freediving at high altitude

[nz676]

i was having a discussion recently with a friend about training at high altitude to increase red blood production ,lower heart and a increase in the number of mitochondria and oxidative enzymeste,so if i begin freediving in high altitude lakes which are many were i live am i going to experience any negative effects that anyone can think of ?as far as i can think this has nothing but positve effects but for some reason in the back of my mind im concered that i may black out easier due to lower oxygen saturation in the air

 

[Mullins]

Harder all round: harder to equalise because you start off with low pressure air while the water density is the same; harder to avoid lung squeeze for the same reason; harder overall dive because you have less O2 in your lungs. Good training, just watch out and don't expect to be able to do the same depth you can do at sea level.

 

[nz676]

but then when i compete in the ocean my body will perform better more like its still at altitude correct? do you know how long the postive effects last for by this i mean higher number of red blood cells and my heart rate i assume it depends on the inmdividual and cell life but how long will it take to achieve max results and how long will they last when im not at altitude?

 

[Theodoric]

Here's an interesting article about a freediver doing some high altitude climbing, and it's effects on his apnea training afterwards:

freediving and hypoxi

Although there did seem to be some residual effects, like a lower heart rate during holds, I don't think he set any kind of new personal bests after returning from altitude.

I have recently moved from sea level to about 1,300 meters. I can tell you that it was a little discouraging at first. I started to get contractions very early on in my holds, and previously easy holds were really difficult. Probably the strangest side effect is that I began getting a raging headache upon the first inhale after a hold. This happened with FRC dynamics, full inhale dynamics, and even static holds. I found proper hook breathing helps, but it's something I never had to worry about before. I'm still not sure exactly why it happens.

Studies have shown that high altitude populations have adapted to the conditions in two ways. One population developed larger hearts and increased red blood cell count, while the other simply had a higher rate of respiration. If you end up adapting the second way, it seems that it would not be beneficial at all to freediving.

I haven't had much opportunity to train lately, but please keep us posted if you decide to tinker with altitude training.

 

[nz676]

yeah i do plan on trying it possibly this weekend ill start the water is also a balmy 7 degrees to 9 degrees so im hoping if i compete in a warmer climate this will also help

 

[Walid]

Hi, most of my training has been done in altitude, especially pool and anaerobic, since I've been living 2.600m above sea level untill now, and also some of my depth training (between 2000 and 3000m, depending on the lakes, but this is something recent). I also wondered if this kind of training could also have some negative effects, and tried to establish some conclusions about the laps of time I could spend before travelling to a competition at sea level. I couldn't find any scientific study about this, but I obviously notice a 30 to 40% improve when I go to sea level, but also a higher probability to get into hyperventilation and other issues, especially in static. I often have to switch to a different breath up and a much lighter preparation before an immersion, either in pool or in the sea.

 

[nz676]

i have noticed an increase in bottom time as well as my contractions dont seem to be hitting me till around 3:00 minutes statics are ranging from low to high 5 minutes like 5:35 but the thing is i cant tell if this is simply cause im diving more or if its the altitude

 

[azapa]

we are planning a freedivers day out to a lake at 2800M ASL. 10C water and 4M viz, 120M deep.

What % in performance reduction might one reasonably expect. From what I have read, its about 10% per 1000M ASL.

For Spanish readers, Frank, Walidito, here is a paper comparing Santiago (600MASL) to the dive site, 2 hours drive away, at 2800m:
http://www.cybertesis.cl/tesis/uchile/2004/miranda_s/sources/miranda_s.pdf

 

[nz676]

I would say thats fairly close i never took notes on performance difference but it was slight, not signifcant as i expected

 

[fpernett]

Hi Simon

You have to take into account several things before your travel
-If you are living at sea level, and try to do deep freediving training in a lake you have a higher risk of a lung oedema of immersion. It's better to have at least 24 hours of acclimatization before any exercise
-Equalization will be harder
-Low visibility can tax you at a psychological level
-Very cold water can be taxing to in relaxation before the dive

I use to dive in a lake at 3000, but it was so hard, that I abandon this kind of training.

In the end, in my opinion, it's better to avoid diving with calculations. Explore your potential at the lake from zero. And increase the depth according to your feelings in each dive. Ahhh, and please don't try to touch the bottom