Hi guys - first off, this site is AWESOME!! Thank you so much for creating it!!
I am just getting into freediving and did my first breath hold tonight (in my room, not in water) and managed 1m15s. I obviously want to increase that and will do so using apnea walks for one, and also the O2 and CO2 tables. But, I dont know if im reading the tables properly!!
Akoni said:
Training Tables
CO² Tables
CO² is the common trigger for the urge to breathe. CO² Tables are meant to increase your tolerance to high CO² Levels, you do this by decreasing resting periods before a breath hold. The breath holds in a CO² table are usually 50% of your personal record.
An example of a CO² Table:
1. ventilate 2:30 static 1:30
2. ventilate 2:15 static 1:30
3. ventilate 2:00 static 1:30
4. ventilate 1:45 static 1:30
5. ventilate 1:30 static 1:30
6. ventilate 1:15 static 1:30
7. ventilate 1:00 static 1:30
8. ventilate 1:00 static 1:30
total duration 25:15
O² Tables
O² Tables are meant to increase your tolerance to low O² Levels, you do this by increasing breath holds while keeping the resting periods the same. The last breath hold in an O² table is usually up to 80% of your personal record.
An example of an O² Table:
1.ventilate 2:00 static 1:00
2.ventilate 2:00 static 1:15
3.ventilate 2:00 static 1:30
4.ventilate 2:00 static 1:45
5.ventilate 2:00 static 2:00
6.ventilate 2:00 static 2:15
7.ventilate 2:00 static 2:30
8.ventilate 2:00 static 2:30
total duration 30:45
The CO² and O² tables can be modified to suit the divers will and feeling. I personally do these tables twice a week.
In the CO2 table above does it mean that I would breathe normally for 2m30s, then hold for 1m30s, then breathe for 2m15s, then hold for 1m30s, and so on and so on? My PB at the minute for a hold is, as I said 1m15s, so do I decrease my hold times to about 40 secs (50% of PB)? Also, do I always do 2m30 then decrease in 15 seconds each time, or should that be changing over time as well?
And for the O2 tables, does it mean I breathe for 2m, hold for 1m, breathe for 2m, hold for 1m15s, etc etc. In my case, making sure my last breath hold is about 1 minute (80% of PB). Again, should the 2minute breathing change over time?
Also, I read that you shouldnt do both tables on one day - so would a good timetable be
Mon - O2
Tue - CO2
Wed - nothing
Thu - O2
Fri - CO2
Sat - nothing
Sun - nothing
and my final question!! Do you progress quite quickly using these techniques?
thanks!