Fitness first, freediving later?

[Simos]

I'm trying to get back into freediving (and exercise in general) after more than a year off.

I'm at my lowest ever point in terms of fitness, flexibility and strength as I have not done any exercise in the past year. Needless to say my apnea capacity is also at a low point.

Due to family, work and other committments I can only exercise a couple of times a week.

While I am tempted to find a buddy and just jump in the pool for freediving training right away my dilemma is the following: am I better off spending a few months first building up some basic level of fitness, strength and flexibility?

I am not interested in competitive freediving etc but at the same time I wouldn't want to hit a plateau relatively early, which is what I think will happen if the basics are not in place first.

Any advice or similar experiences shared appreciated.

 

[ThomasB]

I'm on the same boat. Been off for a while, and even if I'm like get back in the pool then I find out I'm not really willing too. Right now I'm mtbiking and doing some gym work, plan to swim during winter and get back into breath holding in spring when I feel fit and confident.
Also I should stop drinking big time on Saturday night and then post wishfully thoughts on DB

 

[harrychamas]

Hay guys, everyone has there own opinions on cross training, but for me the best thing to get fit in general and for freediving is high instensity interval training. I used to box so mine is boxing orientated, i do 12 rounds of 2 minute work with 1 minute rest, alternating between skipping, the punch bag, and a pressup, situp and squat cycle (so i'll do 10 pressups, 10 situps, 10 squats then repeat for 2 mins, you can change the number of reps and exercise variations subject to your fitness level).

The aim is to work as hard as you can for the 2 minutes, this simulates a dive in the way your body will be working aerobically at first and then resort to anaerobic training as it isnt getting enough O2 for energy production.

The session only lasts just over 30 mins but i'm about ready to puke after every one. then finish off with a good stretch or you'll be feeling it the next day.

A warning though, if your not fit now dont let the first few sessions get you down, if you stick at it you'll progress very quickly

 

[Simos]

I tried a few high intensity interval training but found it quite hard to keep up with my current fitness (couldnt do many cycles) so started running and trying to up the pace every week and decrease the distance. I'm hoping that if I keep it up i'll eventually be able to get to a fast pace for a reasonable distance (say 1km) and then do say 1 'fast' km, 1 'slow' km for recovery, then fast again etc.

About 2 months ago I was living next to a small but steep hill and I tried a couple of sessions of repeated sprinting up and down the hill with short recoveries (there was no trail and it was taking around 30-45s to get to the top). Judging by the amount of pain during and after the sessions, it must have been a good workout lol

Having said this, fitness I am actually less worried about because I can build that up in the pool too. Strength and flexibility is more of a concern and if they're not there, I'll probably end up practicing with the wrong technique

 

[AmberNerissa]

I would probably just go straight into the freediving training Simos. Put aside 2 days a week for training, get to the pool 30mins early and warm up with some basic stretching and strength work (focusing on core exercises). Get in the pool and do some apnea training and then finish off with surface work (dolphin kick/butterfly). I had a look at your fins in your other post. They are PERFECT for surface work

 

[Simos]

I would probably just go straight into the freediving training Simos. Put aside 2 days a week for training, get to the pool 30mins early and warm up with some basic stretching and strength work (focusing on core exercises). Get in the pool and do some apnea training and then finish off with surface work (dolphin kick/butterfly). I had a look at your fins in your other post. They are PERFECT for surface work

Thanks Amber - you are right, that would be the best way to do it. I was never disciplined enough to do much stretching etc poolside though, as soon as I see water I HAVE to jump in lol.

I don't have a buddy for now so I'd need to go along to a club night to train, so I wouldn't be able to do my own routine completely in the water but I think I might just start with 1 pool day and 1 strength/flexibility day (maybe stretching+climbing) and then see how far that takes me

 

[growingupninja]

Even without a buddy you can still swim! You would see general fitness benefits from that which would carryover into freediving. Do a long, slow, warm-up which includes surface kicking (kickboard) and then do interval sets--75's maybe if you are trying to get back into shape. Once you can do some sets start decreasing your breathing interval. Great CO2/cardio training and relatively safe...

 

[Simos]

Even without a buddy you can still swim! You would see general fitness benefits from that which would carryover into freediving. Do a long, slow, warm-up which includes surface kicking (kickboard) and then do interval sets--75's maybe if you are trying to get back into shape. Once you can do some sets start decreasing your breathing interval. Great CO2/cardio training and relatively safe...

Yes true, when in the pool I try to do fast intervals for now with swimming fins and paddles since I don't have a buddy - hopefully it'll help with freediving too and I can build a bit of strength using the fins and paddles.

 

[Haydn]

Agree with the principle that you need to get wet. You can spend hours gently finning up and down the pool with fins and mono. But also do the same in the sea just to get the taste of the salt back. You don't have to do any depth work at all, maybe a few duck dives in few metres and pull downs from a boat at anchor. After a few weeks, get off somewhere warm for a weeks freediving proper.

 

[island_sands]

I'm trying to get back into freediving (and exercise in general) after more than a year off.

I'm at my lowest ever point in terms of fitness, flexibility and strength as I have not done any exercise in the past year. Needless to say my apnea capacity is also at a low point.

Due to family, work and other committments I can only exercise a couple of times a week.

While I am tempted to find a buddy and just jump in the pool for freediving training right away my dilemma is the following: am I better off spending a few months first building up some basic level of fitness, strength and flexibility?

I am not interested in competitive freediving etc but at the same time I wouldn't want to hit a plateau relatively early, which is what I think will happen if the basics are not in place first.

Any advice or similar experiences shared appreciated.

Hi Simos

For the last 18 weeks i have been training for an Ironman 70.3. I am 7 weeks away from the event and while my fitness and strength have improved greatly, I just cannot hold my breath like I used to.

Put me on a bike and I can go 30km/h for 100km. Put in in a pool and I can swim 2km, no problem. Get me to do a dynamic... I can do the the distance without feeling it physically, however I do feel massive urges to breathe than I ever have before.

 

[adelito]

Interesting thread

 

[baiyoke]

I've been talking to some world-class freedivers, who did not think i mattered if you did fitness or not. Or rather they were thinking that it could go both ways from their experience.

However I've repeatedly come across people here on DB saying that there might be a downside to doing fitness on your apnea ability... at least in the short run... But perhaps that is only the half of people speaking, the ones that that get that effect. However I don't often come across people saying the opposite on DB.

I personally can't help thinking that, it might be a god idea to keep in shape in the long run. But I do think and experience myself, that apnea is effected by fitness training, at least on a shorter basis. Theoretically it would make sense, because
- methabolism is generally higher
- for peak-performance the body might need to be training specialized training only, i.e. apnea.
- And a third reason might be this: After reading Sebastian Murats post on exhale-diving, I can't help thinking that what he calls "work-response" is cultivated in fitness training, and counter-productive for dive-respons domination, and apnea in general...

But that is all just speculations...

 

[Simos]

Interesting responses thanks!

@SL - very interesting to read your experience, I would have expected what you are experiencing but I would have hoped that in the medium term and once you go back to apnea specific training, you'd be in a better position than before your triathlon training. Would be really keen to learn how you get on...

I'll try to get some conclusions myself - I started running for now as it's a lot easier for me to do some every other day and I don't have a pool buddy... I'll try to do some benchmarks on my dry apnea times and see how they change as I (hopefully) get fitter

 

[hezibuba]

What about weight lifting?

I am currently lifting weights in the 8-15 repetition zones. Sunday I work legs, Tuesday chest and back, and on thursday I do my arms and shoulders. I guess big muscles use more O2 but there are some big freedivers up there in the top, along with the skinny ones. So is size not important?

 

[Simos]

Weight lifting is good for many things but I've never enjoyed it much so can't keep it up. Prefer something like climbing to build strength but if I enjoy weight lifting I'd do it

 

[harrychamas]

I think that Freediving isnt the most important thing in the world and if you are at a all time low fitness level then the lower you let your fitness level get the less likely it is you will be able to get it back.
Over wise you might wake up one day and realise your old! i train to make that day as late in my life as possible.

 

[Ms Mer]

Personally I'd suggest getting in the pool and swimming. Just straight swimming will help with general fitness, strength and as a number suggest,adding in kick board training will be of benefit to for your freediving.

I'm in two minds about interval training - be it running or on the bike - for freediving. I wonder if longer, slower runs are of more benefit. That way your heart rate does not get up too high and it will help with endurance and may be of more benefit for dealing with lactic threshold?

I do yoga which i am finding great for flexibility and breathing. I think some weights - lower weight, high reps might be better for building strength, focusing on those muscles that you use more in diving.

My 2 cents anyways

 

[Simos]

Personally I'd suggest getting in the pool and swimming. Just straight swimming will help with general fitness, strength and as a number suggest,adding in kick board training will be of benefit to for your freediving.

I'm in two minds about interval training - be it running or on the bike - for freediving. I wonder if longer, slower runs are of more benefit. That way your heart rate does not get up too high and it will help with endurance and may be of more benefit for dealing with lactic threshold?

I do yoga which i am finding great for flexibility and breathing. I think some weights - lower weight, high reps might be better for building strength, focusing on those muscles that you use more in diving.

My 2 cents anyways

Thanks - I am not too sure about slower, longer runs. That's my worry actually, muscles used to working efficiently in aerobic mode. My natural tendency (body type) is to be better at longer distances than sprints (which is not really what's needed for freediving) so I will be making things even worse.

Having said this, I have friends that cycle big distances and they're pretty good freedivers...

I think I'd probably need 400-800m sprints to get some anaerobic training but then again the reason I am in two minds is that I'm not at the stage where I can do any decent distances in freediving so lactic shouldn't be an issue.

Swimming I totally agree with, will try to get to the pool when possible - I think I'll stick to doing sprints with paddles and fins and reducing the breathing and rest interval as I get better.

So far it looks like the small fins I recently got can actually give me a half-decent leg workout if I sprint and same for dolphin kick.

Yoga is ideal, I've started doing a bit at home after every run...

 

[adelito]

Do any of you monitor HR

 

[Ms Mer]

Not yet for freediving but have for other sports. If I had my HR watch on during statics I think I would be tempted to look at it and then see my elapsed time for holds, which I really don't want to do! Having said that, I guess I could have the watch under my wetsuit and then just see what happened to my HR when I have downloaded the data from the watch after training. Hmm, you've given me an idea now adelito - thanks!