A strange happening - seeking for advice or explanation

[DeX_TeR]

Hello guys, as you can see this is my first post on this forum and i would like some advice / explanation regarding a fact.

So here we go:
- I've just started to enter in the free diving world (i used to be a moderate smoker until 1 month ago) and I've started the training with static dry apnea. The first results ware moderate between 1'15" - 1'20". After about 4-5 sessions I've managed to hold between 2'30" to 2'45" (the sessions ware in the morning right after some stretching and some easy exercises), also the sessions ware made 1 day on / one day off (in the day off i used to make an easy jogging session 4-5km of easy running, some push-ups etc). In about one week I've managed to brake the barrier of 3'10" my personal best is 3'38".
- From all this equation, in the last 1 and a half week i've put out the jogging/fitness part (not so much time ) and i saw that my apnea time went down to 2'30" - 2'40"

My question is this ... there is any connection between those tow? Is there any connection with the amount of hemoglobin in my blood (when you make effort the amount of HG is higher)....

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Gabriel Tudoran aka. DeX_Ter

 

[Mullins]

My question is this ... there is any connection between those tow?

Nope, no connection.

 

[DeX_TeR]

Thank you for the answer, so i guess i will have to continue with CO2 / O2 tables and hope for improvement.

 

[J Campbell]

You will have good days and bad days. No big deal and nothing to worry about.
Some key items for the long breath holds are: empty stomach (2 or more hours after eating), relaxation, proper breathe up, several of minutes of rest between breath holds.

 

[Jee]

Hi DeX_TeR, on this level (too), the breathhold capability almost entirely depends on the mental conditions, that affects the level of relaxation, and also, when your thoughts turn to the need of breath.
So the phíical part (the body fittness state) doesn't matter that much.
Marks post describes well the other components of a long breathhold (empty stomach, proper breathup and the most important is the deep relaxation.

If for some reason, your brain keeps on thinking-worrying about breathing, you can use mental exercises to get rid og it: i.s. you choose a theme, a field of interest, a chosen something, and you start to think about it. You think about all the aspects of itz, all the details of it. It could be for example an actor: you gio through all the movies, she/he acts in, try to remember the famous sentences, go through the relations to other players of certain movies, and so on. Or you start to think about some system (i.e. the water cycles on planet Earth), or you thinkof a building, you know well, go through all the rooms, corridors of it, try to imagine every details, ... I hope you understand what I mean: to give someting for your brain to work on, and also this helps to spend the time as well.

I remember in one interview Martin Stepanek told, that while breathholding he sometime just think of what he has to buy in the market.

It is important, that you stay relaxed in the meanwhile.

This can hel pyou to legthen the relaxed time of your breathhold.

 

[marco78]

Hi,
I don't know if there is some study on it but I faced a similar situation a month after I stopped smoking! might be this is just a stupid idea.
I was a moderate smoker and I stopped more than two month ago. More o less one month after that I stop smoking my apnea times decreased about 20/30 sec, even if I kept doing the same training as before.
I guess that, when we were smoking, our bodies were used to have lower level of o2 in the blood (similar situation that is appnening during an apnea). The smokers had a constan lower level of 02 in the blood compared to a no-smoker, that is why I had a drop in the apnea times during this period of transiction, basically in this period we are "ricalibrating" our body to a normal o2 level.
I don't know if I made myself clear enough! and If there is any expert reading this I would like your views!
I am now reaching again the previous apnea times and even more.

Cheers
Marco

 

[DeX_TeR]

Thank you guys for your answers.

@marco78 - yes this seems like a logical explanation because after 1 and a half week ... it seems that again i can go over 3 min... and this time more constant.

Keep you informed about... let's see what's happening

Best regards and clear waters,
Gabriel Tudoran

PS: @Jee: i see we are neighbors maybe we can go to the black see and dive or... maybe some spearfishing ?

 

[Simos]

Hi,
I don't know if there is some study on it but I faced a similar situation a month after I stopped smoking! might be this is just a stupid idea.
I was a moderate smoker and I stopped more than two month ago. More o less one month after that I stop smoking my apnea times decreased about 20/30 sec, even if I kept doing the same training as before.
I guess that, when we were smoking, our bodies were used to have lower level of o2 in the blood (similar situation that is appnening during an apnea). The smokers had a constan lower level of 02 in the blood compared to a no-smoker, that is why I had a drop in the apnea times during this period of transiction, basically in this period we are "ricalibrating" our body to a normal o2 level.
I don't know if I made myself clear enough! and If there is any expert reading this I would like your views!
I am now reaching again the previous apnea times and even more.

Cheers
Marco

I see what you are saying but don't think it's the reason - if it was down to O2 levels (which for beginners is unlikely) then you'd go on for longer with higher starting O2 levels. But I see the argument that perhaps a smoker's body has been accustomed to work with less O2, I just don't know if for moderate smokers this would be significant.

I remember a discussion on smoking on here a couple of years ago (perhaps you can search for it). The one thing that I think theoretically might benefit you if you are smoking is that if you have caused damage in the lungs and the rate of O2 absorption is lower perhaps during a hold you could get a quicker DR response (due to raised CO2 and lower O2 earlier in the hold) which could allow you to hold for longer but I just think that it's very theoretical.

It's almost impossible to know because there are so many factors involved and quite possibly opposing effects and the 29/30s difference is more likely than not due to psychological reasons (unless you pushed to BO!)

Maybe when you stopped smoking you started eating more and doing apnea on a fuller stomach! Lol or maybe you are more stressed while kicking off the nicotine addiction! Who knows...

 

[DeX_TeR]

All right guys, thank you for every piece of help that you provide. I have 3 days in a row in witch i've brake 4 minutes barrier: 4:01 / 4:05 / 4:15 as PB (static dry, in the 4th attempt). Hope i will go for 05:00 and the 4 minutes barrier will be what is 03:30 right now (easy peasy). I read a lot on this forum and i saw that may of you can endure 50 or more contractions - that seems to me very high level. My first contraction start for me at 02:30 - 02:45 and is a mild one. After 03:15 contractions begin to brake my concentration and from that point on start the big battle - but even so ... i'm perfectly aware that i can go over 4:15 but ... i'm a little bit afraid, i don't know how to put it, let's call it fear; hope it will dissapear over time (i'm only 1 month old in this sport).

Best regards and many thanks,
DeX_TeR