I used to have the ...
To overcome my deficiency, I started a vigorous cardio program consisting of
very hard interval training as well as "level" training. For intervals, after
a warm up, I run my heart rate up to 180 as fast as possible then bring it down
to 120, then repeat 6 times but no less than 1 hour per workout. I use a
StairMaster and an incline treadmill for most of the season. I have found
that regular aerobic training in "the zone" to be worthless. You must bear
down and suffer through the workout in the higher heart rates.
If I'm going on an expensive exotic spearfishing trip out of the country, I
will then include some high altitude cardio work in the month before the dive
trip. Usually I trail-run to the top of a local mountain. The round trip is
about 17 miles and the elevation starts at 5,000 feet and tops at 9,050 feet.
If I'm in good shape I can get to the top (8.5 miles) in 2 hours 50 minutes.
These workouts have made a dramatic difference in my diving.
Todd Gatesh
I'd like to share some training info we have used sucessfully in our
freedive club to increase breathhold times which seam to have worked for
everybody whose used them, the best of us are now achieving over 5mins and
everyone else I know whose tried it has managed over 4mins. so they do
work!!
( this information is not designed as formal instruction of any
kind and anybody who uses it must accept that they do this at their own
risk.)
Be warned static apnea ( breathold) can be very dangerous, just because you
are on the surface in the pool doesn't mean you are safe. My samba /
blackout in the 2nd british freediving comps this year disqualified me from
the comp and
cost me a place on the british team but it could have been worse.
Always train with a buddy and get used to resonding to prompts from your
buddy with an ok signal or other sign during your breathhold.
The training works on two premises
a) Hyercapnic - to increase the bodies tolerance to high levels of CO2 in
b) hypoxic - to increase the bodies tolerance to low O2 in the blood.
Begin in the pool with your buddy
1. Breath up taking long slow deep full ventilations, not shallow rapid
hyperventilations which increase the heart rate and can cause hypocapnic
blackout if you do too many. (remember to resond to promts from your buddy
although they are not so critical in the early parts of the exercise they
are vital during longer breathholds, Agree before your breathhold when the
prompts will come eg 2mins , 2:30, then as you reach your max every 15 secs)
Your buddy should also monitor you closely imediately after you surface to
make sure you breath ok and don't blackout at the surface ( very common)
2. Do a fairly easy breathhold anywhere between 1 and 3 minutes depending
on your current level of ability. This should be a time which causes you no
discomfort ie burning sensation in the lungs or contractions of the
diaphragham.
3. Surface and time a recovery of roughly 1/2 your breathhold time.
4. Begin your next apnea (breathhold) and add 15 secs to your previous
breathold.
5. Repeat the above precedure at least 4 times increasing your breathold
by 15 secs each time ( the15 secs is a rough guide and you can alter it to
more or less if depending on how you are feeling). Obviously the recovery
time increases with each apnea but try to keep it to roughly 1/2 of your
down time.
6. Recover after your last apnea for between 2 and 3 mins, breath up and
then do 1 last breathold this should be your longest time if possible and
try to push your
max.
Remember listen to your body, you will feel the urge to breath first as a
mild burning sensation in the lungs then as contractions of the diaphragham.
These are indications that your breathold should be coming to an end soon.
Count the number of contractions (no you are not about to give birth) you
are comfortable with tolerating before you surface. Your buddy should be
monitoring you thoughout your apnea and will see contractions in the
diaphragham. your buddy should monitor very closely toward the end and
prompt you for a response at regular intervals every 15 secs at least. He
should
also monitor you closely imediately after surfacing.
Try not to clock watch, I know it is difficult, but it is your body which
should tell you when to surface not the clock.
How it works-
The first part of the exercise involving the repetitions adding 15 secs each
time with limited recovery, improves the body's tolerance to CO2.
the second part your longest static breathhold, improves the bodies
tolerance to low O2.
Shallow Water Blackout. SWB
Is very common.
(I am no expert in dive medicine and I don't claim to have any answers but I
know this from experience)
Virtually every spearo, freediver ,UW hockey player will experience SWB in
one form or another sooner or later. It is important to accept that no
matter how much you train, how sensible you are, that the risk is always
there. The human body is not a machine and there are a whole variety of
circumstances which influence our ability at different times. If we knew all
the factors which make a personal best breathhold, constant weight dive or
dynamic apnea we'd be achieving them all the time. You must train with your
buddy to deal with these circumstances. Ask yourself what would you if your
buddy blacked out? In the pool it is fairly simple to hold your buddy and
open his airway. Sometimes blowing across the face can help stimulate
breathing. If he is not ok within 2 mins of surfacing, you are in deep shit.
Every diver should know the rudimentaries of CPR and practice them on a
regular basis. Everyone needs to get formal training in this area but also
to train, think about and practice how they are going to deal with a
blackout situation. Both in the pool, at depth, at the surface in the sea
when conditions are bad. We have our own ways of dealing with these things
and I think that it is an important process to go through yourself, to
identify risks and decide what steps you are going to take to minimise them.
Tucson, Arizona
Freediving Land Workout
- Developed by John Moorcroft