rookie breath holding, need help please

[JPGator]

I've read the 'How to start Freediving' thread (and a ton of other ones), but I'm still having a hard time improving my breath holds and could really use some help.

I started pretty recently and my max hold (lying in bed) was 1:20. After doing some CO2 tables the other day I got a hold of 2:00, and have been nowhere close to that since. I actually seem to be going backwards, and am now having a hard time getting 1:20.

After holding my breath for a little bit I start thinking about it and then it's pretty much all over. It will feel like there's a ton of pressure inside my throat/head and then I can't take it anymore.

Am I just being a wussy - is this a barrier that I can break through and then it will get easier? Please help

 

[drunkinbda]

its definitely just a barrier you can break through.
Just keep at it.. keep readin all the info here.. the stories from people, the things they do to relax and break through ceilings.

personally something i like to do is do my tables while messing on the computer. It somewhat keeps my mind off of what im doing. It def shortens the total max i could prob do but i guess thats more real world anyway (except static).

chin up and keep at it. you dont have to do the tables twice a day every day. just every other day works well..or alternate 02 and C02.

 

[JPGator]

Thanks drunkinbda.

I've tried messing around on the computer and it does seem to help. I hate that uncomfortable feeling I get around 40 seconds, once it starts I feel like my head is going to pop.

So how does breaking through the barrier work? Does it take longer to get that really uncomfortable/stressed feeling the more you practice, or if you manage to hold on can you 'break through' and then it lets up? Right now at around the 1:30 mark the longer I try and last the more uncomfortable it gets.

Also, I know there's a ton of threads on this but I'm concerned my breath up might be borderline hyperventilation. Typically I do about a 2 minute breath up. I breath normally for about 1:30, and then I take three deep breaths (about 5 seconds in and 10 out). After the last inhale I exhale as much as possible and then breath in to about 80% and begin the hold. Sometimes I feel kind of funny and a little 'spacey' when I start. Does this sound ok or should I try something different?

I'm really concerned about being safe, because my wife and I are expecting our first child and she's already pretty freaked out about me getting into this.

 

[BlackPaw]

Hyperventilation is only dangerous when doing wet static apnea, because hyperventilation causes black outs, since you are doing it dry the risk is still there, but much more less dangerous.

When holding your breath after the last inhale, try not to keep your chest muscles flexed, and relax. I started week ago too doing tables, before that my personal best was 1'31", but now its 3'02" (after 44 contractions)

 

[fatjusto]

Wow, you guys seem to improve at such rapid rates:thankyou

I just cant seem to break the 2min barrier for some reason...

I feel the tightness/stretch in the chest which is quite unconfortable and takes energy trying not to think about it..

 

[drunkinbda]

hehe yeah. I guess dont so much look at it as "breaking a barrier". taht just sounds harsh and physical to me.

From my experience, when you find a spot that you just cannot pass, focus less "breaking it", and more on making the same time (or maybe 5 secs longer) more comfortably.

example: when i used to swim competitively, to improve 50m times, you spent a lot of time doing 100m's. to improve 100m, you did a lot of 200m training. We weren't working hard at going straight out to beat our current best time, we were training so that at or around our current best we didnt feel like crap and we had more oomph than normal. THEN we pushed on.

 

[JPGator]

Thanks for all the replies. It amazes me also that so many people post saying how in just a few days they've gotten over 3:00.

Drunkinbda, I know what you mean about training past a barrier. For weightlifting a lot of times I'll try and change the tempo, number of reps, or grip to help when I haven't advanced in a while. I guess I'll just keep tweaking my O2 and CO2 tables and see if that helps. Right now it just feels like I'm running into a brick wall and if I don't breathe I'm going to explode.

Even though I'm doing my holds on land now, this weekend I'm hoping to get back in the water (heading out of Carrabelle). I figure that the breathe up technique I use on land is probably the same thing I'll do in the water - which is why I was asking about hyperventilation. Is my routine ok, or is it too close to hyperventilation and I should do something different in the water?

Any other tips/tricks on getting past the horrible uncomfortable feeling are greatly appreciated. I really hope I can get decent at this, I would love to lazily hang out on the bottom in 40' of water.