Am I training right?

[DiverTodd]

Hi gang,

New to the group here, my name is Todd, and I'm in Youngstown, OH. I'm 37, and I've been a PADI certified scuba diver since 1989. I currently hold the level of Rescue Diver, and I've got about 95% of Divemaster under my belt (had to stop due to my job not working with me). Anyway, I'm really, REALLY looking forward to getting into freediving, and, after reading various articles around the web, I've devised my own training program, to help prepare myself for when I can finally afford the Performance course. Here's what I'm doing;

Static: (taken from an article by champion Bill Stromberg) These I do in bed with a chronometer and noseclip (this is also the exercise I HATE the MOST). I relax for 5 mins or so, normal breathing, until I'm calm and relaxed. Then, I do 3 deep breaths (diaphramatic, up into thoracic), doing a FULL exhale after the 3rd. Then I take the deepest breath I can, and hold it...usually until I'm thrashing with effort...lol. After that breath, I rest about 3 mins, then do it again, for 5 hold total. My best time so far is 3:19.31 (on June 4), but since then, I've had trouble going much past two minutes. THIS is discouraging (I guess I shouldn't be too discouraged, though..even without knowing HOW to do a proper breathe-up, I'm still managing over 2 mins, and for the course, I only have to manage 1 min!)

Dynamic: With mask and snorkle, I prep by standing in the deep (5') end of the 17 yrd pool, breathing normally until I'm relaxed. Then, I do the same method as for static, with the 3 deep breaths, full exhale, then hold the deepest I can take (I've also played around with packing). I gently dive under and swim the entire 17 yrd length underwater, going with a slow, gentle dolphin kick to simulate a "pull down" descent to 50', imagining the tile line on the pool bottom as the descent line. Once I hit the wall, I mime taking a depth card, then I turn and begin my "ascent" to the other end, using a slightly stronger, faster dolphin kick, head looking at the pool floor and line, arms above head hands together, to simulate the faster ascent. Just before I begin to surface, I start my exhale, so I can inhale as soon as I break the surface. I've found that, even with discouraging dry static holds, this exercise REALLY increases my confidence, since I'm actually underwater, with no chance to "cheat" (re; feel like I'm pulling in new air). Yesterday, I actually left the health club GRINNING. My goal with this is to increase the number of lengths I can swim underwater on one breath.

Cardio: Swimming, 3 days a week. Currently up to 952 yrds, half freestyle, half sidestroke. My main goal with this is to remove the "rest periods" and be able to go non-stop! I've also added mask/snorkle/fin surface swimming on the off days, after I do my dynamic underwater swims, currently approx. 400 yrds.

Diet: This was for my general health, as well. Basically, I gave up junk/fast food, and only eat healthy. In about two months, I've managed to drop from around 185 down to 168 lbs (which is only 3 lbs shy of my high school weight of 165!). For freediving purposes, I just want to weigh less, so my body uses less oxygen (I'm 5'11").

General: Daily crunches, leg lifts, and "windmills", to tone and strengthen the abs, back, and side muscles.

Any advice or feedback to my training methods would be greatly appreciated, as right now, I kind of feel like a boat without a paddle! I guess I'm just doing what seems "right". And, like another member on here, I am DESPERATELY seeking info on how to CORRECTLY do a breathe-up! This would definately increase my hold times, and will be another confidence booster! Also if anyone is actually in NE OH or NW PA (Cleveland and Pittsburgh both an hour from me), please get in touch! I really NEED a buddy so I can work on actual dives to DEPTH! I need to be able to do a dive to 10m at LEAST before I can take the advanced course with Performance (with all my dive training/experience, I really don't need to sit through the basics of the beginner course).

Todd

 

[laminar]

Hi Todd,

Looks like you are doing very well so far. There is a wealth of information on Deeperblue and I think you'll find that there are many different ways to train - no right way. PFI will teach you a certain way, Apnea Academy will teach another, so will any AIDA instructor. Both will tell you about safety, which is very important.

If your goal is 10m and some bottom time, I think you are already there.

1. A 3 minute dry breath hold is good. Keep it up. Experiment with different types of breathing. Search the forums for ideas. Your physiology is unique and only time will tell what works best for you.

2. To reach 10 metres, you only needs a 20-40 second breath hold. Sounds incredible but it's true. You don't need any packing or special breathe up to reach that goal. The main thing, at this point, is to learn how to relax, dive like a seal, not a human pushing down to reach a goal. And to practice over and over again.

3. Your main concern should be learning how to equalize so that getting to 10m or beyond is safe and easy. Have a look at this: www.liquivision.ca/liquivisiondownloads.html and download the Frenzel Fattah document. Most novices get stuck on equalizing. If you master the Frenzel, you'll get the most out of your PFI clinic.

4. Find a dive buddy for all your pool practice. Seriously. It's more fun and you're less likely to get kicked out of the pool. Soon you'll be getting better and better doing dynamics and the temptation to push it will get stronger and stronger. Don't count on the lifeguard. Search threads in deeperblue to see other new freedivers asking questions about this topic.

5. Get certified in CPR and First Aid before the clinic so that you can be a good buddy for someone else.

6. Get some gear so that you feel comfortable in the water at all times. A good fitting wetsuit is a must if you are in temperate waters or in a lake with a thermocline. Are you using scuba fins and mask for diving? These are okay, but a low volume mask and freediving fins make a huge difference.

7. Ask more questions!

Pete

 

[cdavis]

Hi Todd,

Sounds like you are doing pretty well. One critical point. Underwater work without someone closely supervising just you is a bad and dangerous idea. It won't be long before you are doing times and distances that can result in a BO. Be Careful, find a buddy and practice some safety and rescue procedures. Learn what you can about safety from DB, but remember, taking a course is far superior.

Lets see, dry static. I hate'em too. Try a relaxed breathup, fast in (1-2 sec) hold 5 sec, exhale 20-25 sec, or whatever long period is comfortable. Use your tongue, not your diaphram to slow down the air flow. This is very relaxing and slows the heart. Then take 4-5 deep breaths and go. The kind of breathup you do matters, but at first it is less important than relaxation and just getting used to static (cw, dyn, etc). You can play around with what feels best to you. C02 tables should be very effective for you (use the search function to learn more.

Dynamic: What you are doing sounds ok (with a buddy). I use a similar technique because I'm interested in cw and sightseeing, not pure dynamic. As you stretch out, try longer distances, like 20 yards one way(swim very slow), with a pause to simulate the sink phase of cw, the swim back(faster) the number of yards equal to 20+ the sink phase. I've been doing this for a while, always staying relaxed and coming up when it stopped feeling easy. Its amazing how much farther you can go with time and practice. This is also great for improving your bottom time.

Don't get too caught up in technique. For starters, most any practice, but especially getting relaxed and comfortable, is far more important than any particular technique.

The deep breaths you are taking before dynamic are called "purging." Somewhat controversial and easy to overdo. What you are doing sounds ok, but don't push it.

Keep up the cardio, it helps a lot.

Have a good time and good luck

Connor