Muscle for Life

“Remember to breath” someone says as they walk past you while you’re sporting your tomato face during a hard set of squats.You nod, smile, and ignore them, but you also wonder . . .  could they be right?You’ve heard more and more noise about how holding your breath while lifting could be dangerous.This technique is officially known as the Valsalva maneuver, and it’s become quite a controversial subject among us fitness folk.Some say it increases your risk of fainting, aneurysm, stroke, and blood vessel damage. They also claim there’s no evidence that it improves your performance or makes lifting any safer, so it’s all risk and no reward.This is why many trainers tell their clients to breathe continuously while lifting, why doctors often tell their patients not to use the Valsalva maneuver, and why the American Heart Association warns against it, too.A few minutes of digging on the Internet brings up videos of people collapsing, dropping barbells on themselves, and passing out and crashing face first into the