One of the weirdest pieces of advice I have ever given was sending an Olympic lifter to a singing class. What is the connection? – was the question that followed. I had to explain to him how much control of the diaphragm can help increasing the weight in the lifts, overall performance and how it saves you devastating injuries further down the line. He ended up going and thanked me later. So what is the connection here exactly?
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped skeletal muscle that is located at the lower portion of your ribcage and separates your abdominal cavity from your chest. Its main function is assisting respiration: when it contracts, it increases the volume of the thorax vertically and decreases the pressure in the lungs, allowing the airflow in; when it relaxes, thoracic volume decreases leading to increased intrapulmonary pressure, allowing the air to flow out of the lungs. This action happens involuntarily - the heart and the diaphragm are actually the only two muscles in the human body that are continuously active throughout the entire life of an individual. Nevertheless, unlike many other muscles that are involved in support of vegetative bodily functions, the diaphragm is the one that can be manipulated fairly easily for your benefit.
Besides the physiological function of breathing, the diaphragm serves an important anatomical function, which is separating the lungs from the abdominal organs. Its position and coordinated work with abdominal muscles make it one of the primary components of the torso stabilization, and this is the function of the diaphragm that is often overlooked.
Stability can be defined as the capacity to maintain the desired position, whether static or dynamic, despite the forces applied. Fitness enthusiasts bring it up in the talk about “core training”, there are thousands of “10 minutes ab workout for core stabilization”, but there is a fundamental misunderstanding of human anatomy in this approach (Okada T, Huxel KC, Nesser TW, 2010). Of course, abdominal muscles, as primary flexors of the spine, participate in the stabilization of the trunk, as well as QL, erector spinae, both sets of obliques, latissimus muscles, and pelvic floor. However, endless crunches and planks are the least efficient way to train the stability of the torso, at least if your goal is to be able to move the body in a great variety of demanding situations and under heavy loads. (If anything, in the fitness context weighted squats will be the most efficient exercise for this purpose (Flanagan S., Kohler J., Whiting WC, 2010). The main contributing factor to the stabilization of the body is the intra-abdominal pressure; the diaphragm is the main structure which alternates it that we can voluntarily control.
Respiratory and stabilization functions of the diaphragm work in synchronicity, both in static positions and during movement. It has been observed that co-activation between the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor is necessary not only for the motor control of the trunk but also contributed greatly to the motor control of the upper and lower limbs (P. Colar, J. Sulc, et al, 2010). Besides, it is essential for optimal production, transfer, and control of force throughout the body (Nelson, Micole MS, 2012). Coming back to the subject of weight lifting, recruiting the diaphragm properly during the lift will help tremendously to increase the load and decrease the possibility of injury. It has been shown repetitively how manipulating pressure in thorax and abdominal cavities minimizes compressive forces on the spine during heavy lifts (F. Al-Bilbeisi and D. McCool, 2000). Numerous breathing techniques are used in weight lifting and similar sports; they all respect and follow the mechanics I mention above. Moreover, the capacity to monitor and control the diaphragm during physical activity also helps to maintain the breathing pattern that will be optimal for performance at any given time.
There are few clear signs of improper diaphragm function during core stabilization and respiration that anyone can observe in themselves and start working towards fixing it:
- Elevated chest: during inhalation, the proper mechanics will make the whole torso expand in all directions including rotation of the ribcage, not only lifting the chest up (which is the most common compensation pattern), thus keeping the diaphragm parallel to the pelvic floor throughout the motion. This relationship is crucial for proper stabilization.
- Holding breath during physical activity; incapacity to coordinate the motion of the diaphragm with the movement of the rest of the body.
- Breathing through the stomach, expanding only the front of the abdominal wall and not the lateral structures. (look pt.1)
- Excessive contraction of the rectus abdominis during movement and lack of activity in the rest of the muscles of the abdominal wall
- Hyperactivity of the thoracolumbar paravertebral muscles, excessive tension in this area
- Incapacity to maintain intra-abdominal pressure during the normal breath cycle
- Excessive movement in thoracolumbar and lumbosacral joints
What does singing have to do with all that? From my personal experience and from scientific evidence I could find (S. Solomoni, P. Hodges, 2016; V.M. Lord, V.J. Hume, J.L. Kelley et al, 2012), singing is the activity that can develop the capacity to manipulate the diaphragm motion and coordinate it with other organs more than any other. There are various yogic practices and breathing techniques used in Eastern martial arts, which emphasize strengthening, stretching, and development of voluntary control of the diaphragm. They can and should be used as a complement in your training if you are interested in moving well. Great examples would be Kapalabhati and Bhastrica pranayama techniques in yoga, Deep Breathing technique of Aikido, Tai Chi with its huge emphasis on the breath – all these practices are great tools to develop an understanding of the function of the diaphragm and its correlation with the rest of the torso, as well as actually condition the muscle. However, if you take a singing class with a teacher, you will get a guided process for an understanding of deeper coordination that is used for various breathing techniques involved in singing. The creation and control of the sounds that you produce is very precise and complicated practice that involves deep understanding of your inner landscape. Even if you are not interested in the artistic expression part of it (which is important for all other set of reasons), singing practice is the one that allows you to observe the subtlety of internal coordination, making it conscious thus susceptible for voluntarily control.