static apnea and contractions

[qai4321]

Hi guys, I gotta ask this cos its bugging the hell out of me, I hear some people doing their statics for a period of time, upto 4 mins comfortably then holding for a further 3 or 4 minutes with contractions.

I am able to hold the contractions for under a minute. So my question is, are there techniques for dealing with contractions, or training exercises that develop the ability to deal with several minutes of contractions. Help...any one.

 

[Kars]

Hi Qai,

I hope you do have a capable buddy that can safety you because learning how to deal with contractions is a step closer to your limit.

Now how to deal with contractions?
In preparation it helps a lot to warm up the muscles involved and to have them mildly stretched. What also really helps a lot is not to have eaten, and be rested. That's makes freedivers do their static training preferably in the morning, in bed!

For beginners it's helpful to learn to deal with contractions by deliberately choosing a static table that retains a high level of CO2, causing many contractions, while knowing the O2 levels are alright. Table A (If i'm not mistaken). This table takes 1/2 of your maximum time as the base time and reduces the recovery time in between dives. With each dives the contractions come earlier, and the challenge for you is to learn to relax them.
What you do when doing static, is try to relax everything, let everything hang and float in the water, or rest on your bed in dry statics. When a contraction comes you don't hold it back, just let it contract, after it contracts you try to relax it again. Usually after a contraction, with an untrained diver, it will stay tense and as the divers tries to block and 'fight' the next other parts of his body start to tense up as well. This tensing cost much O2 and produces much CO2 leading to more and heavier contractions and the end of the dive.

Advanced divers have the relaxation at such a high level that they can afford to wander of to a focus point in their mind and ignore, more accurately observe from a detached perspective the rest of their body experiencing contractions, rippling through like waves.

But for now focus on relaxing, and maybe count how many there are during CO2 tables.

Go slow, stay safe,

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[qai4321]

Thanks Kars, that was very helpful stuff. Ill look forward to trying it out tomorrow morning.

Qai

 

[blueface]

I just did some dry statics laying down. 1:00 apnea followed by 2:00 rest. I maintained the 2:00 min rest and added :30 seconds to the apnea time and went to 4:00 minutes. (If you are going to do this, don't be sitting up!)

The contractions for the last apnea (4:00 min) started at about 2:45. I counted about 40 contractions starting from mild to strong.

My questions:

How many contractions is typical for a beginer like myself?

It helps me improve my dry statics but will this help my diving?

I spearfish and most dives are 18 to 28 meters and about 1:30 to 1:45 min.

I never dive long enough to feel contractions.
Skip

 

[Kars]

Hi Blueface,

You're doing the O2 table, Table B.
Table B is designed to learn to deal with low amounts of O2, hypoxia.

Of cause practising breath hold will help you to get better it, though there are slower and faster ways of learning. What I like to do in learning something complex, such as static, let alone other disciplines, is to analyse and take the effort apart. Than practice the separate parts and put those together later on. With the Table A and B you divide your static up in two parts in order to understand and grow each one.
I think it speaks for itself that learning to relax, endure higher CO2 as well as learning to know how to deal with low O2 is beneficial for deep diving and spearfishing as well.

The number of contractions is very individual, some people have many small ones, some have fewer big ones, some people have none at all. And it doesn't mean the no - contraction guys are having an advantage. What is interesting to know is to record your own vantage point and see how it develops.
During deep dives I don't have much if any contractions myself. Maybe when coming to the surface some. When I'm doing some pb or really deep dive the nerves and stress generate much more CO2 and consequently I'll have more, maybe even on the way down.

I believe spearfishing is very much different to line diving, and think you have a pretty nice divetime. Though you'll be able to extend it to 2' in trade of doing less dives an hour.
What really helps for me in relaxing into the open water "dive mode" is to dive FRC.
This for me takes away the stress of inhaling fully and forcing my way through the first meters, getting real fast into the glide.

You may want to check out the http://forums.deeperblue.com/freediving-science/86127-how-flow-freediving.html thread.

Love, Courage and Water,

Kars

 

[blueface]

Thanks Kars! I used to practice frc diving and I think I'll start again. I just like to spearfish with full lungs in case I have to fight a fish at depth.

I will practice some CO2 tolerance.

Skip

 

[azapa]

I just did some dry statics laying down. 1:00 apnea followed by 2:00 rest. I maintained the 2:00 min rest and added :30 seconds to the apnea time and went to 4:00 minutes. (If you are going to do this, don't be sitting up!)

The contractions for the last apnea (4:00 min) started at about 2:45. I counted about 40 contractions starting from mild to strong.

My questions:

How many contractions is typical for a beginer like myself?

It helps me improve my dry statics but will this help my diving?

I spearfish and most dives are 18 to 28 meters and about 1:30 to 1:45 min.

I never dive long enough to feel contractions.
Skip

Kars has give a very good answer, very complete too. But here is my simple version:

How many contractions is typical for a beginer like myself? ANS. about as long as your pre-contraction time. That means, if you get them at 2:00, you should be able to suffer through to 4:00

It helps me improve my dry statics but will this help my diving?
ANS. Or course.

I spearfish and most dives are 18 to 28 meters and about 1:30 to 1:45 min.
ANS. Those are already very good spearing dives, I hope you have a good buddy. Longer dives don't mean more fish though

I never dive long enough to feel contractions.
ANS. seeing your static times, I would imagine a 28M spearing dive of 1:45 you would feel some. You may be too tuned in to spearing to notice. Contractions are your friends!

 

[blueface]

Thanks azapa! You are right! If I dive to 28 meters I will feel some contractions. I would like to get a little deeper and have a bit more CO2 tolerance but I don't like danger.

If I train with some CO2 tolerance I think it will make me more comfortable but I want safety.

I will stay with the statics (in bed) and try some CO2 tables as well as O2.

I will use your advice about the contractions. I think that would be a great guidline.

Skip

 

[qai4321]

Some of the responses to this thread have opened up some fascinating reading. In particular the thread on 'Flow'. Thanks for that. Its teasing the edge of my consciousness, this experience that isnt quite tangible. But once I get a grasp on it I will experience this 'Flow' ... I think this is the reason Im so drawn to this sport. The illusive zen one-ness that seams to prevade the higher echelons of the sport.

Ahh the force is strong in this one! :martial

 

[blueface]

Some of the responses to this thread have opened up some fascinating reading. In particular the thread on 'Flow'. Thanks for that. Its teasing the edge of my consciousness, this experience that isnt quite tangible. But once I get a grasp on it I will experience this 'Flow' ... I think this is the reason Im so drawn to this sport. The illusive zen one-ness that seams to prevade the higher echelons of the sport.

Ahh the force is strong in this one! :martial

True Dat Brah!!

 

[waxlips]

i was at the pool and a song came on when i was having contractions and the beat went with them at the same time. my lungs danced for the whole song because it felt that that song was for that. i didn't know the song well and can't remember what it was but i know i loved it. i hear many songs at the pool so you probably hear me talk a lot about them. i didn't time it but it was for a whole song for contractions let alone the earlier part of the breathold.

 

[giddyuptiger]

Where can we find these tables you speak of?

merci.

 

[Kars]

Freediving Static Tables.

http://www.impulseadventure.com/dl.php?file=apnea_tbl_mozzi.zip

 

[giddyuptiger]

thanks, looks pretty straight forward. will try to find more info re: the science behind it.