Training tips and advice

[Johnny Arizona]

A year or so ago I hit 5' forty something. I just got back into "training" and I hit 5' 03' a week go after not having done anything for at least a month and in the last two days I hit 5' 01" and 4' 52". No great shakes by todays standards, but I think I can hit at least 6 minutes by my sixtieth birthday on September 2nd.

I may get someone to e mail the Oprah show and suggest this topic. Planning on doing something worth Bragging about on your sixtieth birthday. If they pick up on it I might get to be one of the braggers.

But I need help.

All I do now is hyperventilate then hold my breath. Then the next time I hyperventilate for a longer time and hold my breath a little longer.

Anybody out there care to give me some advice or some training tips?

Thanks.

 

[Bill]

I planned on my first 100 footer for my 60th but my safety diver was called away on an emergency and I had to wait almost a year to do it.
You will progress faster if you do more holds. The teachers seem to have settled on eight as the best number. One third of your training on O2 tables, one third on CO2 and one third on a max effort has worked here but, I don't use hyperventilation so you might want to experiment. Either way, start off with stretching, structured breathing and enough relaxation to get the body slowed down.
Good luck on the goal for your 60th. Do you think it's strange that so many Virgos take up free diving?
Aloha
Bill

 

[shaneshac]

Hi Bill,

Can you give me some advice on stretching.

How do you stretch, how many times, for how long etc. etc

I want to make my diaphragm as flexible as possible to put up with deep dives.

Thanks a lot

 

[Bill]

I've seen two of the top divers do an excercise where they exhale fully and then pull their stomach in sharply about five times with a small extra exhale on each one and do 2 or 3 sets. I've been trying a full exhale negative dive to 12 or 13 meters with a stop at 10 meters on the way up to get air into my mouth. I still want to try a power lung.
Before every dive session, I try to stretch every muscle group once to near max for 15-20 seconds.
Before every static session, I've been doing a little routine of two minutes rest, two breaths of max in and out, max in, 50% pack, hold for 15 seconds, pack another 40%, hold for 20 seconds, pack to full and relax immediately. It has increased my vital capacity a little.
Aloha
Bill

 

[shaneshac]

Thanks a lot.

I will try that.

 

[Memo]

Shane, do you remember the way Dapiran exhales? Although I think he is hyperventilating there, he seems to strech his diaphram...

 

[Johnny Arizona]

Thanks for the tip, Bill.

I've been landlocked most of my life so I've never really gotten into free diving.

On my fiftieth birthday I swam across the Mississippi River from Moline, Illinois to Bettendorf, Iowa, handcuffed behind my back and with my legs shackled. The city of Moline Illinois ticketed me for swimming in what they called a park.

I should do something really daring and exciting for the 60th but I can't think of anything, so that's why I've settled on the breath hold bit.

About the Virgo bit, I don't believe in Astrology, but you may hafe seen something I haven't about people who are participating in deep diving.
I suspect there is a growing number of older people getting
involved because for one thing, you can't break any bones, at least I don't think you can.


Thanks for your responses, everybody else.