished competitors in the field.

John Paul Catanzaro : This individual has some level of credentials, but the credibility or level of respect in the field is unknown to me. The related breathing article is Know When To Hold It: How To Breathe While Lifting. A reference to how some world class weightlifters breath during competition is helpful even if not proven to be ideal and may or may not be the safest method, but this mentions natural breathing can be fine with sub-maximal loads. The article mentions safety and not holding breath too long, and bearing down in the Wikipedia – Valsalva maneuver too long.

Other research (unauthenticated)

I found some information that I’m trying to accumulate and decide how to best breath, but the fact is I know I am lightheaded after I do my squats, and I know I’m not breathing enough using the diaphragm, which is mentioned in a couple technique videos. A couple links that seem useful (I’m no expert at this analysis, however):

Wikipedia – Valsalva maneuver : This entails inhaling while expanding the abdomen outward, which apparently forces the abdomen to do work and uses the diaphragm. Interestingly, very little is mentioned in the article related to strength training. This maneuver is mentioned by several individuals I listed above.

Update:

I exhaled and inhaled pretty quickly when I did 1 set of 10 reps on the right leg. 7 second rep and a quick breath of about 1/2 seconds at the top. When at the top, I’m still under tension, though. I wasn’t lightheaded at the end. It guarantees I breath a minimum amount. I’ll keep doing this but since I listen to a ticking clock to count seconds, I need breathing to be an increment of 1 second unless I cheat into the 7 second movement time. Anyways, I’m happy with this.

Apparently, an occasional problem lifting very heavy weight while performing that Valsalva maneuver is bloodshot eyes, headaches and vision disturbances. Those issues won’t be a problem for me for quite awhile. I’d say it will be at least a month until I progress far enough to actually possibly need a barbell for heavier weight. I can get a backpack to 90 pounds. I believe a typical weight room barbell is 90 pounds. Going into a weight room for the first time knowing I can easily pull off a 90 pound squat, and likely 100 pounds more since I can do 90 pound split squats, will be very nice indeed.

Squat Standards (lb) shows at my weight as a novice I should be able to lift 112 lb. I won’t get crazy but it would be nice to bump it up to the next category of Novice the first time in the gym. Optimistically, I could be halfway to the middle category of Intermediate, and there’s a shot at Intermediate the first time I go in there. However, I need training on safe form. I see plenty of guides that are legitimate, but critical advice on form is necessary to eliminate any unsafe habits early.