No warm-ups: experimentation at depth

[tcrusson]

Hi guys,

Now in Egypt, I spent the last week experimenting with diving deep without warming up. Here are my findings, over a few dives:
- Reducing to one warm-up: Splash: What a Difference a Day Makes...
- First dive without warm ups, very positive results: Splash: To No Warm-up or not to No Warm-up?
- Second dive without warm-ups, harder: Splash: Err, can you repeat the question please?
- Some of the post dives side effects: Splash: No Warm-up: to be continued...

I hear there are quite a few no warm-up deep divers around now. How do you approach it? And if you have tried it, I'm quite keen to hear your feedback too.

Cheers,
Tanguy

 

[aris ioannidis]

Excellent blog, thanks Tanguy!

I have started the no-warm up approach this year in dynamics with great siuccess. In STA is still do not have it; normally i do better in my 2nd or 3rd attempt.

In depth, however, is totally different. I am afraid i may get squezzed.

At the WC in Kalamata, most of the experts dive with no warmp-up I think or they dive with minimum warm up (like 1-2 statics and 1-2 exhale dives).

I think that for the no-warm up approach to work in depth, the diver needs to be diving frequently which is hardly the case for me.

 

[azapa]

Thanks for starting the thread Tanguy, and great blog, a really nice read and very similar too my experiences (I am not though, that close to your dive levels .

OOOPS: just noticed this thread regards to DEPTH and not pool. If you don't mind, I'll leave the question here anyway..?

Something funny has happened in my no-warm up pool max attempts recently that I don't get, and would like opinons.

Normally (for the past 2 years or so) I arrive at the pool, change and sit at the edge of the pool, out of the water, resting for about 3 mins. I then slip into the water, not wetting my head/shoulders, put on my mask and go.

I would always get a huge DR, a light contraction in the first 25m, then a huge bloodshift that would feel like the blood was been vacuumed from my legs to my chest. At about 70m the swim would start to feel really easy and "spacey".

Now though, I still seem to get all the benefits, long swims and clean recoveries, but I just don't feel the strong DR anymore. No more legs being sucked dry feeling. I don't even get lactic any more on PB level swims.

Can some of the effect of no-warm up dives wear off with time?

 

[efattah]

Can some of the effect of no-warm up dives wear off with time?

Absolutely-- this was Murat's big problem. The shock/fear/survival response gets weaker and weaker because you get more and more familiar & confident about your situation.

Murat's method was to constantly invent new ways of making the dive more and more 'scary'. Doesn't sound too fun! No goggles, then no nose clip, then colder water jumping in, then a buddy to prevent him from surfacing before the target distance, etc...

 

[Phil C]

Something that I have noticed is that as I get more used to a style of diving and my anxiety drops my level of pre dive ventilation automatically drops too.

To some extent this may counteract the lesser DR from a more psychologically relaxed dive.

Liked the comments from Seb on Tanguay's blog. Feels good to know to know he's still out there - kind of like the guardian angel of exhale divers.

Hmmm - just re-read that and it sounds a bit weird....

Phil C
www.aucklandfreediving.co.nz

 

[tcrusson]

So, no one browsing these forums has tried no warm-ups for depth and could share some light on how that works? Come on, don't be shy!

 

[Phil C]

I'm not a particularily deep diver, and I only converted to this style of depth diving last season, however, from my experience no warmup depth diving works much like it works for Dynamics. More intense sensations, better dive response, clear head longer.

PS We are having a depth comp over here 3rd and 4th Dec. Depth limit 50m but if there are a few keen Aussies come over that would be nice. CWT/CNF/FIM.

Phil

 

[Mullins]

I've tried to switch to no warmup for CWT but it has been difficult in cold water and without much time each year to train for depth. No warmup and my chest feels tight which affects equalising. 1-2 light exhales to 20-25m and I'm fine. Will give it another go this year because I get pretty cold in the time it takes to do the warmups.

 

[Kars]

I have not read the post entirely, but here's my experience doing No in water warmup deepdiving in Sweden.

Surface water temperature 19c. Wind, rain, air temp about 18c. Termo clines (if I recall correctly)at ca 10m - 12c, 25m - 8c. Because of this and my desire to wear a thin 3mm suit, I choose to do the no in water warm up.

Instead as a preparation I choose to have a longer hot shower, cleaning my sinuses and warming up after getting up. Drank some herbal tee, and ate 1 banana about 2 hours before OT. After this, warmup - and stretching of the main muscle groups, and some packs. Also ribcage stretch with the help of an assistant putting hands on sections of my ribcage as I inhale full and exhale full. Also some diaphragm stretches off cause.
I did not put my suit on when entering the transfer boat. I dressed warm, back towards the wind, minimising energy expenditure. At about 20 min before OT start changing into suit, being ready just 6 minutes before OT. Slipping into the water about 4' before OT. 3' of hanging vertically on the comp line, breathing slow, with some sound. Dive with some packing, but not to the max. Dive was pretty fast (for my doings) 2'23" / 65m CWT. The dive was comfortable with surprisingly amount of equalising air at the bottom plate.
I took the mounth-fil a bit earlier than usual, around 35m this time, instead of at near 40. I was very pleased with the result.

I hope this experience is of any use to you people.

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[MikkoP]

My current approach to deep diving, and pool diving too, is no warm-up. Previously I was doing some warm-ups for depth, mostly to prevent squeezes. One day I decided to test my pool style also in depth. I didn't get any squeeze, only a much stronger dive reflex, more enjoyable dive and less hypoxia.

I think the main reason to do warm-ups for depth is indeed the prevention of squeeze, mostly by inducing blood shift before the deep dive. But I think most of us agree that, in general, we want the effects of dive reflex to occur during the dive, not before. Wouldn't that apply to blood shift too?

My experience is that with no warm-up deep dives I don't get squeezed any more often than with warm-ups, actually even less. Now that I've come to think of it, I haven't had any squeezes at all on my first try deep dives (80m+). Maybe because of stronger blood shift that occurs during the dive, not before it?

 

[tcrusson]

Cool, thanks Mikko, that looks quite different from what I felt. The first dive was really good, the second one not so, but the pressure felt stronger on the throat. did you go straight for a deep dive, or did you ease into it: 50, 60, 70, etc.?

 

[MikkoP]

It was before last year's Team WCs in Okinawa when I tested the no warm-up CWT. In the beginning I was doing some dives around 70-80m with some warm-ups and then one day just decided to go for around 80 without any warm-up and it worked much better for me.

The pressure feels maybe a bit more clearly that way, but not that much. I just feel much more confident and thus more relaxed without warm-up as I know that the hypoxia won't be a problem. On those first try 80m+ dives the hypoxia was still miles away. However, for the competition dive I decided to do some warm-ups because I felt a bit nervous and ended having a small samba on the deep dive, which would have been impossible without the warm-up dives.