13 Week Training Plan

[Krismidd]

Hey All,

I would really appreciate some advice, and I am very new to apnea training, so bear with me. I have attached my 13 week training plan for a competition in the beginning of August, I am currently 2 weeks into this plan. The competition will have STA DYN DNF and CWT. I would like to thank anyone in advance for their patience reviewing this post, and for taking a look at my training schedule. If anyone would feel more comfortable PMing me with comments, please don't hesitate to do so!



First... A little about me:

I am 22 years old, in reasonable shape. (Ran track for many years... Sprinter) a back injury has turned me to free diving. I have been training informally on dry land for several months. I competed in April with a 4:25 STA 78 m DNF and 100 m DYN. I only share performances so those interested in reviewing my plan have a baseline for my current ability. These are around my training performances except for static where I have been past 5 mins a few times. I am ready for a more focused training plan, and I have competent buddies that will train with me for all workouts. I have decent access to cold and dark water (wish it was warm and clear) for some depth training, and I am planning several trips to dive with a club up in Montreal. This plan was the product of reading on deeper blue, The Manual of Freediving, and advice from a workshop I organized at my college with an experienced diver from Montreal.



The Plan:

The next 3 weeks or so I have limited access to a pool so it consists primarily of dry land workouts. These dry workouts are a work in progress.

I will start at the largest scale, 13 weeks. The first 10 weeks focus on what I would call "apnea fitness" and technique. These weeks are designed to primarily build tolerance to CO2 with some O2 work mixed in. Many of the workouts use shorter distances. The final 3 weeks focus on near maximal training (90% of max performed 4 times) and max training for static with no warm up. These weeks will have fewer, longer swims.

Each week in the first 10 weeks has elements from 8 major categories, CO2 Dynamic, O2 Dynamic, CO2 Static, O2 Static, DNF Technique, DYN Technique, Stretching, and Equalization. The week starts very difficult with hypercapnic work followed by a rest day and then hard O2 work. The end of the week focuses on technique development with less taxing swims where I can focus on swimming efficiently. Saturdays are play days either diving or just playing in the pool doing frog flow and other exercises.

The final 3 weeks have event specific training at near maximal conditions (90%) to prepare for the competition itself on August 6 - 8. Full rest in between each repetition.



Understanding the Plan:

(nf) = no fins
(sf) = small fins
(ff) = full fins
rst = rest
exhle = partial exhale for comfort
(0, 90, 180, 270) = body rotation in water (so 180 would be upside down)
dlphn = dolphin kick
sprnt = sprint
kck = kick only
pull = pull only
swm recov = swimming recovery
iw = in water for max statics
All O2 and CO2 tables come from this website: freediving : CO2/O2 tolerance tables

4x25 sprnt rst 45 = 25 meter sprints for 4 repetitions with 45 sec rest between each one... These are performed with short training fins.



*** Thank you so much for reading my post, and hopefully looking at the plan a little bit. Any feedback is very welcome, even if it may be a different workout that you really like that could add some variety to the days in the plan. Eventually I will build it out to a trip I have planned this winter, but that is a future project.

Thanks!!!
Kris

 

[aris ioannidis]

wow, you have a very thorough plan!

One thing i thought is that 4*90% of max seems veeeery hard... For me it would be impossible... could possibly do 4*65%. If you manage to do 4*90%, i would think that your real max is quite much further than you think.

also, u may want to try the no-warmp up approach in your dynamics. Just relax 4-5 mins and go. Is hard at first but once you get passed the tough phase (when contractions begin) is much better and you have a clear head untill the end. Has worked out well for me.

good luck!

 

[buddha]

I saw a few training plans here and I´m not a guru but, isn´t it better to do the static training before dynamics?

 

[Kars]

Hi Kris,

I just looked though your plan.
You must be and energetic guy, training so much, or have an office job and car to travel

Personally I have to bicycle to everything, usually sprinting for 10 - 12 miles to my work, thankfully it's flat here, though the wind messes up the speed too.

In building your schedule you have to take into account all your activity. Freediving is a very soothing sport that feels soft and easy but in fact you're doing a big work out and needs lots of recovery and rest. I'm sure you time your food intake and rest well.

I think it's best I share some generalities from what I've learned in my 7 years of freediving, so you may understand the underlying principles.

I like to start my training and dives by warming up my muscles and stretching. These two I combine into swimming warm ups. Gently I start with some 100m chest crawl, than a 100m back crawl. I find this a very effective way to warm-up and stretch al the main muscles I use. I also find the dynamic stretch in water, using some strength on the back stroke is really effective for shoulder flexibility - needed for monofinning.

Onto the order of static and dynamic. My coach told me it's better to do statics first, because your HR is low, and your buffers fresh. Now in my experience I have to agree that after a challenging dynamic session, static is not going to yield high numbers. But on the other hand it's not only about numbers in static. I now think an effective static training is a training where the diver spends a relative long time with challenging CO2 and or O2 values in the blood.

The numbers you display to me indicate you've stepped into the medium level phase, meaning you can build down the amount of preparation dives. You're getting used to accessing the mental dive mode quicker, so you need less preparation before going into the challenging CO2-O2 values. So for your CO2 schedule you can reduce over the weeks the preparation ramp to eventually having a flat CO2 schedule like 1'30"static, 15"rest, 1'30" static, 15"rest etc. The same shortening of the O2 table can be done by reducing the amount of 'warm-up' dives. Tom Sietas, who first broke the 10' static breath-hold removed all the prep dives, and went no-prep-dive, popularly referred to as 'no warm up'. He did a 1 max 6 days a week, for months on end.

Countering the Static numbering, over training and the self programming of a 'glass ceiling' I came up with diving according to the feeling of 'effort level'. This I pored into a O2 schedule with 2' rests in between looking like this: 50%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 90%. Where the percentage is relating to my perceived effort level. My buddy tells me the times only afterwards, SO I focus on technique, not on making a number.

After Static one is pretty tired, especially when the numbers climb and you use more of your buffers, so one may need some banana's and water and a little 5-10min lay down before going on to dynamic. You can do that recovery in the static pool

For dynamic I find for myself that I find having pure movement (without too much tension of the counter muscles) is very difficult. So when I do my 25m/50m dnf CO2 schedule laps, I focus on relaxation and having pure movement. When I reach a satisfying improvements I'll make the dives longer. In dynamic with monofin I face the same challenge of having pure movements. But I also find the monofin timing and movement, position very challenging. When things fall into place it's like flying, but otherwise water appears like syrup. Many times I forgot how to do the previous session nice technique. Diving with Bi fins is much simpler. Once you know your fins, stay with their limits, relax have a nice rhythm and keep motoring. I use the turns as point of rest.

I use the 16x50m dynamics to improve efficiency, as an CO2 schedule, and to learn to maintain relaxation and technique while the CO2 and lactic acid is really challenging.

Going from Dave Mullins approach, mirroring the Tom Sietas no prep dive approach, he chooses to either make 1 max dive, or do a few ~ 80% dives (150 - 200m) if I recall correctly. I think there's a clear trend.

Depth.
The best way to learn deep diving is... to spent a lot of time down there. Things like empty lungs at the pool's deep end are mostly only useful for maintaining a level. The other use of pool negative dives is exploring learning particular equalisation manoeuvres, such as lifting up the ribcage to allow the diaphragm to be lifted up. In the pool you can practice the start and duck dive. Something many mess up loosing already a lot of relaxation at the start of their dive.

Diving in your cold and dark lake is nice!
You'll learn to focus to the inside, relax and rely more on the information coming from within. I suggest you make many dives training to have an efficient but yet very relaxed entry. You see I found that's impossible to gain relaxation while swimming down. consequently the relaxation level and my ability to retain it on my way down has become my priority. Therefore I dive with nearly closed eyes, and when I'm enjoying the glide I dare myself to close them. This I found really helps to relax and save a lot of O2 because of the lack of high eye sensory input demanding alertness and interpretation.
Over time you'll have a sense of how deep you are, or just hear your dive computer alarm informing you of the impending end of the line. Practise the bottom plate turn procedure. On the way up, get into the 'dance' rhythm, be hydrodynamic and relax things not needed parts. Have a constant speed. If you need to look up to see the surface buoy or platform do so only briefly because tilting your head blocks blood flow to the head. When the line is hanging on boom have your open hand follow the line up so you only need to close it to secure yourself when your head breaches the surface.
practice the hook breath and surface protocol (full, not any simulated parts).

In general focus on learning and enjoy the water, feelings and flow.
You can learn how to invoke this freediving stare like focus anywhere, shifting in and out of this state as a practice will help you to have the ability to pb's with the no prep dive approach.

Listen well to your body and consider having a easy or rest day when you feel you're not fully rested, recovered in the morning.
The two weeks before the comp I would only do max 70% dives for fun and relaxation, having plenty of extra rest, food and sleep. The week before I rest, starve my mind by not diving so I'm rested and eager to get into water for the comp!

Since it's your 2nd comp, you're still a beginner and hopefully free of expectations. All my pb's were done when I dropped my expectations.


Kris I hope you keep us posted on your training and things you discover on your way.


Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[Kars]

Hi Kris and others there is a similar discussion going on here:

http://forums.deeperblue.com/freediving-training-techniques/89300-different-training-programs.html

 

[Krismidd]

Thank you all for responding to my post!


Kars, your reply was especially helpful, I will incorporate many of your ideas into my training program. I like the idea of pushing for effort instead of time. Sometimes it feels like seeing a number on a stopwatch is enough to break my concentration because on some irrational level I believe I will/should aways get contractions at 2 mins. Or... that my workout isn't hard enough if I don't endure a lot of contractions so I let them come on earlier. I think that is especially counterproductive to learning how to delay contractions.

I will try shortening the rest faster on tables. I have noticed the first half of the holds are very easy, but they also help me get in "the zone" and just tune out.

You mentioned dynamic stretching at the beginning of the workout, are these the 100 backstroke and freestyle? Or are there other stretches you incorporate as well?

I really liked your idea about starving yourself of diving before the comp. If I don't dive I will be super eager to do a big swim. Hopefully eager but still relaxed enough to keep the adrenaline from a performance environment down. Staying mentally strong, even to get the most out of workouts, is something I need to be more aware of.

You mentioned 16x50m as a co2 schedule. How much rest would you suggest for that workout?

I'll have more to say about depth when I get a chance to do more of it. I've only messed around with depth for a week in the Caribbean, stark contrast to Lake Ontario where the comp will be held...


Aris, the 4 x 90% is something I read that helped Sebastien Murat improve his dynamic I think. I may shift those weeks earlier in the schedule and do something lighter before the competition. If they are too hard, which I imagine they will be, I will reduce the distance. I hope my max is further than I expect! :t


Buddah, I will move my static work before dynamic. I also notice a huge decrease in static performance after doing any cardio at all. for me, its something like a 30 - 40% decrease in performance after doing any hard cardio and the statics feel AWEFUL. Have you observed this too?


All fo these exercises will be done with a buddy by the way!

Thanks guys, keep it coming! This forum is an incredible well of knowledge!

 

[Krismidd]

Thanks for the link to the other thread Kars, there are many great workout variations I will add to my plan!