apnea 20 min after aerobic exercise?

[The111]

This question might be stupid.

I swim laps in a pool for aerobic exercise several nights a week. Now, I understand that it would be stupid to try to practice apnea RIGHT after finishing my laps and my HR is still 180 BPM. (Is that high btw?)

But if I wait 20 minutes and my HR is back to normal, then if I try apnea will my ability still be decreased because of the recent aerobic exertion? I like to do dynamics when I'm at the pool so I've tried this a few times, but it feels to me that my ability in apnea is not as good as normal after all the laps.

 

[Silver]

Wy not do the dynamic apnea first ?

 

[jome]

Curious thing. I just did my personal record in dry static after an hour workout at the gym.

After the workout I walked home and did 3 "apnea walks", each around 1:10.

Reaching home, I took a shower and then proceeded to lie in bed.

First I did 4:15, 4 minutes rest, first contraction at about 2:45.

I rested about 5-6 minutes and started again with quite heavy packing. I looked at my watch when I got to first contraction expecting it to be around 3 min, but it was showing 4:15. I quit at 40 contractions and 5:30. I can usually take about 50 contractions so I might have been able to do even more.

But anyway, this was after quite a heavy workout. Granted, not very aerobic, but anyway. I've allways been under the impression that apnea right after workout won't work...

I'm typing this as I rest from the 5:30. Let's see if I can beat that

Edit: Bah, barely 4:15 on the last. I guess there is such a thing as trying too much...

 

[The111]

Congrats on the PB. That's impressive (to me at least).

Quick question about contractions. I've read about them on here before but cannot find a concrete explanation of them. I've deduced that for most people they occur in the diaphragm? Not sure if what I'm getting are contractions, but here's what happens with me. My PB is 3:30, I can do close to 3:00 regularly. When doing that, up until 1:45 it is very easy and relaxing. Around 1:45 it starts to get uncomfortable and my lungs start "breathing", i.e. expanding and contracting VERY slowly (15 seconds cycles guessing). It's a weird thing - it seems half involuntary, but also seems like I'm subconsciously controlling it a bit, perhaps I'm somehow supressing the diaphragmatic contractions since I've never felt those. It does feel like what I do with my lungs lessens some of the discomfort, or at least makes it come in more bearable waves. It's like the pain only comes in between the "breathing" cycles. Is this similar to what other people mean by contractions?

Ok, how's that for hijacking my own thread?

 

[jome]

Sounds about what I get early on. I start getting the "mild breathing type thing" maybe 15-30 sec before the diaphragmatic contractions. I usually don't count those, since the first few are really ambiguous (was that one or did I do that voluntarily?). If I keep pushing, they get stronger and more frequent and in the end it's an audiable "umpfh"-sound that I make.

I'm also able to resist them up to a point. I feel one coming and I just sort of relax it, either stopping it totally or dampening it. But in the very end I just scream in my head "ok one more, that's it. Oh, is that all you got! ONE MORE!" I think it's good to resist them and try to relax as long as you can (strong contractions are quite a workout, propably uses up alot of oxygen too). In the most basic sense, it feels like you try to breathe, but keep your airways closed.

With heavy packing, I also experience different kind of contractions, but these are right at the start of the breath hold and simply because the lungs are over pressured and I have to conciously stop my self from exhaling. These are definently "lung oriented", not diaphragm.

 

[naiad]

I seem to have mixed results after exercise - sometimes I do really good times/distances, and other times it's really difficult and I give up.

The111, what you are having sound like contractions to me. Different people get them in different ways. I don't normally get them any more, but when they do happen, it is like a very strong, uncontrollable squeeze.

Lucia

 

[freedivinmike]

Hey The111, I used to swim laps quite regularly a few years ago and always did static and dynamic afterwards with some of my best results ever. I would do this 2 times a week and would spend about a half hour on lap swimming and the remaining 2 hours on underwater skills. I would always get better towards the end of the session and never tired out, always felt very refreshed when done.

Mike

 

[bolts]

Not really aerobic, but I tried dry statics a few hours after weight lifting. Pathetic results! My PB is 4:01, and usually get in the mid-3 min range, but the best I could muster was about 2:30. Anyone know the reasoning for this?

 

[seagull]

I think 180 is pretty high, but depends how old you are, but even if you are in your teens, this is still on the high side. Here are a couple of links to HR calculators on the web, with a bit of advice for targeting the 'right' heart rate for best training (too high can be counter productive - I think due to over-lactation, that your body can't process quickly enough, or something):

http://www.precor.com/fit_clc.php

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/FitnessView.asp?artId=1029

BTW, I have a Polar heart monitor that I wear (around the chest) sometimes while swimming/during apnea - it's a hassle on a push-off, because it can slip due to drag, which is why I only wear it sometimes. BUT, it does help you translate how you are feeling into approximate heart rates without the hassle of timing it yourself, though. And it's interesting seeing the HR sinking when you are doing statics!

The monitor cost around €40, I think - bottom of the line, cos I'm a cheap-skate :hmm.

Anyway, the exercise and apnea thing: I go swimming every morning before work - time schedule sucks, with kids to take to school, and pressure at work, but I still get in 45-60 minutes a day.

So, I usually alternate exercise on one day, and dynamics the next. It was a while before I twigged to doing this (simple as it sounds) - after all, what're you going to do in the 20 minutes in between?

I'm sure this helped, if only because on the days where I JUST do dynamics, I do more attempts, and I see a bigger improvement from start to finish (I read about this effect in quite a few posts/articles) - perhaps after some time spent on the laps, you have less time for dynamics, and therefore do less of them?

Though I feel good after laps, I also noticed that I feel even better after dynamics.

 

[loopy]

Talking to a rather high level diver before, he mentioned his warmup was half hour of cardio. Never tried it myself, but its an interesting idea.

 

[Aquosus]

Hey The111,

I'm not an expert on the subject but 180bpm does sound like you're working really hard. Checkout the article written by Rudi Castineyra "Basic training for beginners"
Basic Training For Beginners
He writes, (You should not do cardio more than 2 or 3 times a week, and each of those times, do it for a maximum of 15 or 20 minutes. Also, do it at no more than 65% of your maximum heart rate.) Probably worth a look as far as the cardio aspect is concerned.

Cheers!

 

[The111]

Originally posted by Aquosus
Hey The111,

I'm not an expert on the subject but 180bpm does sound like you're working really hard.

FWIW, I usually swim about half a mile (22 laps in the 20 yd pool I'm using). For the first 85% or so, I keep a steady moderate pace, and for the last 2 laps or so I book as fast as I can, sort of a sprint to the finish line. I don't know what my HR is before the sprint, but I know it must go up in the end, because I basically time my power output so I HAVE to stop by the end of the sprint - I really go all out on that last lap. Then when I stop I count my pulse for 15 seconds and get 45, so I assume that means 180 bpm, if only for a very short amount of time (it begins slowing down very quickly). It is not that high for more than a minute or so...