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During all my years as a freediving trainer, the one
question that I never fail to be asked by aspiring freedivers
goes something like this: can you tell me in a few words
what can I do to improve my performance? Well, this
is no simple thing I reply, it took me many years to
accumulate all this knowledge, and even then, it takes
a long time to apply it so that we see results. Most
people get disappointed by this answer, but those who
don’t, are on the right track to becoming good
freedivers. This process of becoming better is a long
one indeed, and after all, it never ends ad there is
always room for improvement. Nevertheless, I wrote this
article to give beginner freedivers an idea of what
freediving training entails and to offer them some basic
suggestions to follow. The best thing to do is, definitely,
to take a course from one of the many certified FREE
Instructors around the world. But, until you sign up
for that course, here are some things you will find
useful.
Freediving is basically the ability to perform tasks
underwater while holding the breath. We must keep in
mind that the human body is designed to breathe between
20 and 100 times per minute, depending on the activity
we are performing, so functioning without breathing
is against our most basic survival instinct. Therefore,
it must be understood that freediving is more a process
of adaptation than athletic training, and that creating
strong and responsive muscles is not the solution until
we teach our bodies to work without oxygen. This learning
process can take a shorter or longer time depending
on the person, but everybody must go through it in order
to become a good freediver. Some people are able to
adapt to this low oxygen set-up very quickly, while
others can take very long, but in many cases their final
results are the same. So don’t worry if your progress
is slow at first. In principle, becoming a good freediver
means that the person must be able to teach his/her
body how to work with low or no oxygen. How can this
be done?
Training is the process by which a living creature
can be taught to do something. In the case of freediving,
like with any other training, teaching our bodies and
minds to function without oxygen can be a very long
process. This process must be done in a slow and controlled
manner, without pushing ourselves to do more than our
bodies can learn naturally. Those who want to become
better freedivers need to be patient. The best way to
start training is not by trying to go deep, but by doing
other things on land instead. One excellent training
tool is the pool, where we can swim underwater and go
for controlled periods of time without breathing. The
approach for pool training is as follows.
The person must first find a distance that he/she is
comfortable with and then swim that distance underwater
under the most comfortable of conditions. This means,
for example, using long fins or breathing for a long
time before going underwater. This skill must then be
repeated many times until it becomes very comfortable
and easy to do. Then, you are ready to start increasing
the difficulty level of your underwater swims, but not
the distance. Instead of trying to swim longer, do it
under harder conditions. For example, use smaller fins,
breathe for less time before going down, or use no fins,
or combine many of these at the same time. Once you
are able to practice these different routines and become
used to the concept, then you are able to go for longer
distances. Again, once you try a longer distance, start
first with the most comfortable drill and repeat the
whole process described above. Do not attempt to make
sudden jumps or “stretch” your performance
level all too soon. If, at any point during this training
you fall victim to this error and try to do impossible
things, then you will notice that your results will
decrease instead of improving. Listen to your body and
do what it asks you to do. If you're tired, rest, if
you are finishing a swim with a lot of difficulty, stop
and go back to something easier, if you feel wrong,
leave it for tomorrow. It is important to understand
that progress must be slow not only so you don't put
yourself in a situation where you could get hurt, but
also because if you over-train your body, it will take
a long time for it to recover and to perform at full
capacity again.
At the same time, besides swimming underwater, the
diver also needs to spend time working on his/her muscles,
making sure that they are strong and flexible enough
for the requirements of freediving. A freediver needs
to have a strong body all around, not just the legs
because they are the ones used for kicking. More importantly,
the freediver’s muscles should not be too big
so that they don't consume a lot of oxygen. Once we
have created a proper balance between weight workouts
and pool sessions, then we are ready to go to the sea.
But, wait a minute, how do we exactly plan the training
so that we do the right thing?
This is the most interesting part of freediving. The
ideal thing is to have a professional trainer follow
the athlete carefully so that a training system can
be designed specifically for that divers, taking into
account all the particularities that define such person.
This is what I do with Yasemin and David and it is obviously
one of the main reasons why we have obtained such success.
But, even without a trainer, a general outline can be
followed where the diver can achieve noticeable progress.
For example, I would recommend those who are really
serious about improving to follow a training regime
of 5 days per week. 3 of those days should be in the
pool and the other 2 in the gym. The remaining 2 days
of the week should be for rest, which is a VERY important
part of all training. The pool and gym days should be
alternated, so that each day the person is doing something
different. This will allow the body to exercise multiple
areas and react in different ways and help the mind
not get bored, which believe me, is of no small importance.
A minimum of 45 minutes and maximum of 90 minutes are
good for pool sessions, while a minimum of 30 minutes
and a maximum of 60 minutes are recommended for gym/weight
workouts. For each workout, you should design your training
so that you start with the easiest things, then move
to the hardest, and finish the workout with something
easy again. This kind of approach is called “Pyramid
Training”, because similarly to climbing one of
those structures, you go up and then down again.
Following the above guideline, you can start the pool
workout by swimming 25 meters underwater with long fins
5 times, while breathing for 2 minutes before each dive.
Then, you can move to swim the same distance but with
short fins and the same preparation time for another
5 times. After that, you can then swim the 25 meters
but without any fins for 3 times, and then you can swim
without fins for another 3 times but this time with
only a preparation of 1 minute instead of 2. After that,
you should go back down in intensity and finish the
session with another 5 sets of 25 meters with long fins
and a 2 min prep time. Depending on how easy this training
feels to you, you can add more of the difficult sets
on the “up” part of the pyramid before starting
the “down” part with the easy sets again.
One good approach is to repeat the same exact number
of drills on the down part as you did on the up part,
with only the most difficult of all the skills not being
repeated, since this one is considered the “summit”
where you turn around. Don’t hesitate to do a
lot of the easy sets, since this is where you can improve
your style and technique, concentrating on your motions
rather that on the difficulty of the swim. What I said
above is just an example, your sets should be longer
or shorter, depending on your capacity and your goals.
How do you determine how long to swim? Remember, start
with a distance that is very easy and then move up VERY
slowly, keeping it always easy. That's the key.
Importantly, at the start and end of each pool workout,
you should do what we call a “warm up” (at
the start) or a “cleaning” (at the end)
set, where you swim on the surface at a moderate pace,
allowing blood to irrigate your muscles. This will prepare
your body before the workout, and help in eliminating
deposits of lactic acid, carbon dioxide and other toxins
from the system after the training is finished. If you
are not a good surface swimmer, don’t worry, you
can use fins or a floating board for these skills, or
even run on a treadmill or track instead of swimming
if this is available to you. Do this for between 5 and
10 minutes, not more or less.
When you go to the gym for weights, you should work
on your lower body one time and the next time on your
upper body, and make sure that you never tire yourself.
Since at the gym, there are mostly machines to exercise
each particular muscle, we will call the different exercises
“machines”. For all machines, you should
exercise at no more than 70 % of your maximum capacity,
and for each machine you should do 3 sets of no more
than 15-20 repetitions each. This means that you do
the same exercise, on the same machine, 3 times in a
row, and each of those times, you perform the motion
for a total of 15-20 times. Then you take a 1 to 2 minutes
rest and you do it again. To find your 70 %, you first
need to find your 100 %, and this is just the weight
that you can lift only one time, because of how heavy
it is, so if this weight is for example 50 kilos, then
your 70 % will be 35 kilos. The first thing you would
do is find your 100% maximum capacity for all muscles
and then calculate all your 70% weights from there,
instead of trying to figure it out every time. Once
you have that, focus mostly on the important areas,
not on those where you would like to look good. What
muscles are important for a freediver? Here is a list
of these muscles and exercises that are good for them:
Extensions,
squats, lep press, lunges.
seated, horizontal
or standing curls, wide squats, lunges
seated calf raise,
standing raises, calf press.
addudctor and abductor
extensions.
gluteus reversed
extensions, wide backwards squats, lunges
reverse sit-ups
sit-ups,
roman chair, crunches, abdominal wheel
chest press, butterfly
chest
lat pull down,
seated row-in
shoulder or
military press, lateral raise, frontal raise
dips, triceps
press, triceps extensions
biceps curls,
dumbbell curls, preacher curl
And that’s basically it. As you can see, the
whole body needs to be in optimum shape for freediving,
but don’t get scared, it is easy to exercise all
of these muscles. For example, you can go to the pool
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then do weights
on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday you can do work
on all 5 leg muscles, and then on Thursday you can do
arms and the upper body. Do 2 machines for each muscle,
or 1 machine only if you don’t have enough time.
Or work less muscles and make sure that next time you
do the muscles you missed last time. Or you can combine
upper and lower body in one section. For example, if
I’m only training weights twice a week, then on
the first day I will do 3 leg muscles, abdominals, chest
and back. On the second day, I will do the remaining
2 leg muscles, all 3 arm muscles and lower back. By
doing all these weights to 70% of your maximum capacity,
you will keep your muscles strong enough without allowing
them to grow too big and rob you of precious oxygen
when you dive. If you don’t understand what the
exercises above mean, or what the muscles are, ask any
certified trainer in a gym and he/she will help you.
One thing to remember is that, as you train and get
stronger, your 100% maximum capacity weight will increase,
so you will need to increase your 70% weight as well.
So, perform a maximum capacity test once a month and
readjust your training accordingly.
Another point which is very important, and about which
I get countless questions as well is to use of cardiovascular
training for freediving. Cardiovascular activity is
basically a continuous activity we do for a somewhat
long period of time, where our heart is beating at between
45% and 90% of its maximum rate. In simpler words, this
means things like running, cycling, rowing, swimming,
skating or even skiing for at least 15 minutes and a
minimum heart rate of 45%. This will make your whole
body fitter, and it’s an essential part of training
for those who are aiming to loose weight, lower their
body fat or just stay generally fit. However, performing
too much cardiovascular exercise while training for
freediving will have negative effects on your freediving.
Why? Well, cardio training “teaches” your
body to work with a lot of oxygen, which is the opposite
of what we’re trying to achieve in freediving,
so we need to keep cardio training to a minimum if our
first priority is to improve our freediving. You should
not do cardio more than 2 or 3 times a week, and each
of those times, do it for a maximum of 15 or 20 minutes.
Also, do it at no more than 65% of your maximum heart
rate. You can find out your maximum heart rate by subtracting
your age from the number 220, so if your age is 20 years,
then your maximum heart rate will be 200 (220-20=200)
and 60% of that will be 130. To know how fast your heart
is beating, all you do is find your pulse in either
your wrist or neck, and count the beats over a 10 second
period, and then multiply by 6. For example, 20 beats
over 10 seconds means a pulse of 120 beats per minute.
You can stop your exercise every 3 to 5 minutes, check
your pulse and readjust your cardio accordingly. So,
if you like to do cardio training to stay fit, just
remember to follow these guidelines when training for
freediving, and don’t do it on the same day you
go to the pool, since this will be bad for your body.
For example, I do cardio on the days when I go to the
gym to do weights, and after I finish all my weights,
then I do an easy 15-20 minute run on a treadmill or
a bicycle, that’s it. Of course, you may also
not do any cardio training at all if you prefer.
When are we ready to dive? The most amazing thing
people find about my trainees Yasemin Dalkilic and David
Lee’s training is that they train on land for
5-6 months and then dive only for the last 20 days before
they attempt the World Record. This is actually how
it works with many sports, and this method has its advantages
and disadvantages. Yasemin is a very good, natural diver,
and she is very comfortable and fluid in the water.
Once she starts diving again, she finds her form right
away, and we need to spend no time working on her technique.
David needs just a couple of days to get into that perfect
shape, but then he can keep it longer than anybody I
have seen. Other people may need a longer time to get
used to the feeling of diving again or to get their
technique to optimum capacity, but in general, diving
everyday is not essential to improve your diving abilities.
Every person should set a goal, a result that they want
to achieve at the end of their training and work towards
that, instead of just going out there and diving as
deep as they can to see what happens. This can be very
dangerous and that's why when Yasemin or David go for
a record, we decide the depth of that dive even before
they start training for it, 6 months in advance. You
should do the same for yourself, but set a logical goal,
not something impossible. Remember that not everybody
can be a world champion and that we can always improve
the next time we dive, but if we dive too deep or too
long, that might be the last dive we ever do. How do
we determine this goal?
If you don’t have any particular numbers in
your head, then set something easy to start with, for
example, a depth that is one quarter of your stature,
or the same number as your age, etc, etc, etc, etc.
So, if you are 150 cm/ 5 feet tall and 24 years of age,
you can either choose to dive to a depth of 37.5 meters/
123 feet or 24 meters/ 79 feet, whichever is easier.
Or any other “trick” will do the job. But
remember, if those numbers still sound too big, then
choose whatever figure your mind is comfortable with.
Once you pick this goal, you need to train for 4 weeks
for every 10 meters/ 33 feet you want to reach, and
you should be able to reach a distance in the pool which
is at least 2.5 times the depth you want to dive to.
So, for example, if you want to dive to 24 meters, you
should train for around 9-10 weeks and you should reach
a distance in the pool of at least 60 meters before
you try that dive to 24 meters. Sounds easy? Not really,
it's actually very difficult, and this can change for
every person. Some people will find it easier to reach
impressive distances in the pool but very hard to dive
even to very shallow depths, and some are exactly the
opposite. I have provided the guidelines above just
as a safe way to ascertain your progress, and for most
divers, this correlation should work just fine as long
as the depth you want to reach is a maximum of 30 meters/
100 feet. Once you have reached your first goal, you
can then plan your next training cycle and set up bigger
goals, but move step by step. Remember, be patient.
NOBODY becomes great in one day, especially in freediving.
Lastly, you can freedive without wanting to reach any
particular depth, just for the fun of it. That's great
as well, and in that case, training will also be important
for you as it can help you enjoy the underwater environment
even more, giving you longer and easier dives.
The most important thing is for you to be safe while
you train or dive. Every time you go to the pool, you
should have a partner with you, somebody that can keep
an eye on you while you swim your laps underwater. This
person should know exactly what your training consists
of, so that he/she can know if something is wrong as
soon as it happens and help you. At the same time, when
you dive, there should be divers with you ALL THE TIME.
A properly trained scuba diver should be positioned
every 10 to 15 meters of depth when you are diving and
they should have passed the “FREE Safety Diver”
course. In addition, there should always be another
freediver on the surface waiting for you, ready to assist
you. If there is not somebody available to accompany
you to the pool or the ocean, then don't dive at all.
Remember something, all other sports are done while
the athletes are breathing, but freediving is the only
one that requires the person not to breathe. Therefore,
it is very easy for something to go wrong, and this
can happen at any point and to anybody on any day. The
most common problem encountered by freedivers is blackout,
where the person loses consciousness because of lack
of oxygen in the brain. If the person is helped quickly
and properly, then his/her life can be saved, but if
not, death is the result of most blackouts. Yes, you
read that right, death. Most blackouts happen in swimming
pools and in shallow water, not during deep dives done
by experienced freedivers. ALWAYS DIVE WITH A PARTNER.
It is also more fun to share your training with somebody
else instead of diving alone, and you can help push
each other and excel, this is a very motivating tool.
There is a proper way to deal with a blackout, and somebody
who is not properly trained can injure the victim even
more. Therefore, if you are serious about freediving,
then I really suggest that you take the “FREE
Freediver” course, where you will learn how to
deal with this problem, as well as many other valuable
techniques. For now, remember: never, never, never dive
or train alone. There will be many articles on safety
published on the FREE website soon, under the section
“Freediving Safety”, so visit the page often
for this useful information.
To finish this article, I wanted to remind all of
you out there that ego is not an acceptable part of
a freediver's mental set up. I have been fortunate enough
to do thousands of dives throughout my life, and the
more I dive the more I realize how insignificant and
powerless we humans are compared to the sea. Only if
we respect and love the ocean, and understand that we
are moving in a completely alien environment, will we
be able to reach our full potential. Those who practice
freediving to satisfy their egos with deep dives are
the ones that get hurt, or worse yet that die, because
they will never know what their limits are until the
day when they go too far. Remember, even the smallest
mistake can have huge consequences underwater. It is
not important how deep you dive, but for how many years
you are able to do it. Freediving is a sport that, sadly,
attracts many people who only care about being better
than others. Stay away from those, it will be easy to
recognize them, trust me. Don't hesitate to ask for
advice from those with more experience, but make sure
that they have true and proven experience, not a lot
of tales to tell. For those who are really interested
in freediving, I suggest once again, to take a course
from a certified instructor. You will become a better
freediver AND a safer freediver.
Safe dives to all,
Rudi Castineyra
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