Muscles relevant in Freediving

Hi all,
interesting reading here, thanks guys. I've recently been thinking about anearobic/strength training and the conclusion was that the best way to train right muscle groups is to do exercises as close to the activity as possible (nothing new there...). Especially for DNF training, where I have problems of becoming really weak towards the end of my max dives, I was trying to come up with best training exercises. So far it's surface swim breast stroke with swim paddles (no leg kick) and the opposite - kick board and just leg kick. And some sprints in a pool (sprint drills that swimmers use maybe with some apnea thrown into it). What do you think? I know it's very generic but I'm in process of fine-tunning

Dr.Freedive said:

Hi fellow Freedivers
I would like to know the muscles that are used while freediving.
The best would be a link to a study or just the names in Latin.
Now that I am a physician I can move to Dahab and train seriously.
I would like to know the muscles used in FIM, CWT, CNF. I would like as well an estimation of how much of the power output each muscle is responsible for in each of the dive phases. The reasoning behind the request is that I would like to design with a strengthcoach a workout specifically for the depth disciplines.

Cheers, Bernhard Zogg

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Good question and it looks like you have a nice discussion going on this. I just watched "Breathe" a freedive film by and about William Trubridge, he mentions a few things that should be of great help for you. I would say your Cardio hamstring muscles would be key to get fit legs upper and lower and increase lung fitness for greater air capacity. Wear light professional fins to avoid over straining your calf ie finning muscles and avoid cramps. Train train train and the right muscles will develop well...

Mullins said:

I'd consider 150m DYN to be about on par with 65m CWT or perhaps slightly better Kars. Reckon you should be good for more than 65m CWT since there's a mechanical bloodshift element that benefits people with higher working O2 consumption, i.e. those that don't get muscle failure in DYN.

Bernhard, quads are the muscles that take the great majority of the load in CWT and they are the ones that tend to fail. However the other, smaller muscles that don't get noticed so much are probably responsible for maintaining good stroke mechanics. As hip flexors and lower abs / erector spinae get fatigued they don't burn like quads do but the stoke probably (making a bit of an assumption here) suffers nevertheless.

So quads -> hip flexors -> lower core stuff in that order. Ultimately if your quads burn out you've got nothing to swim with, nothing to transfer power to the fin.

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For CWT, I'd add Quadratus Lumborum with it's role in torso extension in there too Dave.

For CNF I'd include abductors - Gluts, TFL and the adductors (magnus etc) and psoas and iliacus. Possibly peroneals given there is slight eversion of the foot on the outward phase of the kick stroke, correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Rotator cuff muscles play an important part in the arm stroke of CNF, plus I'd add deltoid, teres major, pec major, and wrist extensors for downward phase of armstroke, pushing oneself down/up.

I'm guessing FIM uses the mainly core, in addition to the obvious shoulder and arm muscles, but probably some hip stabilisation going on as well - some isometric contraction going on to keep hips aligned and good form maintained, rather than the lower body just coming along for the ride.

Buoyancy obviously has an impact on effort, does the direction one is moving through the dense body of water also have an impact?