Improving own PB 3 times in 5 days

[Blue Straggler]

Hello.
I am deliberately putting this in "General" rather than "Training" as the latter is segregated into disciplines and I am neither naming disciplines nor giving figures, as that's not what the question is about, and it could lead to tangential technical discussions.

The question is:
If one beats ones own personal best in a given discipline 3 times in one week (indeed 3 times in 3 sessions!), does that mean one simply wasn't trying hard enough before?
I have just done this, after having languished at a rather frustrating plateau for AGES (was on that plateau until about 3 weeks ago, then just improved a little, and am now looking down on that plateau from 50% higher up.
A few things I've read about training suggest that new PBs should be longer-term goals and that general training should work differently and not include any "just go for it!" moments.
I ditched those thoughts each time this week, and it paid dividends....

So I thought I'd make a rare post and ask for the thoughts of the deeperblue.net community.

Let the contradictory opinions and bunfights commence

 

[Morg]

It would help greatly if you could list your actual times. It all depends on where you are.

For instantance if you were just starting out and could only do 1:00 static and got stuck on that for 3 weeks. You could beat that time 3 times in 1 session by %50 - %300.

Congratulations on progressing that much!

 

[Blue Straggler]

Hi Morg. I appreciate what you are saying. I'll have to think about it...my reason for not naming discipline, figures or ability, is twofold. Firstly as stated, I don't want this to turn into a technical discussion about a given discipline (trust me, I will start a thread about that - with relation to this thread - in the next week or so) - I have seen threads on here go off on tangents before which lose the essence of the OP. Secondly, I like to think it's a general question for divers at all levels, whether a 1.00 static PB can be annihilated in a week by 300%, or whether an 8.00 static PB goes to 8.07, 8.13 and 8.17 in a week....the question remains the same, I think.

Thanks for your reply and I hope you understand my (temporary) retention of specifics!

 

[jome]

I would be tempted to say - yes, probably a lot of it comes down to psychology (ie "not trying hard enough"), if the increments are dramatic and in short time.

When you truly reach a (physiological) plateau, you usually need to really re-think your training and take time to develop over it. So if for example the case was that you have been investing on technique, fitness and in general the "basics" for half a year and then start doing long dynamic I'd expect you to break pb's almost every session -that's the goal.

But if you've been doing the same thing over and over and over again, without any real progress, and all of the sudden you leap forward, then it seems more likely that you just pushed a little further. Or if you're a beginner just having been training for a few months or something, you'd pretty much expect to hit a pb almost every dive.

But without knowing more about the circumstances leading to your pb's it's really impossible to say. What I will say is that it's not unheard of...

 

[kmo]

My progress has been basically the same as yours, and I think that you are right when you say that it is just because you "weren't trying hard enough before"

When I was practising with no instruction (on the couch) I 'jumped' from 3min to 4min and then after that was able to do 4min regularly.

When I did a freediving course and got some good instruction on breathe-up techniques and just as importantly learnt to get comfortable with contractions, I did my first wet static of 5 mins with no warmup holds. After coming up from that feeling clear headed, although uncomfortable with such strong contractions, I knew that I had more in me.

As I'm getting used to the feeling of continuing to hold my breath for minutes after my first contraction instead of seconds, I'm making small PB improvements (back on the couch because I'm solo) on a regular basis, and I'm reaching 5 mins on any day I put my mind to it (I don't do it all that often, just enough to make sure that I don't forget how to get through that discomfort towards the end).

So for me it is definitely mental jumps at the moment. I think once I reach the stage mentally where I get to find my limits then it'll become a physical battle and the improvements will become smaller.

Of course, these mental jumps have physical ramifications. Knowing that you can do 50 contractions will help you to relax through the first dozen or so. Less mental or physical stress = less oxygen burnt and/or lower levels of co2.

It'll be interesting to see what the more experienced guys and girls have to say.

 

[Bill]

"If one beats ones own personal best in a given discipline 3 times in one week (indeed 3 times in 3 sessions!), does that mean one simply wasn't trying hard enough before?"

That's only one possibility. For instance, PB often comes after a break from training but if you look back at training 3-6 weeks ago you can often see why you improved. Not long ago coaches wouldn't let you try more than one PB in a week. I am a firm believer in cycles or rhythms. Doesn't mean you have bad days so much as there are days when performance is easier. My last PB just happened with no warning (took almost 3 years). Congratulations, enjoy and may the numbers you mentioned be yours. I wish they were mine.

 

[Blue Straggler]

Right without giving absolute figures, this was a dynamic discipline.
First a 6% improvement, then an 18% improvement on top of that, and then a 12% improvement on that (so a 39% improvement overall, over the three sessions). Mathematicians should be able to figure out the absolute figures from that (though of course some rounding on the %s values might cause ambiguity )

Have taken it fairly easy since then.

 

[fpernett]

I think that huge jumps in performance are a mix of many things: Improving technique, anaerobic or aerobic capacity, surpassing a mental barrier, self-confidence, etc. I remember that I was stucked for years on a dynamic distance, after a new training strategy that "wall" fell down, and at this moment I can beat that distance anytime I get on a pool.
If you're improving keep on that way, but I you reach a plateau again, re-analyze your training and find what are the weak points, to work on them.
There is as many different ways to train as freedivers and that is because different physiologies.
Long term adaptation is the key

 

[immerlustig]

to add to frank's comment about a new strategy and analysation:

constant improvement requires constant evaluation. not so much of performance but the actual quality of the training. as one progresses there will be a need to adapt the training routine to that development.

the value of metres or minutes/seconds shouldn't be overetimated. a high quality training session will give you benefits even if you haven' broken a pb. pb's are a matter of time only, given the quality of training is good enough.

breaking your pb 3 imes in 3 sessions should give you reason to start analysing what you have been doing in the last weeks/months. trying to analyse what you do is time well spent as you will develop your awareness as to what actually benefits your freediving and what doesn't. the more advanced you are the more important details will become. after all you probably aim for repeatable performances which are planable rather than depending on "luck".

a watch/gauge is a measuring tool, but doesn't say too much about the overall quality of your freediving.

anyway, that's just my opinion. i might be wrong entirely.

cheers

roland