noob friendly stupid questions

[Martins]

To avoid creating thread after thread... better if i make one thread for all the questions ill possibly have!

today i realised why i have static breath hold of 3 minutes, but in water dynamic, no fins less than a minute! when in water swimming, my heart rate raises by about 30-40bpm. i have resting heart rate of around 75-80, but once i have done 25m, it rises to around 110, 115. somehow i dont think its normal! is it?

when i kick strongly, i do 25m reasonably fast, but my heart rate is very high (lets say 115) and contractions in last 5m is almost unbearable.

when i kick as lazily as i can, i do 25m slowly, contractions is much more bearable, heart rate around 100, but anyway since im swimming much slower, im out of breath once i have done 25m...

how on earth you guys can slow down your heart rate while kicking around in water???

 

[Nathan Vinski]

Hey Martins,

So just to answer a few of the points that you're asking about..

First off, you cannot compare static times with dynamic times as your body is put under much different parameters that there is no calculation to say if you can do 3 min Static, you can do a specific time in dynamic. The only thing that is guaranteed is that your time in dynamic will be significantly less than in static, so don't be worried about being at less than 1 minute while swimming.

When looking at your Heart rates, it is normal... and it isn't. Just to clarify it takes a lot of training of your dive response for it to be strong enough to cause bradycardia in the pool. What I could say about your case is that technique is the most probably cause (I could be wrong as I have never seen you dive). Everyone is different but if you are having unbearable contractions before you make it to 25m that would be almost certainly caused by stress, tension, and an inefficient swimming technique. Any of those 3 things would also cause the major increase in HR that you are experiencing, where you body reacts as if its doing an exercise sprint rather than a dynamic apnea.

So whats the solution.. Have ready your other post (very hard to equalize) I saw you mention that you have no specific training. What it seems like you would need to help you get through all of this would be to take an freediving course. An instructor would be able to teach you more efficient technique and better relaxation in the water so you would start with and maintain a lower HR throughout the dive. Your Profile says you're from London and I know theres a group (londonfreedivers) out there that offers courses and regular training sessions..

 

[J Campbell]

My heart rate does not lower when I do pool work. It takes really colder water plus the pressure of depth before I notice my heart rate drop. Everyone has a different dive response, some strong, some not at all - there is no "normal".

 

[Martins]

How should be average heart rate for pool work? I mean how much increase is normal on average?

 

[J Campbell]

I think you may be overthinking this. Are you resting long enough between dives? You say you are a noob, so my advice would be to focus on relaxing. Pay no attention to time underwater or worrying about your heart rate. Just do underwater swimming/dynamics and see how relaxed you can make yourself - just go with the flow. Try this - do a relaxed breath-up for a few minutes - when ready drop to the bottom and just sit there for 15 or 20 seconds until you feel relaxed - then push off and slowly kick along the bottom - go only until you feel a moderate amount of discomfort - then surface. Relax for a couple of minutes - repeat. Keep doing this until its easy then add a little distance. It 25 meters is hard for you then start at a shorter distance. Don't stress out over numbers or "rules" - everyone is different. Relax.
Also, are you neutrally buoyant in your pool workouts? You can use tons of energy trying to stay down if you don't have enough weight ( and that WILL raise your heart rate). Shallow pool workouts require a lot more weight than real-world deep diving.