Continuous swimming method

[Mark R]

Hey everyone,

I've been practicing a swimming method for the past year or so which I've found has really enhanced my ability to be relaxed underwater. I'd like to share it here and ask for your feedback on what you think is happening here and what risks you think might be involved.

First off, I'm a PFI certified level 1 freediver.

I do this swim training in the pool roughly 5 times a week, in the mornings. Since I'm often without a freediving buddy, I don't do breath holding or extensive underwater swimming. I am not competitive, I focus on relaxed slow breathing prior to beginning, and I honor my urge to breathe. What I do is take a breath, swim roughly 5 meters at about a meter of depth, and then surface for a breath. I take roughly one breath every ten seconds, and cover about 5 meters swimming in each breath. So I cover a 25 meter length in about 4 or 5 breaths on average. I focus on relaxed swimming and blowing a small stream of bubbles out until I feel the need to surface. I don't push myself for greater times and am really very relaxed about how I approach this.

I do this mainly because I've found that the slow exhalation combined with relaxed swimming really seems to feed my cardiovascular system. I am more relaxed, and my breath feels more free throughout the day. This combined with the benefits for my spine (I have significant scoliosis) have made this exercise important to my daily routine.

I am concerned, however, about doing this in a pool without a certified freediving buddy. Even though this isn't breath holding and is not really that different from swimmers who do slow sets of 6 or 8 strokes between breaths, I am aware that there are some risks. I've gotten to know many of the members of my local pool, so they at least have some awareness of what I'm doing in the pool.

I'm curious what your thoughts are about all this, and about the science of it. Again, I'm elongating the out-breath to about 10 seconds and taking a single breath in between. Since I'm doing this continuously, I imagine there is an increase in CO2 happening, and a decrease in O2 to a certain point. But 10 seconds is not that long between breaths, so I'm not sure if I'm really taking significant risks of SWB. I have noticed that my tolerance for being underwater has increased quite a bit. I'm hoping to get more info from more experienced water folk.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Mark R]

I told a friend of mine what I am doing and he said it sounds like Molchanova's 'distance swimming with rare breathing' practice.

Methods of Freediver Training | Natalia Molchanova - free diving world champion

Recreational freediving gives great opportunity to switch attention from meaningless fuss on the surface to the inward absorption in the serenity of water. Slow swimming harmonizes relationships between highly agitated mind and usually inactive body, producing sensation of muscle joy.

molchanova.ru

My question is really, how do you know how long you can swim with your face in the water safely before you need to take a breath? (If you haven't hyperventilated prior and are generally well rested, hydrated and fed)... I see many swimmers doing multiple strokes in the water between breaths, and some go slowly and for perhaps 10 seconds before turning their head for a breath (similarly to what I do). Generally the rule I've heard with freediving is no breath holding or long underwater swims without a buddy. In our pool the lifeguards enforce 25 meters max underwater on one breath, and you have to rest. But since I'm doing only 5 meters at a time, and I'm blowing bubbles out and taking regular breaths, it's more like swimming than freediving. Thoughts?

 

[Nathan Vinski]

I think that what you are doing is quite safe, and pretty good training for developing breath control and lactic tolerance. CO2 tolerance to a certain extent as well.

In my opinion, and experience, it is possible to do 25m DYN with 1-2 breaths recovery, indefinitely!!. The only risk of blackout would be a CO2 blackout, not hypoxic BO, and 99.9% of people cannot sustain that pace long enough to achieve this level of CO2 in the blood.

If you want to make your hypoxic swimming routine more challenging you can do a pyramid set counting strokes per breath.

The one I used to with my previous club was 3,5,7,9,11,13,11,9,7,5,3. This was done over 50m on each stroke count. So swim 50m at 3 strokes/ breath, 2nd 50m swum at 5 strokes/breath and so on..

Personally I found this set too challenging, as the 11,13,11 is to the point of near-suffering if you maintain even a moderate swimming pace, but the point being that low O2 is most likely not going to be a problem during this kind of exercise.

 

[Mark R]

This is very interesting. Thank you for your response, Nathan.

I do feel a huge difference in my breath, spinal health and overall fitness.

I'm a survivor of significant childhood sexual violence, and one of the ways I coped with it was by escaping to the computer. In turn, my breath shut down and my body froze, and I held significant trauma in my sacrum and ileum. As a result, I developed a scoliosis curvature in my spine of 50 degrees. I've had to work really hard at balance in my life. Trusting and opening up again.

Several years ago I suffered a herniated disc. Actually it was sequestered- a piece of the disc had broken off and gone into the spinal canal, and was pressing on my spinal nerves. I was in Germany at the time, and suddenly I could not stand or walk. Terrifying stuff. I managed to make it back to Canada with the help of a wheelchair and some nice people at Pearson Airport... but then I had to rebuild my life.

Do you know what brought me back to life? Being in the water.
At first, I couldn't really swim. Only soak and tread water and very light activity.
Then I started dunking my head in the water.
I hadn't really been comfortable doing that as a kid. I was one of those kids that swam like dogs with their heads always above the water.

So I started going to the pool every day. 6 days a week. I was living out of a van at the time, so it made it easy. The pool was my shower.
I would swim and instinctively I would want to dive. But of course, I was also afraid of the water- probably for good reason. I was afraid of running out of breath. Of losing control.

Slowly, gradually, over about a year, the water spoke to me. And I guess I learned how to relax, how to trust a bit more. I learned that my body has a physiology that knows how to be underwater, if I respect the water and myself. I learned that I need to be humble, and to go slowly, everything slowly. I learned that I'm not competing with anyone, not even with myself.

I learned that I am capable of a lot, when I am relaxed and focused in my mind and heart. I learned that I should respect limits, and not take unnecessary risks. For example, not breath holding in the pool alone, and not coming to train in the water when I am ill, fatigued, dehydrated, or just generally feeling yucky.

I guess I'm simply learning to listen, tune in and respect my own beating heart. And to extend that grace to the heart beat of every living being around and within me. It's about loving all of life, and reconciling for the damage we've done.

And it's not just about attaining marks in a pool. It's about how we take care of the oceans, and ultimately, ourselves.

<3

This share has been really vulnerable for me. I hope this community can hold what I've shared - I love and respect you all as my teachers, mentors, and fellow underwater adventurers.

Mark

 

[Sorandril]

I think that what you are doing is quite safe, and pretty good training for developing breath control and lactic tolerance. CO2 tolerance to a certain extent as well.

In my opinion, and experience, it is possible to do 25m DYN with 1-2 breaths recovery, indefinitely!!. The only risk of blackout would be a CO2 blackout, not hypoxic BO, and 99.9% of people cannot sustain that pace long enough to achieve this level of CO2 in the blood.

If you want to make your hypoxic swimming routine more challenging you can do a pyramid set counting strokes per breath.

The one I used to with my previous club was 3,5,7,9,11,13,11,9,7,5,3. This was done over 50m on each stroke count. So swim 50m at 3 strokes/ breath, 2nd 50m swum at 5 strokes/breath and so on..

Personally I found this set too challenging, as the 11,13,11 is to the point of near-suffering if you maintain even a moderate swimming pace, but the point being that low O2 is most likely not going to be a problem during this kind of exercise.

this has been my experience as well, but we’re moving into an era of hysteria where soon Americans will be forced to wear a vest at all times.

im betting on Sweden and Japan next year to smoke USA in the pool