The proper breathing pattern for optimal efficiency is as follow:

Breathe in through the nose as the bell is swinging up, while the ribcage opens and expends.

Breathe out through the mouth as the bell is swinging down and the ribcage is being compressed.

(Breathing out does not mean fully deflating your ribcage and stomach and relaxing your core! This would be harmful to your spine.)


This method takes advantage of the natural opening and closing of the ribcage to assist the breathing, effectively using the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles to take fuller breaths.

Remember, what works for swings is valid for cleans and snatches! Follow the same breathing pattern for all swinging type drills.

The valsalva manoeuvre is used to protect the spine when lifting very heavy weights, and as such has limited place in kettlebell training (max effort days with low reps for example).

Deep breathing mobilizes the lower lungs, which contain the greatest surface area, enhancing respiratory efficiency by reducing the number of breaths required per minute.

For every extra millimetre the diaphragm stretches during inhalation, lung capacity increases by a volume of about 250 mils.

If you breathe in at the bottom, you cannot take advantage of this phenomenon!

Staying relaxed through long sets and breathing in and out fully also help keep your heart rate from going sky high.

Something definitely worth considering!

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