Strength Valsalva Maneuver
- Hip Thrusters
- Training Manual
- True Coach App
- Tempo Sets
- Autoregulation & the RPE Scale
- RPE Scale
- Autoregulation & the RPE Scale
- WARMup
- Dynamic Stretching
- Warm-Up Dynamic Stretching
- Finger Flicks + Scap Pulls
- Bandwork (YTWL)
- Static Stretching
- Static Stretching FOAM ROLLER
- PREHAB
- Prehab Shoulders
- REVERSE FLY
- Elbows (FlexBar)
- Elbows (Floss)
- Prehab Wrists
LIFTING APPLICATIONS
You should perform a Valsalva breath at the start of every rep. For example, when squatting, inhale at the top and hold your breath for the entire rep, then release and reset once you’re standing again. For an overhead press, inhale when the bar is resting on your anterior deltoids, then hold your breath as you press up and lower it back down. The key is to hold your breath during the most unstable part of the lift, such as the bottom position in a squat or the top position in an overhead press.
CLIMBING APPLICATIONS
“Keep breathing” is a common but vague cue that won’t help with difficult movements. However, once you’ve mastered the Valsalva maneuver in lifting, you can apply it to climbing—especially for tension-dependent and core-intensive moves.
Before a crux or a foot-cut move, take a deep stomach breath and hold it until you stick the next hold and your feet are back on the wall. The increased intra-abdominal pressure helps keep your core engaged, improving your chances of sticking the move. Generating this tension before moving is more effective than doing it mid-movement. Mastering this technique could improve your climbing by 1–2 grades.