no contractions

[mzzz]

Hello

I have trained freediving for about 1 month. My "problem" is that I have no contractions. People are talking about contractions during dive, so they have messages from the body that's time to stop. But I don't, I can hold my breath to BO and no contractions(not tried). There is just fast coming urge to breath in the end.

I have tried: negatives, dynamic, "dynamic half lung" , static, negative static...

static dry 4:30
static 4:18
dynamic 75m

If anyone have this same "problem" please write. I think it's no problem near surface, but next summer in depths it's maybe hard to control divingtime.

 

[loopy]

On that...

On that, what exactly do you guys mean by contractions? When I do a 50m pool dive, just before I hit the end, I get a reflex action like my body is trying to breathe - is this it? It isn't very severe at all, like in another thread I think someone mentioned it was like doing a little situp.. this is nothing like that. Any thoughts?

 

[Ike]

I don't really know too much about the mechanics of contractions, and I suspect that they can be slightly different for everybody. Although I'm not a freediver (at the moment) I like to practice dry statics. My best is only 2mins 45 at the moment but I do get contractions. For me, they can be controlled to quite a high degree - I mean that I can actually block them or (and I've written about this here before) 'hold' them, sustain each one. For me, they're actually quite pleasant, feeling a bit like my lungs squeezing then relaxing and helping me to hold my breath longer. Yes, I know thats about as clear as mud, but I can vaguely liken the feeling to stretching and relaxing a muscle after contracting it hard.

 

[Bill]

Aloha mzzz
I did four minute dry statics for 15 years without one contraction. Now the first one usually happens by three and a half. For some divers they are not reliable and some very good divers don't feel them.
Bill
P.S. They're a lot like a hiccup, with your throat closed.

 

[Guss]

Just one idea

Mzzz, I can only figure up 2 reasons to explain your lack of contractions:

- because this is your nature and there is nothing you can do.
- because your ventilation pattern is very quick, something close to hyperventilation. This can explain your words: "I can hold my breath to BO and no contractions(not tried). There is just fast coming urge to breath in the end".


I don´t know mzzz, maybe you are making very quick ventilations. Please make a trial: make very sloooow and deep ventilations before the breathold, something like 10 seconds inspire 20 seconds exhale (more or less for 2 min) and when you feel relax just only one quick and complete inspiration and go for your apnea. In this way you will start your apnea with a higher quantity of CO2 remaining in you lungs, and normally your contractions must arrive.

I can not guarantee you that following this ventilation pattern your breathold time will be as long as it is in this moment, but I think this is not important now, we are just speaking about contractions. Let me know if it works.


Saludos
Agustín Espinosa.

 

[DeepThought]

Do you smoke? maybe you already "killed" all your Co2 receptors, since Co2 levels are the signals for making you wanna breath/contract. I think it was Eric Fattah who once posted that he met a guy that did statics till B/O. Try searching a thread about 'Sleep Apnea'.

Other reasons could also be due to the alkline level of your blood. I still haven't bother to figure that variable out, but Eric Fattah mentioned that factor in a few occasions, and also the ways to improve it. I don't remember the thread's name, but I'll try fishing it form the search engine for you.

 

[DeepThought]

Blood Alkelinity Threads:

Here there is more raeding than I can grasp at the moment about blood alkalinity and it's affects on contractions and blackouts:
http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28469&highlight=alkalinity
http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25941&highlight=alkalinity
http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19008&highlight=alkalinity

Here is the thread about 'Sleep Apnea' that I think stated more raesons for blackouts with no warnings:
http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27764&highlight=sleep+apnea

Please keep me updated on your B/O problem, it sounds pretty scarry to me.

 

[mzzz]

to DeepThought

No I don't smoke anything.

And I have tried also slow breathing. Also with full exhale.
I have also tried 50 m static and after that wery quick resting time about < 1 min and after that trying to dive as long as possible - no contractions, I think there is quite a lot of CO2. Tried also minute ago several continuous apnea walking with only 2 pairs of inhale and exhale - no contractions.

Thanks for searching those articles.

No I haven't blacked out. But I think I can hold my breath to end without contractions. (Sorri for mi baad inglish).

Maybe it's something to do with those alkalines or diet.
More pizza more fat


Mzzz

 

[loopy]

Re: to DeepThought

Originally posted by mzzz

Maybe it's something to do with those alkalines or diet.
More pizza more fat

Nah, I can vouch for that, not true


Quick question: how do you guys control contractions? I got some fairly heavy ones about half hour ago doing a 50m dynamic without a long enough surface interval, and with a cold
Today, I just opened up my lungs to my mouth and kida did sucky things but it kinda felt wierd, looked wierd, and didn't exactly feel efficient... any suggestions?

 

[DeepThought]

Well Mzz, maybe you're just doing too well.
I practiced statics only for 2 weeks (around 2 times per week) to achieve my 5 minutes personal best. During those 2 five minutes tries (I had to make sure it was true ), I started to feel unease only at 4:30ish, and what I call contractions were only small involuntary abdominal movements, and they come AFTER the urge to breath. In any from of freediving, I think I prefer taking the easy way, which for me is to prolong the relaxed and fun part, not the fight part.

O, and I don't hyperventilate!

So, Maybe you should do an all-out SAFE N' DRY trial, and discover your limits, or contractions. But you might wanna ask more people, since I'm no expert.