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In this video I explain the core differences in breathing during the two main styles of kettlebell training: Girevoy Sport and Hardstyle.
Girevoy sport is a marathon.
It's a primarily aerobic activity that lasts 10 minutes. It uses relatively lighter weights*.
* It's important to remember that 'light' and 'heavy' are very individual terms. Even though the top Girevoy athletes lift double 32 kg (men) and double 24 kg (women) kernels for 10 min straight, those weights are still RELATIVELY light for those athletes. By definition, if you can lift something for 10 minutes without putting it down, it's a relatively light weight for you.
Steady and uninterrupted breathing cadence is paramount in Girevoy Sport in order to supply oxygen to the muscles and the brain throughout the set. The muscle fibre type used is primarily Type I aka less powerful and specialising in endurance. Girevoy athletes train long and hard to keep their breathing steady and avoid interrupting the breathing cadence under pressure, because Type I muscle fibres and the aerobic energy system are heavily dependent on the consistent supply of oxygen.
Hardstyle, on the other hand, is a sprint.
Hardstyle uses heavier weights, which requires more power and raw strength. Those lifts rely more on Type II muscle fibres. These are larger, more powerful fibres but have very little endurance. Incidentally, they are also the fibres that atrophy the fastest with age if not used.
Thus, the hardstyle set would be MUCH shorter (generally from 10 to 90 seconds in duration) because the type II fibres fatigue very quickly.
The energy system used for the hardstyle lifts is anaerobic aka no oxygen needed for power production. Because of that, the breathing during Hardstyle set is always SECONDARY to the bracing of the midsection. Meaning, you brace at all costs, even if it means you must hold your breath (aka valsalvar maneuver), or take sharp shallow breaths. Since the Hardstyle set is very short, interrupted breathing isn't a problem. You catch your breath while resting between sets.
* even though Girevoy is an endurance sport, don't make the mistake of thinking that it has the monopoly on aerobic training. There IS aerobic training in Hardstyle, it's just not done the same way. Personally, I think it's superior. The 'strength aerobic' protocol is excellent for building both strength, power AND aerobic capacity - a short, fast and/or heavy submaximal set followed by a relatively short rest (30-120 seconds) repeated over a longer time period (30 minutes). It's great fun, hugely beneficial for health and longevity, and a topic for another time. In the meantime, check out Pavel's book The Quick and the Dead here www.amazon.com/Quick-Dead-Tra...
Yours in health and fitness
Kat Tabakova