Motivation Back, Let's Crack On!!

After giving myself a good kick up the bum last week i finally got back with the programme. managed to get into the gym a few times this week and it felt good to get out on my bike again. Training certainly got me motivated again!

I went to the pool and did nothing to enhance my performance before, i even ate 1hr before going to the pool and had a crafty fag on the way!

I started by doing two FRV holds, one at 50secs and the second at 1min 10secs with a minute rest in between. I then went into two inhale holds, one of 2mins 27secs and the second 2mins 37secs. I completed one FRV hold in between the inhale holds which was dead on 1min.

I then went into a full inhale plus packing which i held for 3min 40secs (not looking good at this point i must say) and then completed a second with a hold time of 5mins 03secs.

Quite happy as all the warm up's a usual were only 10 contractions and the last was only 40 contractions, these seemed quite comfortable.

I'll carry on like this until next year now and then have a hard push around the end of January as since my 6min hold i have been 30 secs off the mark for a good 4-5wks now.

Lack of Motivation

I don't know if it's that time of the year or if I'm simply not motivated but i just can't seem to get on with my training at the moment? Work is pretty tuff but i have had the opportunity to train but simply haven't.

I missed the gym on every occasion and didn't even get down to the pool this week! My head didn't seem up to it so i pulled out completely this week.

Maybe i have been over training this year and just need a break, time to heal and recover can't be a bad thing. I am going to make a conservative effort next week to at least get in the gym a couple of times and do some cardio on my bike maybe once or twice. I feel very lazy and lethargic when i don't train and energised when i do, so arse in gear next week.

I went down to http://www.wrecksandreefs.co.uk/ today to pick up my suit, fins, mask, knife, belt & snorkel. I came across the store which is situated in Basildon, Essex on the Internet whilst trying to source all my gear from one supplier. They deal with Cressi Sub and ordered everything in for me within a week, Thank you! It all fitted perfect and the new Cressi Gara Professional fins looked fantastic. I'll do a write up on their newest fins once I've used them in Jan.

5mins 26secs

Another good week in the pool after no training again this week (including no dry training) This time of the year is very busy for me and I'm finding it hard to put make time to do quality training but with Christmas round the corner I'm bound to miss some training sessions. As long as i keep ticking over until Jan i know I'll be fine for next year when i can step up my Dynamic and Static training 100%.

I only managed the gym once in the last 3wks and i haven't been doing a great deal of dry training tables either but i did get into the pool again this week for some static sessions and i was happy again with my performance.

I started with FRV holds (3 in a row) which got me straight into the zone. I then completed simple breath holds with no packing and carried out FRV holds again in between. I did manage a 1min 40sec FRV hold which is my best yet!

The last two holds i packed and completed a 4min 40sec and 5min 26sec taking only 40 contractions again. The contractions seemed slightly harder to control than last week but i still managed to keep them slow and controlled.

Good all round session and looking forward to next week.

Spiro-Meter Test

I finally went to see my Doctor today and had my first spiro-meter test, i have seen many freedivers talking about their lung capacity and being a smoker i decided to have a go myself and see what it was all about. A spiro-meter for those who don't know measures the following...

• FEV1 - Forced Expiratory Volume in one second. This is the amount of air you can blow out within one second. With normal lungs and airways you can normally blow out most of the air from your lungs within one second.
• FVC - Forced Vital Capacity. The total amount of air that you blow out in one breath.
  
• FEV1 divided by FVC (FEV1/FVC). Of the total amount of air that you can blow out in one breath, this is the proportion that you can blow out in one second.

My results were as follows........

1. FEV1 4.83ltrs (128%)
2. FVC 6.73ltrs (149%)
3. FEV1/FVC 72 (base) 92 (max)
4. Lung Age Less than <20yrs

I didn't realise that i was not to eat before or smoke, i had a large dinner and a cigarette before the test!! Oh!! I have booked in another test in 3mths time to compare the results after changing training routines. I have started to use tables (dry) and going into negative diaphragm exercises this week which should help me deal with contractions much better going forward into next year.

Basics work

Well my getting back to basics training really worked. After the last 4wks of chest infections, poor training and a week away in Dublin my training was not going great. I have been using some crazy tables to train with (dry) and have helped me deal with the severity of my contractions massively. I only trained static on Wed this week and managed a very easy and very enjoyable 5min 31secs.

I went back to FRV holds to start with which i still find the best for me. Then i done some very basic inhale holds (no packing) but this time in between holds i done FRV holds.

I found myself getting up to 1min 30sec on the FRV holds and when i finally got ready for my last breath hold i managed the 5min 31sec.

The contractions seemed very easy and very slow and i managed 40 of these slow contractions, way more that i have every done at such a slow pace. I came up early also as i was expecting about 4mins after all the alcohol i consumed the week before.

Training since has been non-existent though due to work commitments (something had to spoil the good training) but i intend on doing 2 sessions per day of crazy tables to keep my diaphragm nice and stretched.

The Dublin trip was great although we did do some work and the hotel had a pool so i took my boss Mat Bowker in for a quick breath hold lesson. He managed a 31sec hold but after some teaching this went up to 1min 55sec in no time, beating the directors of our host massively!! Well done Mat!

Back to Basics

This week was all about going back to some basic apnea training, peel away all the breath up's and diet and just get back into some really basic breath holding. I trained really hard this week out of the pool on my cardio and fitness levels and hit the gym for 4 days.

Pool training went well and i went into the water with no preparation and just sunk myself underwater with no breath up's. I went through some Co2 tables to help build my tolerance up which went well also.

I didn't bother with clock watching so i had no idea what times i was achieving but just went through the motions and trained my body in some basic tolerance to contractions and ended up quite enjoying them as they came.

Dynamic session went in a similar fashion, again not worrying about distance but focusing on gliding and technique only. i trained for about 35mins on dynamic and was happy with 3 - 4kicks per 25mtrs and my glide seemed to go a bit further than normal although realistically the time it took to complete 25mtrs was much too long (about 40secs per length)

An enjoyable session and one i intend to stay with for a while now, I'm purely working on basic tolerance levels to Co2 and O2 deprivation and then in a few weeks try, with good prep, a new P.B in both static and dynamic.

A.I.D.A Opens Kebab Shop?

Only joking!! No A.I.D.A (the world governing body for freediving) is not branching out into the kebab chain, this is the kebab shop i go to once i finish my pool training sessions on a Wednesday. Just thought it was funny they named it AIDA...

Anyway, i didn't train static last week due to my chest infection and just played about a bit and boy did i pay the price this week. I stopped eating 4hrs before training and prepared myself in the usual way and headed off down to the pool.

My breath up's / warm ups were o.k, i completed the warm up holds as i have listed before in this blog and the times seemed average but on the last hold i thought i was doing well with dealing with my contractions as i took the first 20 really slowly. After taking 60 contractions i looked at my watch and felt really DISAPPOINTED!! 4mins 53sec. My first contraction must of kicked in very early due to my un-relaxed state and coldness.

Full inhale (2min 11sec) 2min rest
Full inhale (2min 33sec) 2min rest
FRV empty lung hold (1min 11sec) 2min rest
FRV empty lung hold (1min) 2min rest
Full exhale / inhale plus packing (4mins)
Full exhale / inhale plus packing (4min 53sec)

I just couldn't get my mind into it tonight, the pool was cold and i just couldn't relax my body. My dynamic was rubbish too, again i felt uncomfortable and surfaced at 75mtrs then just done a few lazy lengths to work on my glide (which did go well)

I always feel really down if my performances are below what I'm capable of but i know i cannot be at my peak performance 100% of the time. I'm not going to set new P.B's week in week out. I'm going to do a few dry statics this week and go through some Co2 tables which I've never been a fan of but i know they will certainly give me a little more confidence when i train next week.

Remember Why I Started Freediving......

I have not trained at all since last Wednesday due to my chest infection and enjoyed letting my body heal and recover a bit. I went to the pool last night as i usually do but had no restriction on diet or preparation before hand as i just wanted to practice my dynamic technique and nothing more. It was nice to have no expectation of performance as i travelled to the pool, i felt more relaxed than i have ever felt. I thought "just go along and have some fun. I promised myself ages ago that every 6wks or so i would not train hard and just get back to enjoying the water and reminding myself why i started freediving. I love this sport but sometimes we forget why we started as the pressure we put on ourselves to perform week in week out is immense.

I have attached a video clip of Guillaume Nery and his 109mtr constant weight WR dive which again reminds me why i embraced this sport and the beauty it holds. This video is so inspiring for me, the music and voice over puts you head first in the water whilst you watch it.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=X6sowLt5Hes

I really enjoyed my nights "training" last night, i felt totally different whilst in the water and completed some very easy 75mtr slow swims and 10x 50mtr swims with ease. I will get back on track next week with full on training and maybe try a 125mtr dynamic next Wednesday (start building up the pressure already!!!)

Anyway ENJOY the video!!

Video Time

Here is some video footage taken by my wife from tonight's training. I was working on my dynamic technique (100mtrs) which seemed to go o.k. My turn at 75mtrs was dreadful but the performance felt comfortable. I should have pushed a little harder tonight up to 125mtr mark which i will attempt next week. I had a bad cold or "man flu" last week and my chest still felt sore tonight whilst training but I'm glad to get some video footage done so i can see what my technique is looking like and what i need to improve on. Judging by the footage i need to improve on everything. I'm using a kick-kick-glide technique which I'm finding good but looking at the footage i need to provide more of the power from the core of my body and not so much from my legs.

The video below is a 6min 03sec static, didn't feel as easy as last weeks. My chest was hurting from "man flu" and probably shouldn't of trained tonight? I am happy with the performance but didn't enjoy this one. Maybe it was because i knew i was on video and wanted to get it posted on here so felt pressured to perform. Not a good outlook to have if i want to compete in next years 2nd Camberwell Breath Hold?

6mins 08secs

Well, i finally did it! Last night i finally broke the 6min barrier with a static performance of 6min 08sec. I set myself a 6min target to reach before Christmas this year and have reached it much sooner than i anticipated.

Over the last week i have been finally working on my cardio by bike riding (got my new bike) I found this type of training much more enjoyable than running and seem to be getting a much out of it as i did when i ran. Gym training still consists of three sessions a week Chest and biceps - Back and triceps and then on the third day shoulders.

I changed my B vitamin supplements to a B vit with added B12 which i find is working better in absorption of my daily in take of food and the garlic is helping lower my heart rate.

Prep for the static was as always....ACIDIC!! i really find this approach better for safety reasons as the gas exchange causes the blood Ph to increase to a high alkaline level causing black out but this has been reduced massively since i have been lowering my Ph to a much more acidic level.

Relax for 2mins
Full exhale-Full inhale (no packing)-Hold to 10 contractions (2min 31sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale-Full inhale (no packing)-Hold to 10 contractions (2min 50sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale FRV (empty lung)-Hold to 10 contractions (1min 16sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale FRV (empty lung)-Hold to 10 contractions (1min 26sec)
Relax for 2mins
Hyperventilate for 2mins-Full exhale-Full inhale (packing) Hold to 10 contractions (4min 15sec)Relax for 2mins
Hyperventilate for 2mins-Full exhale-Full inhale (plus packing) Max hold attempt (6min 08sec)

At the end of my hold i went back into panic mode as last week but as soon as i had exhaled half a lung full everything went very calm again buying me another 40secs!

Video of next weeks performance will be posted next week! I cant wait to hit the 7min mark now which i am hoping will be around March time next year.

New Static PB 5min 53sec

This weeks training was almost non-existent, no gym work, no apnea walking, no dry training. Prep for Wednesday's pool session was in line with previous weeks as was my regular cup of green tea with two squeezed lemons in it 3hrs before training. I was trying to have a rest this week from my training schedule to let my body heal and i was also hopeful of a new breath up technique (well new to me) that i wanted to try out in the pool.

I'm very much in a self experimental mode of my training at the moment and trying to find how my body reacts to different types of breath up's, diets etc.

Tonight at the pool i didn't start of with the normal FRV (empty lung) holds and left the snorkel at home which i usually use in between holds with my face emerged to promote the dive reflex. Instead i tried the following....

Relax for 2mins
Full exhale-Full inhale (no packing)-Hold to 10 contractions (2min 12sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale-Full inhale (no packing)-Hold to 10 contractions (2min 34sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale FRV (empty lung)-Hold to 10 contractions (1min 10sec)
Relax for 2mins
Full exhale FRV (empty lung)-Hold to 10 contractions (1min 27sec)
Relax for 2mins
Hyperventilate for 2mins-Full exhale-Full inhale (packing) Hold to 10 contractions (4min 15sec)
Relax for 2mins
Hyperventilate for 2mins-Full exhale-Full inhale (plus packing) Max hold attempt (5min 53sec)

The total time of the last static hold was my best yet and i was very happy with the outcome but the experience i had at the end of the hold was very new to me.

At 5min 20sec i remember looking at my watch, I'd already hit 60 contractions which i went through very fast (so fast, i couldn't count most of them) i had a small exhale of air which i normally do which is my indicator for the end of a hold but for some reason i became very peaceful and contractions stopped? I remember looking at the bottom of the pool and thinking to myself "this is easy" "i could stay down here for ages" i looked at my watch again and it was 5mins 50 sec. Some 30secs had past during this feeling of euphoria but my sub conscious told me to surface which i did. I surfaced clean, took three recovery breaths and removed my goggles.

I must of been very hypercapnic at the start of the hold and my O2 levels dropped very low with no or very little CO2 to warn me i was running low on O2. Black out was extremely close but avoided.

I went straight into dynamic training after to try out some new swim trousers (triathlon type) which i found to be great, my wet suit which i normally use retained too much water causing way too much drag and i found that i was less buoyant with the trousers on which meant i could pack a little more than normal. I also tried some different kick styles which seemed to have worked well.

When i got home i went straight to bed but found myself tossing and turning most of the night and slept for about 3hrs during the night? I also woke up with very painful ribs / lungs which i think was due to the workout they had, had during training.

I will be resting for the remainder of this week...

5mins 02secs Disappointed?

After an arduous week of training including walking apnea, dry statics and gym work i felt really strong this week before i went to the pool. I hit my diet well and preparation before hand was great. I felt really strong mentally and ready for a great performance.

I targeted myself for a 5min 45sec which would of been a new P.B and a slow 100mtr Dynamic. I got to the pool and my warm up's were fine hitting 3min 50sec and 4min 10sec, but on my third and final attempt i felt so nervous and just couldn't get comfortable in my body position that i only hit a 5min 02sec hold!! Pants!

If i feel like that when I'm in my comfort zone what am i going to feel like in a competition?

My Dynamic session started with a terrible push off and i ended up having to dodge round most of the divers who were busy training in the pool so i came up at 75mtrs. I don't want to use them as an excuse for not performing well as it's there pool and I'm very grateful to be able to train in there time. The diving club that let me use the pool are a fantastic bunch of guy's who i would give my right arm (not lungs) to stay with. The club are having a big recruitment drive at the moment so if anyone is interested contact them via the web site http://www.woodstockdivers.co.uk/ BIG THANKS!

Saying i was displeased is an understatement but should i really be that upset for only doing 5min 02secs? It's a good time and one i would of only dreamt of a couple of months ago. The main thing is that if i want to compete at this i need to stay more focused and not let me, myself and i wind myself up into a state before hand.

Enough said, back to training!!

Apnea Walking

My training this week has gone great, 3 sessions in the gym concentrating on shoulders and back and i started apnea walking. I went out on Tuesday after the gym and walked along a track near my home whilst holding my breath and managed two 1min hold walks followed by two 1min 10sec holds. The walking pace was nice and slow and i covered around 90mtrs although i will have to measure out a 25mtr track to try and simulate my Dynamic training in the pool.

I went to the pool on Wednesday as usual and again went for an acidic diet but this time 4hrs before i went instead of the two hours i tried last week. Breath up's were the same and i pulled a very easy 5min 27secs hold with 60 enjoyable contractions with no drama.

My Dynamics were fine completing 2 x 75mtrs 2x 50mtrs and finishing on 5x 25mtrs concentrating on technique and gliding. I found that packing 12 times too much and was slightly too buoyant and packing just 8 times perfect for the 2kg neck weight.

Today i went for another apnea walk straight after the gym and managed 2 x 1min walks followed by a 1min 10sec walk and a 1min 12sec walk with 20 contractions. I aim to progress to 1min 30sec next week and 2min walks whilst holding in the next 4wks.!!

A quick weight update (currently 11st 12lbs vs. 13st 7lbs when i started!!)

A good week with good progress....Happy bunny!

Straws.....

Training this week in the gym went well although i must start working on more cardio to lower my resting heart rate, as I've said before "i hate running" so I'm saving up for a bike so i can start cycling. I started training using straws, i found out about this method on these blog sites (freediving explained) and found that 5-10mins a day breathing through a straw really help my lungs work and also build some tolerance up to Co2.

Quoted from freediving explained...
Breathing through straws stretches and strengthens the intercostal muscles which is very good for freediving. Also, while breathing through an airway constrictor we limit the amount of CO2 that is being expelled from our body with each breath - thus building tolerance to higher then normal concentrations of CO2 in our system - also very good for freediving.

I went to the pool on Wednesday as i usually do at 20.00hrs but had a bit to eat before hand (my daughters birthday) but i did manage to have two lemons fully squeezed into some green tea two hours before i went.

Statics were a disappointment and although i tolerated the contractions much better i only managed 4min 46secs on my final attempt! The contractions started early but i managed to slowly go through the first 18 and hitting 60 in all. I guess the Ph changes in blood do help but the birthday cake didn't!!

I then went on to some dynamic work and did a very easy 75mtrs and then set to work on my gliding technique. I used only the 2kgs neck weight and ditched the belt. With some conscious control of my pitch whilst gliding i found myself cutting down from 13 kicks per 25mtrs down to only 6 kicks per 25mtrs. This is what i have been working towards for a few weeks now and managed to crack it at last.

Next week i will try a 75-100mtr DYM using only 6-7 kicks per 25mtrs and see if the total dive time decreasing distance in my performance (it shouldn't as i will be using less energy and O2)

I have been taking my supplements (B Complex, garlic, Vit C, Omega 3 oil) in the evenings but found it better relating to performance if i take these in the mornings so I'm going back to what worked last time.

This weeks training

I took a week off training last week due to being full with cold, snot and lungs that felt like saggy balloons!

I went back to training at the beginning of this week and done some light statics all around 4mins and then done some very light DNF (dynamic no fins) i found i could swim really slowly for around 2mins 40secs which i was pleased with.

I then trained mid week but researched a lot more into diet and blood Ph levels by searching through some great threads on the deeperblue forums. An acidic blood Ph level aids in the way the body copes with Co2 so a lower Ph level is favourable amongst freedivers. I obtained this by eating quite a lot of citrus fruit 2hrs before my training and accompanied this with garlic supplements and green tea to lower BP. I had 3-4 lemons squeezed into my green tea (god it tasted like cr#p) I am going to try citric acid from the chemist next time and mix around 10mg into some juice as i think this will be less painful on the pallet than the lemons.

I trained statics for around 30mins and hit 5min 02sec on my 3rd attempt, taking only 60 contractions so maybe there is something in the research on lower blood Ph. I am only going to attempt to change by Ph on the days that i train and not make it a long term habit.

I tried some different weight this time for dynamic training which i found to be too heavy so i ended up with 2kgs around my neck and 1kg on my belt which seemed to be right although i could still not glide well? Back to drawing board on this one! As i haven't pushed my dynamic training since i hit 100mtrs i am now falling back on performance, i intend a max performance in dynamic next week to keep my goals in sight.

New PB "but disaster"

Well, i got myself all relaxed and stress free before training this week. Stopped eating about 3hrs before and went off to the pool. I done my normal prep work of four empty lung holds first all around 1min and then had my breath up for 5mins using just a snorkel and no mask.

First warm up hold i hit 4mins!!!

Second warm up hold i hit 4mins 16sec!!

Third and final hold i hit 5mins 32secs, i took 90 contractions this time but rushed through most of them, i came up o.k and clean, pulled myself out of the pool and started speaking to my buddy and then it happened!!

My head swirled around like i was drunk and my hearing went very strange indeed, i was so close to blackout it was untrue. Although i was happy with the time i was really upset that, that was my limit. I came home early as my neck weight for Dynamic training was again too light and couldn't stop thinking how disastrous my static was!

I went back to training again tonight but with no prep as i would normally and struggled round to 4mins with 50 contractions but felt better about the hold than last nights one. I'm going to start a diary tomorrow and list what I'm eating and what training I'm doing so i know what's successful and what's not!! (something Ben noble told me to do ages ago, should of listened!!)

The Flying Fish

For those who don't know Herbert Nitsch i will introduce you. Herbert or "the flying fish" is the deepest freediver on earth. He is known as the flying fish due to being a pilot. Herbert who began life as a normal diver began freediving when he arrived at his holiday destination to find his diving equipment lost! Not wanting to miss out on the sea he bought a mask, snorkel and fins and began freediving. After about a week he was finding himself at 40mtrs waving at divers who were exploring the depths.

It seemed he had a natural talent and took the sport up. I meet Herbert last year at the NEC dive show whilst doing some work for Depperblue.net after he gave a presentation to all about his recent WR 214mtr no limits freedive! Herbert holds world records in lots of the disciplines including a 9min 04sec breath hold which has only just been broken (10min 04sec) Herbert is currently training for a 250mtr no limits dive and still aims for a 305mtr (1000ft) dive in 2009!

Herbert was working with the guy's from "no tanx" a group of great freedivers situated in London, many of which make up the UK freediving team and highly respected. After the show we all meet up in the hotel for drinks and Herbert sat at our table (i felt like a 12yr old next to his idle) and probably acted like it too!

It was good to spend some time with him and hear some great relief that if he doesn't train constantly he drops down to a 3min breath hold within 2wks, thank god he is human after all.

Turkey 2008

Turkey was a well earned break for myself and the family, I took the opportunity to do some training whilst out there (would of been rude not to with a private swimming pool at the house) I mainly trained in Co2 tables to see if they would benefit me when i got home which they obviously did as i hit a new P.B days after landing back in the U.K.

My times were not great but it's hard to starve yourself when on holiday and saying no to coffee and ice creams was impossible!!

The sea was a bit of a disappointment though as it showed a distinct lack of life and was heavily over fished.

I done a small amount of depth training but limited myself to the 25mtr mark but taking my time to descend and holding for as long as i could safely. It's good to be home again and glad i used the tables as they have certainly paid off!!

Back to Training

Well training after 2wks on holiday was not going to be easy as my times were not great (all around the 4min 30sec mark) so i went to the pool hoping for around 4min 40sec this week.

After my first two warm up attempts i went for my third and final static and came up at 5mins 16secs!!! Another new P.B set. I have no idea what i did different but it wasn't down to farcing or no smoking. I ate about an hour before which i never do and had my last fag about 30mins before going to the pool. I guess the time was right and the Co2 tables worked. I didn't push my Dynamic training after this performance and kept it to the 75mtr mark just working on technique rather than distance. I'm hopefully that i now stay about the 5min mark on all my training sessions so i can progress my way round to the 6min mark in the next couple of month.

Watch this space!!

Breaking The Barrier

A second personal best, two weeks on the trot. Static breath hold of 5mins dead on!!

I tried lots of different approaches to my breath ups before my statics and found that my resting heart rate moved below 55bpm when i emerged my whole face (without mask) underwater with the use of a snorkel. I did this for around 5mins before attempting another personal best this week. After speaking with Ben Noble this week i learnt that we have receptors just under the eye lids which indicate to the heart when submerged underwater.

I tried some different approaches to diet too and researched blood Ph levels and the kinds of food to stay away from and those to embrace, the more acidic food we eat the more your blood levels become acidic which results in lower Co2 being stored in the body or a higher tolerance to its effects. I don't think the time I've been on a different diet was the biggest contributing factor as it probably takes months to kick in but it certainly helped. I also took 80 contractions against the normal 60 i usually take which put on the 20secs in needed to break the barrier of 5mins.

Ben Noble

For those of you who don't know Ben Noble, Ben is Australia's deepest accountant and a great freediver. I meet Ben for the first time today before he sets off on his travels once again around the globe before finally settling down back in his native country.

Ben has given me and other new freedivers plenty of advice over the past as he continues to find his long lost love of freediving.

Ben is a DeeperBlue forums mentor and always helps out those of us with little experience. Ben has competed in the UK salt free championships, pool championships and the world championships in 2006 delivering solid performances throughout.

It was good to finally meet up with Ben today as it draws me ever closer to fulfilling my dreams as a competitive freediver in the future.

Hopefully we will meet again but next time floating on a line before a dive in Egypt! Who knows?

Training this week

I've been trying new training methods this week, well new to me. I went to my first Yoga class! I'd heard that so many other freedivers had obtained instructor level in this so i decided to give it a go myself. I enjoyed the class and the instructor said i did well, the class was mainly about stretching which i found to be a great help, next week we are doing breathing techniques and relaxation.

There is something definitely in Yoga that freedivers can benefit from and i will be going again to learn more.

I have also started running, not easy for me as I've never been a natural runner even after all those miles covered when i served in the armed forces. I started weight training two years ago as i wanted to pile on a few stone (mainly due to my work as a doorman) this is now slowly disappearing as I'm now learning that stretched muscles that are flexible use less O2 which is great for freediving. I went on my first run tonight (new trainers) and tried holding my breath in between lampposts, i could just about manage 6sec breath holds at a time whilst running. I did this for 10mins in total and came back knackered!!!

I still train using weights but as of next week it will be light lifts with high repetitions.

Freediving changes everything!

How it started

About two weeks ago i finally logged myself onto http://deeperblue.net/ after completing my AIDA freediver course last year with Emma Farrell. Naturally i passed and have been training ever since. I got the freediving bug many years ago when i first watched the film "The Big Blue" and was memorised by what i saw. It wasn't until i left the armed forces (SW Diver) and meet my wife that i realised that i could actually go and learn how to become a freediver. It was whilst being stuck at home, very ill, i saw courses in freediving! I booked up straight away. Life changed!

The course was fantasic and i didn't realise how much involved the sport was nor how widespread it was until now. I feel i have really missed out in some way as i wished i had known earlier in my life. I've made plenty of friends on the deeperblue forums, a place where meir mortals like me can talk directly to world champions and gain their wisdom in an open and honest way.

I mainly train in two disciplines, Dynamic and Static.

Dynamic is where the freediver tries to cover as much distance as possible with just one breath of air with or without the use of a monfin pictured in one of the above is my custom made carbon fibre fin. Static is where the freediver remains motionless in the water for time, this is a hard mind game and takes lots of training.

I completed a new Dynamic PB last night in the pool in which i train of 100mtrs and i am now consistently posting static times of 4mins 40secs. I would love to compete next year in the British Pool Championships to gain experience of doing this under competition rules and regs.