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My new mono

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Finally broke the dry spell - after being grounded for 2 weeks, went to the pool & had a great session. Sometimes you can't practice your thing but keep on THINKING about it all the time, then you resume whatever it is you do and find out that you've actually improved in the meantime, & even made a considerable leap - I call it the "summer ski" effect.
Well, I went to the pool with the idea of working out easy (still don't feel quite on top), and I had a good, calm session, with steady rythm, & lots of laps on R/L side. I felt very clearly the difference between right & left - almost like 2 different persons. For some reason, Pelizzari suggests to start on the left side. My right side is dominant, so I usually tend to start there, but this time I took P's tip & started on my left. the rythm was much calmer & settled, more flexibility in the body - by the time I had to switch sides, after 200 m, I just felt like staying on my left forever. Then, on the right side (usually my favorite), it felt more forceful, tended to go faster with less flexibility & less feeling of harmony - a demonstration of yang vs. yin?
I used the dry spell to start out o2/co2 tables*, at a very easy, non-challenging pace, and was surprised at the significant effect it had in the pool: the 25 m u/w laps I limit myself to were never much of a challenge, but now they feel like absolutely nothing - so I shortened the interval between them to 4-5 breaths. Also, when swimming on the surface, I just forgot to breath a couple of times, and mostly did each lap on 2 breaths, easy.
Goals: extend my sessions, or at least some of them, beyond 1 hr/1200-1300m. A friend suggested we participate in the 4.5 k popular Sea of Galilee swim (that's in october), and it seems like a reasonable challenge for my current level. I'll try to extend the warmup/cooldown phases of each swim, & focus on keeping a steady, continuous rythm throughout.
Can't wait until my next session! :)

*couldn't believe how interesting it is to do these tables, and what a huge feeling of wellbeing they give me - so good to know there's something I can do almost under any condition, and still generates as good a feeling as a proper training session! I always thought you needed physical activity to generate endorphins and earn this kind of feeling, but I must reconsider and do mere research on this.
 
Hi Ofer. Nice to hear of your 'summer ski' effect. :)
Usually it is advised to do only one of those static tables per day. I hope you had a spotter who knows how to deal with freediving - checking for agreed signs of consciousness, knows when you're staying for too long (and to pull you out), knowing how to treat a blackout (life guards aren't really equiped witht hat knowledge and attention). Even more so when you explore new limits and not on your best shape.
By the way, it has been somewhat evident on this forum that apnea weakens the immune system temporarly, so if you are still fighting a bug maybe it's best to wait a little longer.
 
Well, Michael, I do these tables strictly dry, for now (on my bed), so there's no risk except falling asleep zzz . I'm also pretty determined to do it all very gradual & easy, staying within or very close to my comfort zone & extending it very slowly, so there's no real chance of overtraining. When I was really sick, i did nothing, just waited until the worst was behind me.

BTW, I think I'd really like to join some of you guys out at sea, pretty soon - the pool's getting to be a bit too small for me.
:)
 
oferdegi said:
BTW, I think I'd really like to join some of you guys out at sea, pretty soon - the pool's getting to be a bit too small for me.
:)
You are WARMLY invited!
I didn't get much see time lately...
Well, not freediving time altesat. But am working on that. :)
 
DeepThought said:
You are WARMLY invited!
I didn't get much see time lately...
Well, not freediving time altesat. But am working on that. :)

Thanks, Michael! I hope to make this happen real soon! This should also get me off my ass to find a proper suit & mask for the occasion!

Summer ski - after effect
Invariably, this comes right after the summer ski effect. On the next session you find out that it was indeed a miracle that you didn't forget it all on your forced break, but, on the other hand, all your problems are still alive & kicking as well :duh
The upside of today's pool session was definitely quantity:
Short fins (warmup):
200m freestyle
200m easy backstroke
200m freestyle
Mono:
200m front
200m back
200m left side
200m right side
Short fins:
200m easy backstroke (active recovery)
Mono:
8x25m u/w laps, 5-10 breaths in between
Total: ~1800m (???100m more due to counting errors???)
Longest session ever! (more time on a Saturday), I tried to just go continuously, without tweaking too much.
Most fun: u/w laps - calm pace, ~11 srokes per lap, gliding.
Main problem: upper body doesn't participate in undulation, still find it hard to combine hands over head with upper back flexibility.
New idea: dedicate one weekly session for single drill (e.g., sides, front, u/w laps, etc.). I feel I need more repetitions per drill, & can't cover them all on a single session.
Problem fix: found nice round pebble, a little bigger than my big toe, & shoved it in footpocket when not training - this gradually widens the footpocket's end to accomodate my oddly-shaped feet.
Great diving to all,
:) Ofer
 
Good news: the finswimming group I've appended myself to has just started training in one of the country's best olympic pools, and today was our first session there - probably my first ever in a 50 m pool!

It's just so great to be able to go for a while with each drill (especially the fun ones). It seems to be just so much bigger than a 25 m pool, like there's some magic dimension warping involved.

And working with a trainer is so great - he just looks at you working for a bit, then says 3 sentences that flip your training concepts head over heels and send you on a whole new tack - love it! I was trying so hard to get the body movement right, especially upper back, that I forgot the other end. Now he made me really concentrate on my ankle movement, and just learn to carry it through and generate all the thrust, then relax. The drill is like this: prone position with kickboard, then fold your legs under you in the most exaggerated way, knees flexed 90 deg. or maybe more, fin just trailing, ankles extended. Then you generate as full a downward kick as possible through your ankles (it actually goes backwards since your knees are so flexed), carrying the movement through all the way, straightening your legs and gliding for 2 sec., then repeating. Slow pace, a bit of a rest after each lap, about 500-600 m. Focus is on accurate, full ankle movement, symmetric on both feet. The deeper idea is to build my movement now in the opposite order, from the feet up. Wonder what's in store for the next few weeks? :)

And another cherry: The session was over, we had to get out (they actually fine a group that isn't out of the pool on time - but I learned that only after the fact). Anyway, I just couldn't resist doing 50 m dynamic in that pool. Had only a few seconds to breathup, and took off on a slow, pretty lousy stroke. Once in a while I looked ahead, and it seemed like this pool does go on forever - I think I was just about ready to abort after 20 m. - from the sheer enormity of it. But then I just went on, and on, and on, picked up speed, feeling a stress that was really 90% psychological. Then it was over, and suddenly I saw how easy it really was, and how I wasn't even panting, and I just knew that I could some day do 100 m, just taking my time to get to that point, slow and comfortable, and enjoy every moment of the way. Now that's such a fun way to end a session!
:D Ofer
 
Good news: the finswimming group I've appended myself to has just started training in one of the country's best olympic pools, and today was our first session there - probably my first ever in a 50 m pool!

Thats great news I look forward to hearing about your progress.
I must be awsome to be in a 50m pool.

jim
 
land shark said:
Thats great news I look forward to hearing about your progress.
I must be awsome to be in a 50m pool.

jim

It's absolutely unbelievable - i'd never think it could make such a difference. Another good thing about this setup is that I get a weekly chance to push my limits a bit farther than my strict solo training safety margins, with other people watching over me - there were 3 more freedivers sharing my lane yesterday, and I hope they keep coming to these sessions so we can spot each other. My regular training sessions will still be in the old, rundown 25 m neighborhood pool, but I'm sure the carryover effect will make a difference even there.
:)
 
Had a terrible day at my new job, just died to get to the pool & lift my spirits. Had the best ever monofin session: long warmup, lots of work with kickboard on ankle thrust, good, settled rythm on the r/l side strokes, then some 25 m u/w laps (slow pace, attention to style, 10-11 strokes per lap, 5-7 breaths in between). I was exhilarated - but the incredible thing was that by the time I was dressed and back in my car, I was just as depressed as when I came to the pool!
Conclusion: when something bad happens in your life, even doing something you love is not always enough - it may just populate a parallel, fun universe, maybe fuel you with some energy, but you've still got this reality to deal with.
Good news: that was 2 days ago - today I quit the job. Any ideas/job offers?
:) Ofer
 
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Perks of the unemployed

Wandered down to the pool in mid morning and had a great, long session, constantly dodging numerous old ladies with lots of draft & displacement, doing strange interpretations of backstroke & claiming full right-of-way.
200 freestyle, short fins
200 back flutter, large fins
400 mono w kickboard, full ankle thrust, then glide
2x200 mono r/l side
200 freestyle, short fins (loosen foot & leg cramps)
8x25 dynamic mono, 5-7 breaths in between (slow, focus on technique & economical movement)
50 dynamic mono (just couldn't resist the temptation)
50 freestyle cooldown (had to run by then)

Unfortunately, it seems like my previous employers want me back (hopefully on better terms), so I'll probably be back on the chain gang by next week :waterwork
 
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Just about time - first pool session in 6 days!
Afternoon - lots of kids training in the pool, lots of moms sitting around waiting, watching. 3 lanes left for people like me, and I'm the only adult who's hung it all and gone swimming! :king

Break in training and a long fast walking session this morning didn't leave that much energy for swimming. Gave good attention to technique, though.

200 freestyle
200 back flutter, large fins
200 freestyle (for good measure)
200 mono w kickboard, ankle kick + long glide
200 mono r/l side
200 mono back
8*25 dynamic w mono

  • Tried surface w mono on back first time in ages (just couldn't figure it out before). Still don't know what exactly this contributes, but suddenly found myself sprinting on my back, doing very quick, small undulations. Maybe that's it - the contrast to all the slow, wide movements I do in other drills.
  • 25 m dynamic laps - tried to do a kind of 'pyramid' - 10 breaths after first lap, 9 after second, etc. Made it only down to 7 and got stuck there - should improve quality of brathup & get more calm & control into it (tips & suggestions are welcome). I'd also probably push it a little harder if there wasn't a safety issue involved. Laps themselves are pure fun - can't see why anyone would bother to swim on the surface with a mono!
:) Ofer
 
Friday - finswimming group training session at the olympic pool!
  • 10 min freestyle warmup (new short fins made even this unusually difficult)
  • 200 m alternating legwork 50 dolphin/50 flutter, kickboard & no fins (I used the short fins, just to make some headway)
  • 50 m mono w kickboard, stress on arrowhead arm position; return on back - about 200-300 m of this.
  • mono on side, 100-150 m each (this week's message: don't overdo the undulation - keep your ear stuck to the extended arm, don't undulate that arm, flex knees & pelvis - but not too much)
  • ...and the meanest of all: mono undulation with front crawl arm stroke 1:1 (no cheating! I tried!) - one hell of a challenge for flexibility and coordination!
  • cooldown - 200 m freestyle
Another thing I found out today: mono on the back is used to train the muscles antagonistic to those used on the front position - there's much more stress on the return movement since the usual downward movement now goes up and is quite useless. It's also just a good form of active recovery with the mono.

From next week onward, we (the other freediver and me, :) ) get personal training programs from the coach (such a sweet guy - does such great work with the kids, too!)

Good news - a friend is trying to arrange a freediver-specific finswim training group in our area - this could be awesome! If any of you know of anyone from the center of Israel who's interested in this, get them to contact me!

:) Ofer
 
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V-day yesterday: re-hired, on much better terms, by the same company that fired me 6 weeks ago! :D
That's what a good dose of reality can do to people who think they know it all!

Training session, though, did s&ck!
Felt heavy & slow, new short fins provide much less propulsion, making me work harder & lose my rythm - will take getting used to.
 
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Group finswimming session at the 50m pool:
Lots of work on stamina, I tend to fall into a pace that is too fast for me (poor technique, lack of confidence), then run out of air halfway through. Anyway, I rest a little and go on...

New drill: monofin, 4-5 large strokes u/w, surface, breath to the side with corresponding arm doing front crawl stroke, then repeat. Breath on alternate sides. 200m. I last about 100m before co2 buildup becomes too much and I need to breath a bit.

Another new drill: short/no fins, dolphin kick on back with kicboard held over knees, making sure they don't bend too much (you kick the board if they do) - try to slow down, loosen up and really undulate and not just jump and kick (like I tend to do).

:) Ofer
 
Been working very hard lately, and training very little.:(

Group finswimming session:
We were 3 freedivers at the session :D , along with all the finswimming kids (fast little fish!).
Hard training session, but I managed to pull it all through. Hardest were the sprints at the end - we did them with the kids - 6*50 m timed monofin sprints, with maybe 1 minute interval in between. I can still feel my calf muscles! First time I ever try a 50m sprint - not really a freediving thing, but an interesting experience, and a good indication of technique problems. Maybe the CO2 buildup and the fact that such a sprint is pretty much of an anaerobic effort do make it valuable apnea-wise, I really don't know.
 
Lately, I felt that this thread was actually more of a personal journal. Luckily, DB has just added a journals feature, so I've started a journal at http://forums.deeperblue.net/journal.php?do=showjournal&j=3#e19
I'll try to log all the detailed training data over there, and use this thread just for stuff that seems to be of wider interest to mono freaks, or questions I have for you people out there.

Thanks everybody for reading, sharing & tipping - it's been invaluable for me. You are all very welcome to take a look at my journal, & comment freely!

Stay wet,
:) Ofer
 
Is my mono too hard?

So, here's a question for the public:
I've been training with my mono for 3-4 months. It's a WW 2, mid. distance. - quite a hard fin. I feel that maybe it's too hard for me - it seems to drive me into a faster pace than I aim for, and harder legwork. My objectives are freediving (just frolicking in the sea, really, no record breaking stuff at this point) and long range swimming. I therefore envision a more relaxed, flowing pace. How can I know if it is the fin's hardness or just my scant experience & poor technique?
Thanks,
:) Ofer

You're all invited to visit my monofin journal - see link on previous post!
 
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Well, my mono has just had a tragic accident - I've started a thread detailing the whole story here:
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=589932#post589932"]http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?p=589932#post589932[/ame]
Any sort of advice is most welcome!
Thanks,
Ofer
 
I am still preparing for my first monofin and am doing flexibility excercises a very experienced yoga teacher showed me as follows:

1 - lay down on your back with room above your head.
2 - With hands outstretched toward ceiling laying down, strap your elbows together with a belt about shoulder length apart right.
3 - grasp a heavy book with palms toward book and hook pinkys on sides of book, this keeps palms flat and separated.
4 - gradually lower book toward floor over your head.
5 - "relax" in this position for about 8 minites per day.
6 - If it becomes painful toward end of 8 minutes try alternating extending one arm than another out past your head.
7 - Use a heavier book as needed to keep stretching.
8 - add blankets under your back and shoulders if you can touch the floor with your hands flat to get more stretch.

My understanding is that keeping the palms flat on the book and the elbows bound or tied together with a single loop of belt or around both arms keeps the shoulders "rolled inward" which ticks the shouder blades close togther and allows more fluid motion while lessioning the drag from having elbows and shoulders stick out while mono fining.

At first I couldn't even touch the floor with my hands over head and now can even with several blankets stacked under my back after about 3 months. I like to set a timer so I can "relax" into the stretch which discomfort can get quite intense. I started as a water skier so had very hunched forward shoulders and very very poor arms over head flexibility so this has helped alot.

Cheers Wes
 
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