[Cliff Etzel]

I hadn't used lung packing until I was shown how to do it correctly by Kirk Krack at his Clinic last October. The key in my opinion is doing gradual packs and not trying to attempt too many packs.

I have had to revisit my reasons for freediving and realized that I want to enjoy my time in the water, not feel like I need to be better than someone else.

This also goes for training.

I do a regimen that includes packing in sets while doing thoracic stretching to build more flexibility in the rib cage. It entails doing 20 packs with arms stretched overhead, then 20 with arms in front, palms together and then pulled behind to stretch the rib cage. This is followed with side stretches with one set of packs per side and then a full exhalation. I repeat this with 30 packs and then 40 packs. I find that I only do this to a comfort level that I feel safe at. I have done as many as 70 packs and although it didn't hurt, it was a lot of work to get there and I was not willing to work that hard in doing these packs.

This total regimen takes between 25 - 30 minutes. Afterwards I am quite flexible in my chest area and then can commence with my pool workout.

I guess the question one has to ask themselves is to what level they are willing to go to be a success for themselves, and not for others.

The psychology of this mentality can push many to the point of injury. I realized that by setting realistic expectations of what I wanted to accomplish in my freediving helped me define my boundaries by which I was willing to train.

In my opinion, this should be done regularly to assess our motives and not to over do it.

Just my $0.02 worth...