training routine

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[pete canuck]

Here's a training guideline I've found helpful:
Comments appreciated
Freedive training

Based on an article by N.V. Molchanova

Freedive training is based on a knowledge of the effects of apnea on the physiology of the freediver. The diver’s metabolism provides energy, by consuming oxygen O2 and produces ever increasing levels of carbon dioxide CO2 and lactate which reach toxic levels.
The object of freedive training is to condition the body to tolerate increased levels of metabolic toxins (CO2/Lactate) produced in a depleted O2 environment, while improving cardiovascular and pulmonary function.
Training should never consist of ever increasing dynamic apnea distances. This only serves to reinforce the body’s protective mechanism (increased susceptibility to Shallow Water Blackout). It is far more beneficial to perform multiple short dynamic apnea cycles to allow conditioning of the body to tolerate higher levels of metabolic toxins. The exercise program encourages a physiological super compensation/adaptation to allow for greater tolerance to these toxins.
The nature and extent of compensation/adaptation is unique to each diver and will depend on the nature and extent of the training regimen.
The goal of training is to increase the level of O2 supply and consumption as well as increasing cellular productivity. How O2 is supplied and consumed will be dependant on cardiovascular and pulmonary conditioning. Cellular productivity is reliant on the capacity of the body to maintain homeostasis in an environment of decreased O2 and increased CO2.
1. Swimming: (improved O2 metabolism) 400-800m crawl, breathe on every 5th, 7th or 9th stroke. The exercise may be modified for finning by breathing on every 3rd, 4th or 5th kick cycle. Workload should gradually increase to avoid headaches(cerebral vasoconstriction). Begin with 4X100m lengths, breathing on every 5th stroke or 3rd kick cycle. The workload can gradually increase as the diver feels the training sessions become easier.
2. Variable training (Fartlek): (improved cardiovascular function) 400-600m swimming or finning. Alternate between swimming 25m underwater then 75m along the surface or finning 25m underwater followed by 25m along the surface.
3. Interval training: (increased physiological productivity) 8X25m dynamic apnea lengths building to 24X25m dynamic apnea lengths with recovery intervals of 8 slow, deep breaths. When comfortable with this routine begin reducing the number of recovery breaths. The idea is to create a build up of CO2 and lactate during the dynamic apnea phase without allowing complete clearance during the recovery phase. This builds tolerance to these metabolic toxins.
4. Repetitive training: (functional adjustment) 300m warm-up: swimming crawl: breathing at strokes 3,5,7,7,5,3 or finning: breathing at kick cycles 3,4,5,5,4,3. The exercise consists of swimming 2-6 repetitions of 70-90% of your dynamic apnea maximum e.g. your dynamic apnea max is 100m, only swim 70-90m during this exercise. Each dynamic apnea swim is followed by a rest period allowing complete recovery.
When embarking on a freedive training program, your training routine should aim firstly to increase your pulmonary capacity, secondly improve cardiovascular workload and thirdly improve O2 utilization and increase metabolic productivity.
The exercise load should be determined by your present ability and not by your projected goals.
(Editor: This article proved extremely difficult to understand in its original format. I trust I have done the author and the article justice)

[glenn]

There are just as many different visions on good apnea training as there are good apneists. So the general rule : if it works for you it is good for you, but not necessarily for other people.

This for sure will work for the Molchanovas who come from a very athletic background , where a rigid and very tough 8 hours per day training regime started at childhood probably in the Ciberian snow is working for them ;-) I have spoken to them several times and if I would do 25% of what they do i would have stopped freediving 4 years ago because it would have beaten all the fun out of it for me.

We believe more in the softer pleasurable relaxing approach focusing and mental and physical relaxation (helped by yoga , pranayama, meditation etc) and technical optimization.
This is a view adopted by several top freedivers (William Trubridge, Carlos Coste, Umberto among others and of course Jaques Mayol) that says that touch physical conditioning only promotes (as also mentioned in above article) to improve the bodies abilities to use as much oxygen in as short amount of time as possible , among others by optimizing/maximizing  blood perfusion of various tissues. Only a base fitness level is requered for single max attempts (this is different for repetitive diving, hunting etc, where a much higher fitnes level is required) This seems contradictory to what you actually want to achieve e.g. to use as little oxygen as possible over the longest amount of time and have as little perfusion of oxygenated blood as possible (excluding the brain of course). For instance Williams training looks more like , one dive a day with some rest days in between with lots of yoga , meditation and mental conditioning, lung and body stretching and maybe once a week some specific tables. Eric Fattah has also some outspoken ideas on this subject.
So you see more and more segregation between the 2 schools , both having success, but not always just by the extreme Russian hard school methods.

Also the remark of long dynamic apnea promoting the susceptibility to Shallow water blackout seems completely unfounded and unrelated.
Shallow blackout is caused by a negative pressure gradient in the lungs in the last meters of the ascend due to rapid lung inflation working against oxygen absorption in the blood, which requires a positive gradient.
Factors that can influence this is (enhance the risk), dehydration, very fast ascent, too long bottom time, heavy packing etc. I completely miss the relation with dynamic max training.

[pete canuck]

Thanks for the different perspective! Not having a team to work with, I stumbled through any reference I could find. I did indeed find this on the spearfishing website. And since my background is competitive swimming, I didn't consider it too tough a training scheme. I didn't pay too much attention to the shallow water blackout comment at the end. I haven't done much in the way of competing -- I'm more a recreational photographer who once in a while would like to put a fish on the barbecue.

I can't wait to follow a real group session when you guys get back

By the way, there's 5km swim around the KNSM-Java island in Amsterdam in August, if anyone is interested. If you're into cross-training, check out http://www.rondjeknsmeiland.nl/

[glenn]

Like I said , there is no right or wrong , just different views and options to try out and see which suits you best.
We indeed can help you with some very interesting, that will show you another side that might surprice you.
See you when we get back.

Thanks for the swim tip and any forum contribution in general.