How to brace properly

To brace properly for anything (not just squatting) follow these steps:

1. Take in a deep “belly” breath. Your belly should expand as if you were pretending to be pregnant
2. Hold your breath the entire time
3. Push the air outward against your belt (if lifting your lifing belt)
4. Contract your abs inward. similtaneously flex your lower back muscles
5. Don’t let go of your breath, until your done with the lift (although, it’s okay if you have to it)

What it should feel like

You’ll feel pressure building in your head and your abs will feel sore if you do it enough. You’ll start to get the hang of actually being able to flex your lower back muscles. It will feel like your body is a tree root and that is immovable. Your abdomen and lower back muscles will feel like they work together. You should feel stiffer or more rigid, I feel “protected” when I brace properly. It makes me feel confident to be able use my muscle to lift things.

A quick breathing tip

Take a couple quick short breaths in before you take your deep breath. Or one short hop breath and then immediately your deep valsalva breath in. For all you non-super-smash-bros bros, a short hop is when you quickly press the jump button and your character doesn’t fully jump its normal jump height.

What you feel like without bracing properly

When I don’t brace properly I inherently feel scared I’ll pull something. You’ll feel bendable and flimsy, not like a tree root.

Why you should do it

The additional pressure from the Valsalva Maneuver helps protect everything better. It also helps you actually flex the muscles you should be using. Your body will use these muscles regardless, but you won’t have any command over them if you don’t know how to brace properly. When you brace, you will protect yourself the most.