[Narsil]

Interesting stuff. I guess I'm from the "less is more" statics school (which could also mean I'm lazy).

I only do a max static once every two to three weeks. Apart from that I'll practice dynamics approx weekly, go for a recreational sea dive weekly if possible and do some apnea walking. I don't really do dry statics in any serious way.

I don't eat solids for about 5 hours prior, but try to keep water, iron and salt levels topped up a bit. I am very prone to packing black outs, so I'm very careful about hydration.

After a bit of dry stretching and some gentle pack stretching I change into my wetsuit and get in the water 23 minutes before top time.

My current routine then is snorkel breathing / full exhale static / snorkel breathing / second negative static / snorkel breaking / pack and hold. My dive response is quite slow to kick in - this warm up nails that issue pretty well.

I used to push the negatives pretty hard, but I've eased off recently. For the first one I usually only wait for the initial contraction - about 2 minutes for me. For the second I push it out a bit further, but only to about 2.45.

My breathing cycle is pretty standard - reasonably fast inhale, couple of packs, hold for a few seconds, very slow exhale.

At 15 - 20 seconds before top time I start to pack. I need less time than many people as I only pack around 20 times. It's quite a journey finding how much packing (if any) is right for you - too many and you expend too much energy holding it in over the first few minutes.

I actually pack using my snorkel rather than lying on my back. This seems to help keep me centred (even though I'll be taking in a bit of extra residual CO2).

My first contractions seem to come regularly at around 4.30 as well, sometimes a little earlier. I like to bring my hands up a bit earlier than Jome, and then bring my feet under me for the final "push", during the last minute or so. Good to have your forearms (not just your hands) on the pool edge, completely supporting you in case of any samba issues.

Variations on a theme I guess.