How often do you train?

[penguinator]

This has been bugging me for quite some time now!

If a freediver wants to see noticeable gains, how often should one train per week? And what would it mainly consist of? (e.g: 20% dry activities, 60% pool, 20% open water)

I am also curious to see how often everyone here trains and how it works for them! Especially the more experienced divers in our midst such as jome and eric.

[Jorg]

I wrote a lot of articles about how I'm coaching my mate into freediving. Here's an overview of what he's exactly doing in a week Team Sharkbait News » Blog Archive » Week 3: Training Hours
and if you look around you can see a lot more articles about what exactly he's doing and especially why.

Keep in mind, what you read over there is tailor made for him and it's not something you can just copy for you own training session. There are so many variables that I've filled in to this schedule.

It all just depends on the goals you set yourself...

[Mullins]

Training frequency is probably not as important as intensity and quality. Fewer, more intense training sessions with plenty of rest in between seem to work well.

5 days of pool training per week seems about right for me, any more and I risk overtraining. I do quite a lot of long swims (every second session) and it's amazing how much they knock you around if you don't allow yourself to recover properly. Sessions last about 1.5hrs. Bit like Jorg - no warmups, just straight into the dynamics.

And now for the contentious bit... I think that static apnea is irrelevant if you're training for CW or DYN

[penguinator]

Jorg, that is an impressive training schedule, and it looks like your student is an able freediver and only has further gains to make! It makes me wish I had someone nearby to push me along with my (at the moment - nonexistent) training.

Mullins, when you say that your opinion is that static is irrelevant for CW or DYN, are you saying that doing max statics are the bad thing? Or static o2/co2 tables altogether?

[penguinator]

Also (Jorg), what kind of gym work can I do to help?

Only thing I have really been doing is apnea on the bike. 30 sec hold, 1 min vent, etc etc.

Is there anything I can do with light weights, or on a rower? I have a gym membership, but have been a bit hesitant to use weights or anything non-cardio, for fear of an impact on apnea

[Mullins]

I'm sure statics won't hinder your performance, it's just that there are much more productive ways to spend your training time. I always feel like I've wasted an evening if I do statics when I could have been working on strength, technique, lactic tolerance etc.

My suggestion would be only bother with Gym work if you can't get to a pool regularly enough. Of if you have a life outside freediving for which you want to keep fit

[shoutatthesky]

My biggest problem is getting time to train. I get to the pool 1-2 times per week. One of those times is more surface swimming for fitness the other session when there is someone around I try to focus on technique.
Pretty much every day I get in some strength/ endurance training -eg. pushups, pullups, bench press, leg weights. It is finding the opportunity and the energy to get out for a run that is my problem. Anyone want to buy a 7 day a week convenience store/ fuel station?

Mullins, for someone at your level how do you find the time? I assume you are not working 80+ hr weeks like me? Can you share with us something of the situation that allows you the time to train. Are you a student?(not that students don't work hard). Do you have super human mental powers that allow you to work hard all day then go to an intense training session?
I guess what I am really wanting to know am I a weak person or do I just work too much?

[Mullins]

I just do a regular 40hr working week, it's an office job so nothing too stressful. I usually train from about 7:30 - 9:00 in the evenings. So it's not too much of a stretch but doesn't leave much time for other things

I would find it very difficult to train if I worked 80hrs/week!

[Jorg]

Penguinator, I send you a pm.

For others: I'm glad to answer training questions, but I only do this in our own shark bait forum here Training so that other shark bait members can also benefit from my answers.

I agree with mullins about the static! Totally not necessary to do big cw and dynamic dives.

Our shark bait training method is even so that 80% of your training can be done without a buddy outside the pool.

[DeepThought]

At 100m CW performance static would probably be a waste of training time .
But, if you're a beginner statics might teach you a thing or two about relaxing your body, which might benefit for your non-STA disciplines.
Of course it's an individual thing.

As for the topic, I'm a rec. diver, so I don't train at all, just dive when I can.

[spar8]

Originally Posted by penguinator

If a freediver wants to see noticeable gains, how often should one train per week? And what would it mainly consist of? (e.g: 20% dry activities, 60% pool, 20% open water)

I think, that this depends very much from the background, current results and the weak links. Even ones for week on the pool might give good DNF or DYN result, (What is a good result?) if you focus to the right things. (The "quality" like Mullins said) If mental side is problem, then focusing the energy to it, and not only in increasing the apnea capability. If the technique is problem, then is time to increase the pool times, everything else can stay as it already is.
Three times for a week in the pool should give very good results?

And if there is problems in area mental side or technique, the dry statics and apnea walks are "wasting of time".

[jome]

Mullins, when you say "long swims", do you do any suface swimming or only dynamics?

Anyway, like spar8 pointed out - it is so completely individual and dependant on the divers level, background, strengths, weaknesses and experience.

For someone completely untrained in any sport or apnea - basically just getting into pool and doing SOMETHING will already bring huge leaps of progress. Or getting of the couch, basically.

For someone with a strong background in other sports, focusing on the very specifics of apnea diving will probably be the best strategy.

For someone completely untrained in other sports, but some aquatic background, investing a little on fitness, strength, and such things, will probably bring a lot of benefit.

For someone who is an expert elite level diver, it becomes harder and harder to find the "problem areas". They must work continuously just to maintain their current level and progress is made in ever smaller increments.

Statics are mainly good for one thing - they teach a lot about the feelings, signals and mental side of apnea. But once you've done them to a certain degree - I agree, for CW or DYN it is next to useless...

So basically there is not right answer to this question. You would need a coach who will take your individual starting point, your schedules and ability to allocate time, motivation, goals etc...And them maybe after a few years he might have a pretty good idea where you should head

But basically to give any sensible answer one would need to know:
-Your current level and experience
-Your current training
-Your goals
-Your motivation and ability to invest time and effort

[Mullins]

Just dynamics, no surface swimming (normally)

[perow1]

I think freediving training is lika any other training. A lot of training is beneficial as long as you get time to recover. Resting is vital. What resting means is of course different from ondividual to individual. When you get more and more experienced you can tolerate more trainig without burning out.

I think that, the day we see a (talented) freediver who has the possibility to train according to a healthy schedule and give it the time and effort as an olympic athelete, we will se results much closer to human potential than the current world records. Training A LOT does not mean you do not have time to rest since rest is a relative term.

As for statics i do not agree that it is a waste of time. If i do statics regulary I can hit pretty long dynamics as well without any specific dynamic training. All my personal bests in dynamics are set without having swam further than 50m in training for weeks. Perhaps I would go much further if i did long swims, but as for now long statics give me more training without burning out. And i still have more to give. Forcing your body to go inte DR-mode more often will give a earlier and more effective DR in my opinion. A fit DR is as vital (or even more vital) as a fit body. Ofcourse adding the two will be even better. That is why I think a lot of training is good as long as you can handle it without burning out. A lot of training is something you have to build up to and not start with immediatly.

[apnea_beast]

would 2 sessions of apnea walking a week allow make any gains?