Chris Holmes Free Diving World

Big Thanks to My Bars....

2012-01-21T12:49:00.008Z

Big thanks for the big man Mr Vinny Reed from the amazing Bar Lorca in Bexley www.barlorcabexley.com

Huge shout out to the Fabulous Mr Tony Adams of The Beckenham www.thebeckenham.com

Massive thanks to my very own Mr Ivory (Pete Marshall) from nYne lounge Bexley www.nynelounge.com

These bars are an incredible, vibrant night out taking bars and the week end as well as week days to a whole new level. Without these fabulous bars I'd be quite simply skint!! Thanks for all your support and sponsorship.

8 weeks to go....

2012-01-21T12:00:00.003Z

The last couple of weeks have been about getting my back fixed, I'm pleased to say its well on the mend now. Good week of mixed tables, Co2 as well as o2 plus some other tables to keep it interesting! I tired a couple of warm up statics to trial some new stuff which seemed okay but when i tried them in the pool last night i was 30secs short on each hold? The idea is to only take around 20 contractions during the last hold in the comp and also in training and i finished at 4min 30sec last night, all week 20 contractions were taking me to 5mins. Maybe a little tired?

The acid test was the dynamic session for my lower back, most of the strength comes from the lower back during dynamics and its has to flex a fair amount, it felt fine although i only completed 100mtrs which felt very easy. I'm really aiming for 150mtr which would be a great result and new P.B for me - here's to hoping! (best laid plans and all that!) I'd also like to aim for my first 5min static in a comp, very different from training times but I'd be chuffed all the same. I haven't been close to 6mins static for a long time but my training is very different now and hopefully better in the long term?

Diet was 40% veggie and did make a difference, felt much lighter on my feet and it always clears my chest (yes still puffing away on a fag) I'll increase the diet to about 60% veg in 4weeks time and then make some changes depending on my craving for some red meaty stuff before the comp.

Back Progress

2012-01-10T19:52:00.003Z

A much better day - wore my back brace for the day and finally got my arse into work, movement is improving hour by hour. I even managed to stand from a laying position in under 5mins!! Slowed down now on the drugs and I'm managing the pain fine. Done a series of breath holds tonight which all went very easy - 3min holds with 50sec rests x 5 taking very little contractions in each hold. I cant wait to get back in the water this Friday, take it nice and easy and I'll be fine for competition in March. Fingers crossed.

Progress vs. Injury

2012-01-09T20:16:00.003Z

After my last update i made some minor changes to my tables, most of my weekly tables were Co2 but for the last week or so i converted these over to O2 tables which increased my dynamic distances. The plan was to keep to 100mtr sessions going until i got comfortable with them. The week after the O2 tables i completed a very easy 125mtrs dynamic. Static sessions are still pants, all around 4min 30sec although I've adjusted my tables up to 2min 45sec now and only feeling a few contractions during the middle holds. Maybe time to adjust upwards to 3mins now?

I took four days off after the new year and on day 3 had some lower back pain, i did nothing to induce it as i was spending the time resting? I woke on the forth day and was unable to move. Mrs H took me to the hospital and i was told I'd make a fairly quick recovery as it was only a spasm, the next two days i went to work and could hardly move, my back has swollen significantly and i ended up back in hospital. My lower back muscles were torn from my spine and severely sprained! Leaving the hospital loaded with more drugs than a Colombian drug dealer i began the long and slow road to recovery. 7 days to see some improvement and 4wks to recover (10wks if i didn't get the recovery right!!) Competition is in 9wks so i need to get the recovery right and i also need to renew my BFA membership and get a Doctor to sign me off as fit to dive, should be interesting!

Progress?

2011-11-27T15:26:00.003Z

This weeks training went well, Co2 tables increased 15secs on each hold which is becoming easy already, I'll stick to them for another week and increase another 15secs again the week after. I went to the pool on Friday with www.baildonsubaqua.com and settled down to some statics.

2min hold - no breath up

1min empty lung hold - no breath up

2min slow breath up 2/4/2 for 1min - 3min 15sec hold

2min slow breath up 2/4/2 for 1min - 4min 15sec hold

I breathed up in-between holds using the snorkel (no goggles) to try and engage the dive reflex a little quicker, but i was really unhappy with the final hold time, tables have been going well and i thought I'd get an easy 4min 30sec but fell short and found it tough going. I may try longer warm up holds, drop the empty lung hold and see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Dynamic session went really well, i targeted 100mtrs and completed it with no real problems, i'll keep to the 100mtrs for the next 3 sessions and then move up to 125mtr sessions.

Pool Training

2011-11-12T18:55:00.002Z

Friday night was my first proper pool training session for a long time and also an opportunity to see if the Co2 tables and training schedule were working? I didn't eat from 3pm and entered the water at 8:30pm for static session.

2min hold no breath up

Empty lung hold 1min no breath up

2min breath up + 2/4/2 breath up for 1min - 3min 30sec hold

2min breath up + 2/4/2 breath up for 1min - 4min hold

I only targeted a 4min hold, it felt fine and no issues with contraction strength, i always target lower than what I'm able to do as it leaves a more positive feeling after the session. Dynamic was more of a try out in terms of weighting, gliding and technique as it been a very long time, i targeted only 75mtrs and done this with ease, i was very tempted to carry on to 100mtrs but again i wanted to keep things positive. Over all a great session and happy with the outcome of my first pool session in a long while, another two weeks of tables before hitting the pool again to see what's what!

Long Time No Speak

2011-11-10T19:34:00.000Z

After an extremely long break from the world of freediving i decided that I'd try another bite at the cherry next year! Why did i stop after the Great Northern Comp this year? I had no intention to stop and entered the Double Dip depth comp but this was unfortunately canceled due to lack of interest, i guess i was a little disappointed with British Freediving for withdrawing this great opportunity to qualify in UK and that i would of had to travel abroad to gain any chance of points for a go at the worlds. Lack of money and time played their part also, new job etc. I started the triathlons so i would keep my fitness and general well being intact and i also love competing and triathlon was such an easy, accessible sport, everything freediving wasn't at the time for me. Anyway i digress!

Training has started once again and onto the dreaded tables, the bread & butter of our training. It was also great to get back in the water whilst in Cyprus last week and also give the ears a bit of a check over, all good! Last week a completed 2min tables with repetitive rounds of 15sec rests at the end, ouch! By the end of the week i was only having one contraction so i decided to mix it up a little this week before i increase my normal tables to 2min 30sec. This week i have been doing repetitive 2min holds with 15sec breaks and then a crazy table of 4mins at the end, starting off empty and taking small sips of air until fully packed over the 4min time frame. These will increase to 5min crazy tables in the next 4wks.

It was great to get down to the www.actionunderwaterstudios.com on Friday night for some deeper statics with Tim my safety diver, at almost 6mtrs deep its great to sit at the bottom and chill out after a stressful week at work. www.basildonsubaqua.com continue their amazing support in all my training needs, big thanks guys!

3wks to Triathlon

2011-07-10T15:18:00.002+01:00

With only 3wks to go for my first triathlon at www.velocity-events.co.uk i really up'd the training this week and took full advantage of a few days off work. I carried out some pretty consistent 400mtr swims around the 8min 30sec mark and some consistent 5km run times. I decided to go out yesterday and complete the full triathlon in training to see how it felt, cardio wise my body was fine but i got my fueling wrong and felt slightly fatigued at the end. So a good lesson learnt on that one. I felt great today and have recovered with no problems so i know i can push harder on the day to be a little bit more competitive.

Friday night freediving at the pool went well, i haven't done any statics since my last competition in March so thought I'd just go through the motions and completed a very easy 4mins hold. Nothing great in terms of the time but happy with the result after being away from statics for so long.

Basildon Sub-Aqua Club

2011-06-12T21:18:00.002+01:00

On Friday I'll be giving Basildon Sub-Aqua Club a lecture on freediving. The club give me valuable pool time every week and are a great (inquisitive) bunch so they asked me to tell them what all this "holding your breath lark" is all about? I'll be talking to them about the basics of freediving from the Mechanics of Breathing / Dive Reflex / Disciplines / Relaxation / Equalising & Safety. Its a great chance for me to share my passion for the sport and hopefully add some fun & interest to the club.

The triathlon training has been going well, Ive been noticing some pain during the cycle rides and after going into Evan Cycles this week, i got some great advice on how to set up my bike better and also great advice on what gearing to be using for the majority of the ride. I found that my saddle was too far back causing me to over stretch and i have been using the higher gears too much and putting pressure on my knees. I've set the bike up now and will give it a test in the week. I've managed to shave more time of my run now but haven't done too much in the pool so I'll hit that next week a couple of times,

TRIATHLON

2011-05-24T21:39:00.004+01:00

Seeing as the Salt Free Triple Depth Comp is cancelled I've decided to put some energy into doing my first triathlon http://www.velocity-events.co.uk/ they say life begins at 40!! I've been working hard on my cycling and running (without injury until last week) and thought I'd leave the swimming part out of my training as I'm very comfy in the water. After trying to swim freestyle for the first time a couple of weeks ago i found out i made a huge mistake and actually cant swim for toffee! After a few coaching sessions from Tim, i got the technique better and completed the swim in 10min 04secs. An ankle injury as stopped my cycle & running training for the time being but the swimming is going well. Today i completed the swim in 9min 45sec so making some progress. I'm thinking i can make some time up during the cycle leg which will hopefully cover up my poor swim times over 400mtrs. My first 5k run was in 24min 57sec (slow i know!) and my bike times are not really relevant as i have 4 massive hills to climb which are not on the actual course, this means that my training is great interval training (train hard and race easy)

I'm hoping the ankle is getting stronger and i can get started on getting my 5k run times down and then string all three together a few times before the big day (31st July 2011) Its a sprint triathlon so I'm confident i can complete it, it just depends on how hard i want it to be...

Underwater Film Studios

2011-03-27T17:54:00.004+01:00

Friday night at http://www.actionunderwaterstudios.com/ with http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/

Few Pic's from "The Great Northern Comp"

2011-03-25T12:46:00.003Z

Great Northern Comp

2011-03-19T12:04:00.006Z

A much better comp for me this year than last year, last year i finished early with a black out on my static performance and this year finally got round to seeing a very rare two white cards out of three. Saturday was dynamic no fins day and i felt okay for a P.B. The dive itself felt good and i turned at 75mtrs to go for the 100mtrs i set myself. I missed counted the strokes and ended up headbutting the wall at 100mtrs, before i could turn and push off for the last time the safety diver grabbed me and pulled me to the surface, i knew the dive was over and a red card was coming but went through my surface protocol to show i was still fine. The red card was shown as the safety diver had touch me and that was that. An unfortunate end to a fairly good dive but i was happy to do a new P.B after just 9wks of training. Safety divers have to make a decision in a split second and although i showed him i wasn't happy at first i soon shook his hand and apologised as its not an easy job for them.

Day two went well after a restless and busy night at the hotel due to party goers making ridiculous amounts of noise which took some intervention from me at 04:30am!! Static top time was nice and early in the day as I'd announced low, the 4 warm up holds went fine at 2min, 2min, 3mins, 3.30min and an empty lung at 1.15min. I moved into the comp zone and breathed up for just short of 10mins. Contractions kicked in about where i thought they would and i surfaced after just 20 contractions and played it safe with a below standard 4min 24sec hold, white card was shown and i was happy to see it. Later on it was dynamic with fins and my official top was 17.23hrs, i carried on with my no warm up approach as it keeps the old legs fresher. Jay Cluskey kept me held against the wall as i took my last breath and went. The dive didn't feel great and i got my first contraction just past 50mtrs, turns felt awkward and i surfaced at 124mtrs, another below standard dive but the white card felt good to get once again.

Points for dynamic - 62
Points for static - 52.8

This gave me a total of 114.8 vs. 121.7 in my 1st comp but really happy with the white cards after so many reds. Stars of the day were Dave King with a new NR in dynamic at 226mtrs and Liv Phillip (worlds absolute freediver 2010) with another new NR in dynamic no fins, passing her old record by 5mtrs to 111mtrs. Big respect to both of them, amazing athletes!

End Of Training

2011-03-10T19:23:00.004Z

Last night i ended my training schedule before my competition this weekend. After spending 3hrs in the pool i was broken, well and truly! Have i done enough? Well after just 9wks i think I've done well after my long break last year. Statics have suffered slightly and my dynamics have decreased but overall I'm happy to of got back in the game with some okay performances. Today was about rest and good food and much the same tomorrow before i make the journey up to Liverpool. Last night i went back to Swallows in Kent, this was the first wet static i have done in a year so i just needed to time how long everything took so i can plan my preparation on the day to my official top time. Statics weren't great in terms of times and my last hold i ended up lifting at just over 4mins!! Pants i know but I'll take that at the moment. I've decided that I'll carry on with my no warm up approach to dynamics so i didn't need to plan my timing on this, just a relaxed 10min breath up before would be fine.

Woodstock divers came in at 21:00hrs and it was great to see so many familiar faces which i have missed greatly over the past 6-7mths.

I targeted myself with a P.B in DNF and felt a bit deflated to come up short once again, i carried on with an hour of dynamic with fins and did a table consisting of 2min rest followed by 50mtr swim and took my recovery time down by 15sec each time. By the end my legs were dead and i felt i could do no more. I felt terrible driving home and my legs felt so empty and my lungs tired. I'll do no more now until the comp, just need to rest and relax. 3 white cards this weekend? It will be a first for me! My first comp i managed a yellow and a white and since then i have had three reds. Really looking forward to this one as I've taken way the pressure of big performances and I'm keeping it realistic due to the small amount of training time I've had.

Static Session.....

2011-02-25T12:40:00.003Z

Last night's static session was only my third attempt at a max since i started back training 6wks ago. Finally got over the five minute mark which i was really pleased with as i had taken the preparation for it very lightly. I'd eaten, had a fag and done very little warm up for it.

I started with a 3min 30sec crazy table and then rested for 1min, took a 2min breath up and held for 3mins which was my first contraction. I then had a NTB rest for 1min, 2mins of 2/4/2 breathing and a minute of deep slow breathing. The hold felt easy and the contractions felt light. I went up to 30 contractions and ended up fresh on 5min 02sec.

Off to the underwater film studio's tonight for some fun with Tim....

3 Weeks and Counting Down

2011-02-23T20:58:00.004Z

Quick update, training last week went really well. I stopped the Co2 & O2 tables and used crazy tables all week instead. I went to the pool on Friday and aimed at a one off, no warm up dynamic with fin performance. It's a 33mtr pool so 4 lengths would be almost P.B for me. I took my time in terms of stretching and completed a very quick crazy table at pool side which only lasted 3mins. I started at the deep end so i would end up in the shallow end and Tim my safety partner (who is coming along nicely with bi-fins at the moment) would meet me on my last length. After 99mtrs i felt really comfortable but surprised i wasn't really feeling any discomfort so popped up just short of P.B. When i surfaced i felt fresh and took a coupe of recovery breaths and felt fine. A really happy moment as this was me back on track to a fairly decent performance.

I still haven't done a max out static yet and i still haven't done a static in the water since 7mths ago, it will be interesting entering a comp without doing any wet statics but as i said when i started training again, I'm only here to get white cards this year and I'm keeping the numbers, distances and depths secondary.

Back in the Underwater Studio's on Friday where me a Tim will be doing O's & X's underwater and maybe Rubix Cube, should take the mind of the contractions!

Back 2 Work...

2011-02-15T20:35:00.006Z

Well i had a great week off work but all good things come to an end, training over the week went well and the diet worked a treat. I managed to shave off just short of half a stone but i still feel strong enough unlike last year, the strength training really paid off. Co2 & O2 tables went okay throughout the week but now I'm back to work I'm struggling to find the time when i get home.

Friday i joined http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/ once again but this time in the Underwater Studios http://www.actionunderwaterstudios.com/ it is only a couple of miles down the road and although only 6mtrs deep it was great to do some long hangs at the bottom over a one hour period. I'll be back in the pool this Friday and I'm hoping for a decent DNF and DYN performance.

Due to time constraints i tried my much loved crazy tables tonight and although only managed 3mins 30sec my diaphragm felt all 3mins 30secs of the contractions! Ouch!

I've come back off the diet now as i feel one week is enough to feel the full benefits and i have the week off before the comp to go back into it once again.

Another Update....

2011-02-08T18:29:00.006Z

This week has been going okay so far, no work for a week is giving me loads of time to concentrate on my training. Gym sessions in the morning are going well, i bought a power-lung so i can now throw away the straw I've been using (not the same one i hasten to add!!). The power-lung makes breathing in or out as hard as you like as its fully adjustable and i find it great to use when using the rowing machine or x trainer. After 5 mins your body feels fairly deprived of O2 and the urge to spit it out of your mouth becomes greater and greater! All fun stuff, honest.

Co2 tables look like this at the moment.....
1min initial rest
2min 30sec hold
rest for 2min
2min 30sec hold
rest for 1min 45sec
2min 30sec hold
rest for 1min 30sec and so on down to 30sec rest and into the last hold of 2min 30sec.

O2 tables look like this at the moment.....
1min initial rest
1min 15sec hold
45sec rest
1min 30 hold
45sec rest
1min 45sec hold
45sec rest
2min hold and so on up to 3min hold.

Both feel about right for now although i feel i get more out of the O2 tables? Not sure why but I've never done too many O2 tables before but they feel like they give my body more to think about. Diet is also changing now, Mrs H bought a great smoothie maker today and i had my first Carrot, Curly Kale, Banana, Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Blueberry, Apple, Lime & Millions of nuts and crushed ice smoothie!!! Yum Yum!!! I used a high alkaline diet last year which i proved to have great results from, although I'm not going completely veggie i will be having these morning and afternoon which will hopefully give me the stuff i need to get me through.

Unfortunately the pool session for tonight was canceled but I'm off to the film studios on Friday with Basildon Sub-Aqua club which is a deep tank used for errrr films! Just going to use it for lots of FRC dives and some Co2 tolerance training.

More of the same tomorrow...

Training Update...

2011-02-02T21:32:00.002Z

Quick update in my training. Work has taken over once again which has made finding the time to train hard but i have stuck with the Co2 tables. I increased them by 10secs on each hold but found that only 4 rounds was too low. Tonight i went up to 8 rounds and kept the hold times the same. I found that i didn't have so many contractions so tomorrow I'll be adding on a another 20secs to each hold. The good news is i can hit the pool on Friday with Basildon Diving Club and i also have a long weekend off work. Planning on hitting the gym on all three days, again working on O2 deprivation whilst training and double up on Co2 tables each day.

Off to the doctors tomorrow to get my Freediving medical updated, once this is done i can send off my application for the Liverpool comp.

Week 3 Training....

2011-01-27T20:57:00.006Z

I'm nearly at the end of week 3 of my training for the competition. The last week has been a busy one at work, stock take, investigations, late nights and weekends, it's all work work work! I've had to keep it pretty simple and kept it to Co2 tables all week. I did manage to meet Basildon Diving Club on Friday and they agreed to me using the pool for an hour but they only train in the pool every other week. It was good to get back in the water after 6mths off. I started off with a little stretching pool side and then done some 66mtr DNF. Its a strange pool for dynamics as its 33mtrs long and has a gentle slope from 3ft in the shallow end to 12ft 6in in the deep end! Trying to stay at a constant depth throughout the discipline is hard and i usually end up bumping my head or just narrowly missing the slope as i swim back to the shallows! Big thanks to http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/ Basildon Diving Club (0356) for giving up some of their pool for me.

My BFA renewal came through today and I've booked my freediving medical for next week, so almost all set to go. AD2000 services have sponsored me for the comp so i have decided that i will do the Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is set aside for DNF only, which i have never done before and DYN/STA on Sunday which I'm hoping will go better than last year. Last year i ended up having a samba after my static and was disqualified from the comp. This year I'm pinning it back a lot and not going for a max, balls out attempt. I just need the white cards and the experience this year!

Week 1 Training Finished

2011-01-16T14:04:00.003Z

There is only one person that knows the significance of two beautiful swans (you know who you are), its a long story but we all have a mental aspect to what we think of during a static breath hold and the two swans signify the number 22! Don't ask, its a long story!!

This week i have been training with Co2 & O2 tables all week, straight after a short but fast bike ride and reeled the tables off one after the other and in pretty quick succession. This was then followed by negative diaphragm exercises and then pack stretching. About two hours each evening. At the end of this week i done some strength training at the gym and also a load of cardio on the rowing machine and x trainer breathing through my beloved straw at the same time...ouch!

Today after training i completed a pretty standard Co2 table as a warm up then went straight into my first max hold in 6mths, i took 20 contractions and ended up on 4mins 11sec. Although this isn't a huge time by anyone's standards it felt okay and i was happy with it. Unfortunately Basildon Sub Aqua Club was not in the pool on Friday night, i found out they only train every other Friday. The local pool is only open till March then they all move over to the new Olympic Pool in April which would be an amazing place to train long term. Fingers crossed they accept and i can move over to the new facilities with them when the time comes.

Normal Training Resumed...

2011-01-13T19:55:00.003Z

Last week i got news on the Liverpool competition which ran for the first time last year and although it was a disappointing comp for myself, it saw new National Records set and in my opinion, a new standard in comp's for the UK. It was run by Steve Millard and set in amazing facilities, the Great Northern Comp was fantastic and one i could not let pass for this year even if i have had a huge break in training.

I kick off my training on Sunday evening with a good cycle ride on my newly built bike and went straight into some Co2/O2 tables which all went okay. The hold times on these were low but gave me the contractions i needed. I then went into some negative holds followed by packing holds. All this gave my diaphragm a good stretch and my body a chance to experience almost for the first time the effects of the simple breath hold.

Tables on day two were increased by 10secs on both Co2 & O2 and followed by the same diaphragm exercises. Day three and four were also increased and tonight i was almost back to my normal tables (almost!!)

I'm off to see if i can get some pool time tomorrow night at my local pool so i can work on some dynamics, hopefully the good people of Basildon Diving Club at Gloucester Park Swimming Pool will say yes? I only have till the 13th March to prepare so i need to keep my training focused and realistic.

It's Been a While....

2010-10-31T15:24:00.005Z

It's been a while since I've "blogged". June 29th t be precise! Over the past four months i have worked gently on my strength and gained a stone which was much needed after my chaotic training schedule in the early part of this year. I was last in the pool on the 18th Aug 2010 and i have kept away from Co2 & O2 training throughout. I wanted to take some time out after the on-going issues with my newly built house which is slowly falling down. The on-going legal battle with the builders and moving my family back to Essex, oh and starting a new job! Its been busy, busy, busy!!

A few weeks ago i started doing some Co2 and O2 tables once again and found them no problems but after the first week stopped again as i found myself getting home from work at 8pm most nights and dying for some good old home cooking from Mrs H. I wasn't too fussed as all i need to do is get back into some okay static times and build on that in the new year in preparation for any competitions.

Last week i found myself up during the night with bad neck pain and after a day or two booked myself in to the chiropractors. An x-ray showed a large bend in the top of my spine which is going to take some work to put right, I've had two treatments and back again to see him tomorrow. Fingers crossed the pain will get better and i can start training once again. I've had a couple of rides on my bike which felt great and went out again today as the pain has slightly improved.

Bike Stats
Ride one
Ave Sp 12.7mph
Dist 4.71miles
Tm 22m 13sec
Max Sp 28.2mph
Ride two
Ave Sp 13.1mph
Dist 4.71miles
Tm 21m 32sec
Max Sp 27.8mph

Going to make a real effort to crack on with some tables next week and start working on my tolerance levels again and fingers crossed my spine gets straighter than it was last week.

More Pics Of The Weekend....

2010-06-29T11:45:00.006+01:00

A Weekend In The Green.....

2010-06-29T11:26:00.011+01:00

Had a great weekend at Chepstow, the idea of the weekend was to try some CNF & FIM which went well on day 1 and then get back into CWT on day 2. Both days were fine, nothing amazing in terms of depth but good to be back in the water with SaltFree & the gang. The weather was amazing and the viz was fantasic, 10mtr + and the water temp has started to pick up slightly. I tried my tri-suit for day 1 but found my neck weight was too heavy, i was sinking at 7mtrs and the swim back up proved hard work. I will use a single 1kg weight next time! I have been working on strength training for the last two months so was a little worried about the impact it would have carrying an extra 13lbs. I was happy that it did not impact on my dives although i will now keep my weight as it is and not put anymore on now.

Essex Boy is Back?

2010-06-08T20:21:00.004+01:00

After nearly 4yrs away from my beloved Essex, I'm back! My new dream home in Kent is slowly falling down and i'm now warming up for the next 12mths worth of fighting to get a refund! Wish me luck.

Training has been o.k, nothing amazing in terms of freediving performances but happy with how my strength work is going. I'm getting in the gym 3 days a week and now working on a training package that will make room for the freediving part. I missed pool training last week due to work but determined to make it this week. I have been trying to find a pool near home as travelling to Kent every Wednesday will prove difficult. Yesterday after the gym i walked into the David Lloyd Centre to speak with the management team and check out the pool. I have been asked to write to him, so write to him i shall. The 25mtr pool was awesome and they open till 11pm every night. All the lights are turned off after 8pm accept the blue neon's which I'm sure will put my head where it needs to be during training (fingers crossed on them agreeing)

Got back on my bike tonight, a very different route than the one I'm used too which is mostly flat, my new route has a huge hill to start then two large down hills then a long very, very steep hill which i even struggled in 1st gear! Its designed to give me an anaerobic work out and work in conjunction with my strength work outs in the gym and i think by my wobbly legs it worked fine!

Ave Sp : 14.1mph
Dist : 2.89mls
Tm : 12m 19sec
Max Sp : 28.8mph

A very short ride but explosive! When i got back for the ride i went straight into Co2 tables and although these were short timed tables they certainly hit the spot.

Back 2 The Gym....

2010-05-15T18:29:00.002+01:00

Well the last two weeks training have been good, re-joined the gym and started to pile on a few "well needed" pounds. My weight is really going back on now which I'm happy with. I managed to get to the pool last Wed and the Wed night before, both sessions went really well. I concentrated on training instead of performing! I did some wet Co2 tables and then one long hold at the end of the table after a 6min breath up, nice and slow and was happy with the results. After the static session i went into Dynamic tables which i really enjoyed. 50mtrs swim followed by 9 breaths, another 50mtrs followed by 8 breaths and so on. I only went down to 4 recovery breaths and then quit as this was my first session back in the pool for some time, i wanted it to be a positive session. I haven't done any dry Co2 tables but I'm o.k with this at the moment as I'm still trying to build some strength in my back, legs and abs.

All in all a good two weeks back at it!

Almost 5wks Off Training...........

2010-05-04T18:02:00.002+01:00

Apart from two small 20min breathing sessions i have done nothing at all in the way of training and have really enjoyed the rest, the weight is going back on almost to the same as it was before i went to Dahab. Well enough is enough and today after a busy Bank Holiday Weekend i have managed to get my arse in gear and start again. Co2 tables were enjoyable and contractions seemed fine. I started off with simple and easy 2min holds and brought the rest time from 2mins down in 15sec increment's all the way down to 15secs rest and another 2min hold. Contractions on the last few started at around a minute! I gave myself a 2min rest at the end and went straight into a Crazy Table which i took up to 3min 30sec. All in all happy with giving my lungs a small stretch.

Here We Go Again......

2010-04-26T19:02:00.003+01:00

Day 1, started training again today. Not the most challenging of training but a start at least. I came home and had a good bike ride, bike stats as follows....
Ave Sp : 14.9mph
Dist : 5 miles
Time : 20mins
Max Sp : 20.5mph

A marked improvement from the other week, i guess the body has enjoyed the rest! I felt stronger and ready to start training again. When i returned home and did some relaxing breathing techniques for 10mins and then some nice easy holds, not timing them just feeling them, up to a few contractions on each. The contractions felt so easy, again i guess my body needed the rest from them. I'm keeping the stopwatch packed away for the next couple of months, even the rest period between holds are not timed, just holding when i feel i can and breathing through the rest period no matter how long it takes.

Time to Repair

2010-04-22T19:03:00.003+01:00

2010 has not been kind to me, lack of experience? Yes! Over training? Yes! Fed up of contractions? Yes! Had enough of red cards? Yes! So what to do? Well since the Liverpool comp i have stayed away from the pool and the daily Co2 tables, i have decided to take a small break from training for now and give my body and mind some time to repair. The weight is slowly going back on which is great seeing i lost almost a stone during March and eating 5 times a day is enjoyable, especially since I'm eating all the things i should stay away from. I'll start training again in a week or so which will mean my body would have had a 5wk rest. When i return to training there will be some big differences in my approach, mainly down to what i have learnt and also what my body is telling me. 2009 was a great 1st year for me but one that cant be repeated with my current training regime, my approach gave me quick big performances but were rubbish for my long term development. Here's to rest and here's to the rest of 2010!

I did manage to get myself down to SaltFree at Chepstow last weekend. It was great to get back into the green with some familiar faces and work on some of the things i learnt in Dahab last month. The sun was glorious but the water was freezing! 4-5 degrees. This made relaxing hard and mouthfill even harder. During a simple 30mtr dive i found myself with my first throat squeeze. Not pleasant but not painful, again i learn another lesson...keep ya chin tucked in and dont look for the plate.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

2010-04-05T13:25:00.005+01:00

This morning, i took my 7yr old daughter to the pool just to round off our Easter weekend. My daughter only learnt how to swim last year. Every time we go to the pool we play for about half an hour and then she does some swimming. Usually she does 25mtrs and then we get out and go home after collecting a couple of chocolate doughnut's.

Today she said "i going to try for two lengths" but knowing how tired she gets on the 25mtrs i doubted this and said "come on, get on with it", "what if i swim three lengths?" and so on...

She got ready and off she went, one length seemed easy and she turned and off she went again, i couldn't believe that she was going for 50mtrs! At the end of the 50mtrs she turned again, the encouragement kept coming and before i knew it she was turning at 75mtrs. She managed a huge 100mtrs, spent most of it underwater and finished each length off with a nice little dolphin kick.

I was absolutely made up!!!!

Later this afternoon i went for a ride on my bike as i thought one week off training would be more than enough (i cant stand sitting around for too long) bike stats were down but to be expected as i have done no cardio for ages.

Ave Sp : 13.9mph

Dist : 5miles

Time : 21.26sec

Max Sp : 23.9mph

The wind was really strong so the ride back through the country lane was hard. It felt good to get back in the saddle and get the heart racing once again. I'm stripping my training right back to the most basic parts now so Co2 tables and O2 tables start tomorrow with a difference. Weight is still not going on even though I'm eating for England at the moment, 11st 02lbs, I've only put 2lbs on in the last week!

I'm gagging to get back in the pool on Wednesday night and start all over again.

Liverpool Comp, more red cards...

2010-03-30T20:39:00.003+01:00

Liverpool on Sunday didn't go very well for me, not my year! The comp was set up by Steve Millard and was an awesome comp. The way it was set up, run and delivered was a credit to him and all involved. I had done no static or dynamic training for this but felt o.k to compete and found myself with little nerves which was a great comfort after the nerves i suffered on my first competition. I had targeted myself with around 5mins in static and wanted to have a go at 150mtr in dynamic giving the pool was 50mtr and i wouldn't have to turn so much as my previous 133mtrs in Camberwell last year.

I entered the water 25mins before my O/T time and went through 3 easy warm up's and then got myself ready for the last hold. I went through the hold o.k and contractions started and around 3mins 30secs. I started counting them and got my first tap at 4mins and then one every 15secs. After 4min 30sec i found that the taps were quicker than anticipated and felt something was wrong, i let a little air out and thought I'd push to 5mins then come up, I'd be happy with the 5mins in a comp. As i lifted i found myself in the arms of both safety divers and had a go at them for touching me, classic stuff. "what you touching me for, i was recovering my samba". I wasn't, i had blacked out after a small samba/hypoxia Doh!

I felt terrible for pushing too hard and putting myself & others in that position, big learning curve this year. I was not allowed to enter the dynamic session after by the Doctor which was the right choice of which i had no issues with, there was no way i was going to take it easy on my dynamic as i really wanted my first 150mtr swim and would of ended up on the bottom of the pool.

On my way home i called to see how the rest of the comp went and was over the moon to hear what the mighty Dave King had done. Dave had set a new comp P.B of 6mins 58sec in static and then he hit a new NR in dynamic with a huge 217mtr!!! I believe there was some very emotional people including myself on the M6 at the time. Massive well done to Dave, it must of been awesome to watch. Dave is one of the most humble people i have met in freediving and he's accomplishments are a testament to him and his approach to this sport.

It was also great to see Emma Farrell again, Emma taught me on my first course in freediving at Deeper Blue.

On the drive home i thought over and over what went wrong and weighed myself when i got home. I had lost a 12lbs. Some due to Dahab belly bugs and some down to dieting two days before the comp. As i said lots to learn but glad to make the mistakes now and move on from them. As for Japan, well i think my first stab at a worlds can wait for another year.

Red Cards a Plenty...

2010-03-30T20:08:00.003+01:00

Been a busy boy but thought i'd get myself up to date with all the news. Dahab, or "shithab" as i have become to call it, went not so well. On arriving at the Coral Coast Hotel i found myself in what looked like down town Bagdad! Room was pants and my accommodation whilst serving in the Gulf looked and smelt better. The opposition whilst out in the Gulf were nicer than the locals too. After contracting my first bout of belly bugs me and the family decided to move hotels and moved into the Tropitel. Luxury compared to the Coral Coast but still not great in terms of food and service. Sara got me some serious bug busting killer tablets which done the trick but three days later found myself with yet another belly bug which was obviously harder than the last, if it had an SIA licence i would of employed it and put it one of my doors!

Training was great and the blue hole fantastic, i set new P.B's 3 days in a row and the official training day before the comp i hit 45mtrs with ease and the mouth fill Sara taught us all worked a treat.

Mike Board who is a freediving instructor, runs his own school on Gili Trawangan Island near Bali in Indonesia was training like a Trojan and reaped the rewards by going further than even he thought was possible. Mike ended up with a new free immersion record of 68mtrs so big congrates to him. I love seeing people do well and surpassing their own expectations, this is why i started this sport and to see what i could do with my own also.

My comp dive went bad and i went the wrong way over the counter weight bar, everyone was shouting to warn me of my error and i double dipped my airways to correct myself and was disqualified. I was gutted of the mistake but also realised that i still had a great deal of work to do on my mouth fill as i was not always getting it right. I turned early at 40mtrs on the dive anyway and had announced 50mtrs so i would of been deducted a great deal of points for the early turn.

Sam Still got 1st place which was no surprise even though being off the scene for some time he is a real contender no matter what he is doing, big well done to Sam and would be really happy to see him in Japan slapping up the points for the UK!

Lots to work on for the next year with depth but at least i now know what i need to do to get much deeper.

Blue Hole, Here We Come!

2010-03-09T19:47:00.002Z

This will be my first experience of the blue hole in Dahab. I fly out tomorrow with my family to spend two weeks training with Sara Campbell.

At the end of the training i will compete in constant weight with fins and see what i can achieve? This will also give me my official world ranking in this discipline which i will need to go to the worlds in Okinawa, Japan this year.

Double Tables day 1

2010-03-06T16:08:00.004Z

As promised, today was day one of double Co2 tables, Although i was on 2min 45sec tables before i am now doing 2min tables but timing from 1min rest and reducing down in 10sec increment's.

Both sets felt o.k, tomorrow i will do the same and then bring the hold time up by 15secs after.

I've just packed my dive bag up and bubble wrapped both my mono-fins up. My sponsor clothing is back from the printers and look great, really happy with how they came out. Without my sponsors i couldn't do these things. Thank you AD2000 services, nYne Lounge, The Beckenham, Bar Lorca & Breeze for your help in financing me to chase my dreams.

Wet training? Dry Training? Errr No Training

2010-03-06T10:23:00.002Z

Last year i really over trained before my comp, i peaked about 3wks before and went down with a cold 3 days before! This year i have kept a much more relaxed approached to training in the build up to Dahab and Liverpool comp. When i say relaxed, i mean err....doing nothing! We all know rest is good but 3 weeks of it without doing hardly anything is not good. I only done a couple of pool sessions and no Co2 tables within the last 3wk period.

Pool session on Wednesday was rubbish, i was struggling at 4min 15sec in static and only managed a measly 100mtr dynamic, and this was after huge warm up's! I'm now only 4 days away from going out to Egypt and need to improve to get the best out of my training while I'm out there.

I'm going to double up on Co2 tables each day before i go and I'm still sure that the 2wks out there will put me back where i need to be, i have taken time off before and recovered back to my normal performances within a very short space of time. Fingers crossed!

Crazy Tables....

2010-02-23T18:31:00.006Z

Crazy tables enable your body to go through the maximum amount of contractions by allowing small rest bites throughout the hold by sipping in tiny amounts of air until you are fully packed.

Tonight i managed to get my body through 4mins of contractions!! Total hold time was just over 5mins.

A nice warm up before heading off to the pool tomorrow for my Wednesday 2hr static & dynamic session.

Nerves...?? Getting there.

2010-02-21T19:30:00.006Z

As i wrote after my 1st competition, nerves played a big part in my lack of performance. Hitting 6min 20sec in STA a few days before and regularly going over the 6min mark on many statics i found myself pulling up at 4min 51sec due to nerves! This is something i have had to work hard on prior to competing again this year. Contraction time usually starts from 3min 30sec when I'm on form but this was massively reduced with the onset on nerves.

I done some NLP this year which sort of worked, years ago i went though hypnotherapy for another issue which saved my life so i was kind of hoping NLP would deliver the same results. Unfortunately not. Regular training sessions around lots of other people is key as all of my training as been away from other freedivers over the last 2yrs. This was the main reason i have started training at London Freedivers. Thursday was a good session and enabled me to start getting over these nerves and start going forward.

I started with statics but just timing when the 1st contraction kicked it and to my surprise they were only 15secs out throughout all my holds, with this in mind i will continue to train there as much as possible before i go out to Dahab.

Wednesday session went o.k, i managed a 5min 15sec static and felt fine throughout the hold, i then went into dynamics and unfortunately bumped into someone coming up to the 100mtr mark so surfaced at the 100mtr stage.

I had done no Co2 tables for over a week and have started to train a lot less now, the 2wks training in Dahab should be fine to get me on track. When i first started training i would only train once a week for 2hrs and my performances went up each week until i went over the 6min static mark, thinking on the same lines now and being careful as to not over train.

Diet with Results

2010-02-04T18:29:00.002Z

I've been finding Co2 a problem at the moment, what freediver doesn't? So I've looked internally and looked closer at my diet.

Without going into war and peace i have found a diet that worked miracles in just 3 days. Placebo? I don't care, it worked?

I stuck to it but my body was craving for the normal luxury's and this was hard, i don't usually eat rubbish as a rule but going "ultra" healthy was difficult for me but the rewards last night in the pool was worth the effort.

Static and Dynamic sessions went really well, i spent an hour on each discipline working on tolerance, contraction control and technique. I done some no warm up dynamics and did 125mtrs straight off which felt easy. My technique training was defiantly paying off as my glide was the best it's ever been, i was only kicking 3 times to each 25mtrs my lowest yet.

Contractions in static felt much more manageable and controlled.

Happy chappy, so happy i went to a burger outlet "you know the one" and it tasted soooo good!

A Good starting Point...

2010-01-18T17:52:00.002Z

After three weeks rest i have just finished my first 2wks of tables and done a nice 5min static tonight. 23 contractions is all. I could of gone on further but 5mins was the target so happy with that!

I'll go back to 2min 45sec Co2 tables again tomorrow and Wednesday try another 5min static wet then carry on for the rest of the week with the tables.

Holds went something like this.....

2min slow breath up 2min 15sec hold (1st contraction)

2min slow breath up 2min 30sec hold (1st contraction)

2min 2/4/2 breath up 3min hold (1st contraction)

2min 2/4/2 breath up 5min hold (1st contraction kicked in just after 3mins)

I was expecting the 1st kick to come in at 3min 15sec on the 4th hold but this shows i still need lots of work on my tolerance to Co2, i used to use 2/4/2 breath up's for everything, now only using for performance holds. This allows my body to adjust better to Co2 and wont have negative effects as before as i wont be using them long term. All in all happy chappy tonight!

World Team Selection

2010-01-14T19:35:00.006Z

The list of applicants came through on e mail from the BFA for the UK Team which will go to Japan yesterday and i was in the mix. 3 males and 3 female places up for grabs. I was placed in third. A little un-sure of being in front of Sam Still (ex world champion in STA) and still current NR holder in static with an amazing 8min 19sec.

The World Championships are a team event and the UK has to send it's very best to Japan, Sam is also a much deeper freediver than i but has not been ranked since 2005. The applicants still have a number of competitions before the worlds and i will be competing in Dahab in march and then in Liverpool also in March. This will give me exposure to all three disciplines required for Japan.

The team will be officially selected on May 01st.

The BFA have set up a forum thread on the BFA site so we can all start to talk to each other which is a great idea.

This weeks training...well just still going with the Co2 tables and i finally got myself down to the pool last night. Statics were not great and i cut myself well short at 4mins as i didn't want to come out disappointed or negative in any way. I then done a nice 125mtr dynamic which felt hard but rewarding. Lactic acid was high in my legs and the recovery took some time when i surfaced. It was good to get wet again.

Tonight i just carried on with my 2min 45sec Co2 tables, seemed a little harder tonight? Tired!

Tables...

2010-01-11T19:42:00.003Z

As promised i moved my Co2 tables up to 2min 45sec tonight, felt absolutely fine, I'll carry on with them this week and next week bring them up to 3min holds. Taking the contractions felt fine, nice and slow, nice and comfortable, really feel I'm getting used to them now. They feel different than before, manageable, I'm no longer impressed with them (as my friend Eric once said)

Here is a example of the Co2 table i'm using this week.

Table example :

2min rest

2min 45sec hold

1min 30sec rest

2min 45sec hold

1min rest

2min 45sec hold

30sec rest

2min 45sec hold

recovery breath x3 then hold again for 2min 45sec

2010??????

2010-01-10T14:29:00.004Z

Well, what will 2010 bring? I set myself a target which was to peak in static by the end of 2009 which i did then rest for a few weeks. Well the rest is over and I'm back training. Co2 tolerance was non-existent after 3wks off! I decided to start in the best and most basic place, Co2 tables. I've finished my first week of these and they have gone well. My tolerance has improved over 5 days of training. The tables were all 2min 30sec holds with double repetition on the last holds, i.e 2min 30sec hold, three recovery breaths and back into 2min 30sec hold. Contractions seemed very light throughout all the holds which surprised me! Next week I'll push up to 2min 45sec tables.

As for the first quarter this year, i will be concentrating on Co2 tolerance, static and dynamic and CWT. In March I'm off to Dahab to train with Sara Campbell www.sarafreediver.com this will be an amazing opportunity for me to improve on my depth. Tickets are booked and flights sorted for the 10th March to the 24th of March. We are going to have a small comp out there also on the 21st which will give me official ranking in CWT. On the Sunday when i return i will also be competing in Liverpool in static and dynamic and all going well will have points on the board for all 3 disciplines for the Worlds in Japan.

Here's to a promising 2010?

Dynamic Training @ Richmond

2009-12-11T20:35:00.002Z

Thursday night i met with the Richmond Guy's & Girls again, this time to go through my dynamic safety brief with Mark Harris, all good stuff. I had no pre-conceptions of what i wanted to do this week in terms of distance, i just wanted to see what a 33mtr pool felt like and get used to the pool. It was taking me 4-5 kicks per length and the slope at the deep end was a little confusing the first time. I usually train in a 25mtr, constant depth pool, so you just follow the line and turn after 3 kicks. I found my goggles stuck to my face at the deep end and bashing my head on the way back as the slope goes back up to the shallow end! After the session i went to the deep end of the pool and realised i had been turning at the bottom of the pool which i why i felt my turns were feeling slightly strange? All in all i completed 9 x 66mtr swims which all felt fine and relatively easy, i do usually do an hour of static before i train in dynamic but it was good to go straight into the dynamics with no warm up's. Next session i will push between 3-4 lengths. It will be good to get to 132mtrs which is 1mtr short of P.B. Less turns to make as this would only be 4 lengths verses my normal 5 and a bit. Can't wait to get back next week!

This Weeks Training So Far....

2009-12-08T16:23:00.002Z

I haven't been doing too much this week in terms of training, just going through contraction start times. These have been slightly worse than last week and i haven't pushed my statics at all. Thursday training at London Freedivers went well, Mark Harris took myself and a couple of other guys through all the safety stuff, it was good to see a couple of familiar faces up there also. The environment was just wanted i needed. I am so used to training under my own steam and need to get out of my comfort zone, train somewhere different and with different people. When i competed for the 1st time this year it was that exact same feeling i got when i trained at Richmond. Slightly nervous! Of what you may ask, i have no idea?

This week I'm doing my intro to Dynamic with Mark Harris again and cover off all the safety aspects of this discipline, this will be good for me.

6mins 05secs....

2009-12-01T18:10:00.004Z

Another 6min static tonight, this is the first time i have ever done two consecutive 6min holds. Again no breath up, just nice slow full inhale/exhales. Contractions started a few seconds earlier this time but again the contractions were quite and manageable.

Hold 1 : 2mins 30sec (1st contraction)
2mins rest
Hold 2 : 3mins (1st contraction)
2mins rest
Hold 3 : 3mins 30sec (1st contraction) 4 packs
3mins rest
Hold 4 : 6mins 05secs (1st contraction at 3min 35sec) 4 packs

I took only 40 contractions this time, nice and slow. I also increased my rest to 3mins before the 4th and final hold. Very happy chappy tonight. This week i will be, for the first time, training with Mark Harris at Richmond (http://www.londonfreediving.org/) who have been so kind to let me train with them. For the first time i will be training in dynamic and static with people who know what they are doing. I have up to this point been training at my local pool with a great bunch of divers who give me generous time in the pool but from a safety point of view i never push my performances as i would never of wanted to give them a scare! Training at Richmond will allow me to push things slightly harder and help me improve. Thanks Mark!

Success 6min 01sec..

2009-11-30T20:15:00.007Z

At last some success, over the past week or so i have cut out the big breath up's and found success in slow, deep inhales. exhales. Tonight whilst training i hit 6mins once again. I had a complete weekend off
work and relaxed with my Daughter, hadn't trained since last Tuesday and wasn't really expecting much at all. I started again by just timing when the first contraction kicked in on each hold.

Hold 1 : 2min 30sec (1st contraction)
2min rest
Hold 2 : 3min (1st contraction)
2min rest
Hold 3 : 3min 15sec (1st contraction) 4 packs
2min rest
Hold 4 : 6min 01sec (4 packs)

My 1st contraction started at 3min 35sec on hold 4 and i took the first 10 nice and slowly which took me round to 4min 35sec, the next 10 contractions took me to 5min 15sec. I was going to stop but remembered i had hit 5min 30sec a few weeks ago so thought i should at least go to that point. When i hit 5min 30sec i had already taken 40 contractions so just pushed for another 31secs just past 6mins. I took 50 contractions in total but they felt o.k and fairly light and manageable.

I still believe that the hyperventilating was having some negative effects on my performances and that i may of been over training this year. I never give my body time to rest or recover. Over the past couple of months due to my performances going backwards i have laid off the hard training and rested as i was losing motivation. After tonight, my motivation is back, I'll crack back into the same tomorrow and Wednesday and see what each session brings?

Just say "NO" to hyperventilating?

2009-11-24T19:24:00.003Z

As you can probably tell if you read through my blog, since my first competition i have been slowly going backwards. I've had the odd bit of success but still nowhere near where i thought i would be at the end of 2009! I really targeted myself with 7mins static at the end of this year as i had been over 6mins five or six times but nothing was working for me since May.

I've tried max attempts everyday, yoga, no warm up's and FRC holds but again no progress? I went into lots of Co2 tables, crazy tables, you name it, I've tried it.

I believe that hyperventilating has great immediate effects on your performance but if you rely on them they have a bad effect on your long term development. With this in mind i continued my training this week but cut out the 2/4/2 breath up's and replaced with relaxed, slow deep breaths before each hold. The aim was to take each hold up to the point of the 1st contraction and rest for 2mins and repeat.

Day one
2min hold
2min 30sec hold
3min hold
3min 15sec hold

Day two
2min 30sec hold
2min 45sec hold
3min 15sec hold
3min 30sec (1st contraction) continued to 5mins with 19 contractions

Only doing three warm up's, no packing, no 2/4/2 breathing saw my contraction kick in time only 15secs behind where i was when i was doing over 6min holds. My contractions earlier this year did not start until 3min 45sec. I know that i need to take more control of the contractions and slow them down, this was key earlier this year. I have started to mouth fill during a static hold at the point of 1st contraction and also in between contractions to delay each one as long as possible.

Off to the pool tomorrow, this time with no pre-conceptions of what i want to achieve although i must say i will be happy to say goodbye to the whole "4mins something" sessions...

Involuntary week off...

2009-11-16T18:02:00.002Z

I had to go away last week for a few days to Marbella in Spain at the Andalucia hotel and was ordered to drink copious amounts of alcohol by my hosts, bummer! For those that know me well, will be aware that i don't do drinking very well. Anyway it was a great few days and also nice to take a bit of a break away from training.

I went back to training tonight and went for a good ride in the blustery weather we having at present, my times were way down but then i never trained in 60mph head winds.

I did some Co2 tables when i got back which went surprisingly well and i got through them with ease. Tomorrow will bring another similar days training and hopefully convert into a good pool session on Wednesday?

Max Attempts vs. Performance

2009-11-07T14:42:00.002Z

Well, i thought i would try lots of max attempts in the hope of boosting my times back to where they should be but after doing a nice 5min 30sec STA, i went to the pool and it didn't go great. I used the same breath up as i did the day before and i gave up at 4min 30sec! I did place a 1min 40sec FRC hold before my last one but it just didn't work.

I have read before that max attempts should only be done once a week but i thought i would give it a try two days in a row and i felt tired. I'm going to try two or three max attempts next week in dry training to give it a bit more time but not the day before i train wet.

Dynamic session went o.k, again only 100mtrs but working on my turns which were really poor last week. This week they had improved.

5mins 30sec..Getting Back on Track.

2009-11-03T17:18:00.005Z

The last weeks training has gone well, plenty of cycling, dry statics and tables with good results. One of the main things I'm doing is getting back to what worked for me last year and earlier this year. I have also just started max attempts which i'm going into everyday! (started today)

Breath up's were all 2/4/2 and i extended them each time to delay the build up of Co2...

2/4/2 breathing for 2mins (hold for 2min 30sec) no contractions
1min rest NTB
2/4/2 breathing for 3mins (hold for 3min 15sec) 2 contractions
1min rest NTB
2/4/2 breathing for 4mins (hold for 3min 30sec) 2 contractions
1min rest NTB
2/4/2 breathing for 5mins (hold for 5min 30sec) 27 contractions 8 packs

Whole exercise took just less than 32mins from beginning to end. I was really happy with the results and tomorrow I'm off to the pool to do the same, i might put in one FRC hold at the end before the last one to see what happens.

Tonights Pool Results

2009-10-28T22:11:00.004Z

I only targeted myself with a 5min static and a 100mtr dynamic tonight which i carried off with no problems. I went back to doing things the way i used to and tonight was the beginning of getting back on track.

I'm not going to see immediate results from this but I'm sure in a month or so i will be back on the right track and tonight's performance was better than the last few weeks.

Static sessions went like this...
2min breath up no goggles with snorkel - 1min 50sec hold (no contractions)
2min breath up no goggles with snorkel - 2min 03sec hold (no contractions)
2min breath up no goggles with snorkel - 1min 19sec hold (no contractions) FRV HOLD
2min breath up no goggles with snorkel - 1min 36sec hold (no contractions) FRV HOLD
2min breath up 2/4/2 (face out of water) 3min hold (no contractions)
2min breath up 2/4/2 (face out of water) 3min 15sec hold (no contractions)
3min breath up 2/4/2 (face out of water) 5min hold (30 contractions)

The last hold felt a little ruff after 18 contractions and i packed slightly too much on the last hold which caused some discomfort for the first few minutes, overall i was fairly happy.

Dynamic was o.k but my turns were awful. I just couldn't get any of them right over the 100mtrs in covered. I then went into practicing my turns and again i found my legs and mono-fin flapping about out of the water! It felt very awkward and not at all smooth. Again i have to weight myself correctly now i am using the Foor Suit. Practice Practice Practice!!

Good Week...

2009-10-27T20:43:00.002Z

A good week training so far, I've been doing the Co2 tables everyday and always following up with a crazy tables.

Bike stats were...
Ave Sp - 16mph
Dist - 4.99miles
Time - 18min 38sec
Max Sp - 22.3mph

All in all a good solid week getting back to some basics, into the pool tomorrow, I'm going back to some serious warm up holds and FRC warm up's.

Back to tables Back to basics...

2009-10-24T13:34:00.003+01:00

Last night when i got home i had a good read through my blog and although I've never been a lover of tables i realised that my times and performances were always better after doing them. Sounds obvious i know but with that in mind i thought i would go back to some hard work on Co2 tables.

I went for a ride on my bike which went great, really enjoying my new route and i also put on a tri-athlete bar which i found helped massively on the straights, i could really get my head down and bring the speed up.

Bike stats were..
Ave Sp : 16.1mph (fastest yet)
Dist : 4.97miles
Time : 18.31sec
Max Sp : 22.3mph

I've totalled up 15 hours on my bike this year and covered 202 miles

As soon as i got home i went straight into Co2 tables and then straight into a 4min crazy table after. It felt good and i took 3mins of contractions on the crazy table which should put me back on track if i carry on. I did 2min 30sec holds (not 50% of PB but i will work up to this) and i also knew i wanted to do the crazy table at the end. Contractions started at 45sec on the crazy table as you start with empty lungs then i had one or two little sips of air every 15secs all the way up to 4mins until i was fully packed. Not my best but a good start.

Felt great after, i will carry on like this till the end of the year and get back in the pool next week.

Brick Wall......

2009-10-21T16:51:00.004+01:00

My training tree has produced very little fruit over the past couple of months. I've tried changing things around, I've listened to all sorts of people, their advice and none have worked, in fact i have gone backwards!

Over the past couple of weeks i have even invested in some pranayama private lessons and done some pretty intense yoga lessons with a great guy called Paul, and whilst i understand the reasoning behind these techniques i have found no use for them at all apart from being a little more relaxed than i usually feel before a hold or dive.

For those that know me any type of this kind of training is laughable but i had to give it a try and it's not for me. Many people swear by it and make great gains with it and fair play to them. I'm more about physical gains, numbers and results. We are all born with the same body, internal organs etc we just have to work at it to be good. Some lucky people make it happen by strength of mind, others like myself have to work at it. After all Co2 is Co2 no matter what i do to my mind it's always going to build up and I'm going to have to deal with it.

I am changing things around as of next week and cracking on with what i know best, after all it got me 6mins 20sec STA and 133mtrs in DYN this year, i also won my first competition and ranked No1 in the UK in dynamic and No3 (same time as No1 but penalty points added) in static this year, my first year, so it must be working some how.

The main aim is to gain a higher base level of performance before year end and then go into 2010 at that level and build on it till April for a competition. Clarity in thinking is everything and over the past couple of months I've been as confused as a doorman with no one to punch!

Samba time....

2009-10-08T20:27:00.004+01:00

Last week was a mad week at work and i found that i had no time to train at all, no tables, no bike rides, sod all! I got down to the pool on Wednesday night and found my static time down to 4min 05secs which was a joke, don't think it had anything to do with no training as 5 min's is usually always on the card no matter what i do but i think the work load had played on my mind and i couldn't get into my stride. Dynamic session went well, the pool was very busy with the Diving club but i was still trying to weight myself correctly so it wasn't an issue.

Training this week has been virtually non-existent, i did get out on my bike which was great and i smashed my old times...

Ave Sp - 15.8mph
Dist - 4.98m
Time - 18.53sec
Max Sp - 21.8mph

I went down to the pool last night after fasting for 12hrs!! I had some squeezed lemons (1st time for ages) as i wanted to really push my statics for the first time in ages. I did the same breath up's as in previous weeks, two small warm up's followed by one long breath up and then onto the big one. I lifted at 5min 02sec as i knew i wasn't going to do very well and missed my recovery breaths completely! My arm started to shake and i nearly punched myself in the face then i went into a full samba. Oops!

Not sure what's going on with my performances lately, I've just hit a wall and haven't moved forward for ages. Again I'm going to change things around a bit and see what happens? I going to have to dig deep! A good friend gave me some great advice tonight and i know what i have to do, be more relaxed, take the pressure off and get back to some basics. They worked for me earlier this year so they should work now.

Training Updates....

2009-09-27T13:48:00.003+01:00

After finally cleaning off the horrible virus on my laptop I'm finally able to to put up some posts. Training has been going well and i found a new route to go on my bike sessions. It's virtually the same distance and a much more enjoyable ride that my old route which i was getting bored of. I found many other cyclists on the route which had amazing bikes and looked the part, i was stuck behind a group and thought "I'd better not over take" they looked awesome in all their kit and expensive bikes. After a few miles i thought this is too slow and went flying past them on my £300 bike and £20 helmet from Halfords. I felt good about myself until i got to the back end of the route which was all up hill and they all flew past me at god knows what speeds! Lesson learnt!

Bike stats on the new route are as follows...
Ave Sp - 15.5mph
Dist - 5.16miles
Time - 19.53sec
Max Sp - 21.2mph

Ride two
Ave Sp - 15.3mph
Dist - 5.17miles
Time - 20.13sec
Max Sp - 21mph

My static session last week went great, when i first went back to training after 5-6wks off my times were down to 3min 30sec! After two session back i hit an easy 5min 15sec and i have left my long extended warm up's behind me.

2min NTB (normal tidal breathing)
2min hold no packing, no purging
Repeated again
3min very slow breathing (3 breaths in 3mins)
2min 2/4/2 breath up with packing - 3min 30sec hold
3min 30sec very slow breathing (3 breaths in 3min 30secs)
4mins 2/4/2 breath up with packing - 5min 15sec hold (27 contractions)

My dynamic session in my new FOOR suit was great, i usually kick 4-5 times per length depending on how well i kick off from the turns but with the new suit i was down to 3 kicks. I used a different neck weight with 2.5kgs in and had a 2kg weight on my belt which seemed to work fine. I'll do a full write up on the suit later as i get used to it and make some small adjustments.

Training Updates

2009-09-17T20:39:00.002+01:00

Bike stats
Ave Sp : 15.1mph
Dist : 5.26miles
Time : 20.49sec
Max Sp : 21.4mph

Co2 tables went well which i done as soon as i got of my bike so my heart rate was very high, my resting heart rate is still high which i put down to my 5wk break? I moved straight from Co2 tables into pack stretches and reverse packing which seemed slightly easier than before.

FOOR Quantum Suit

2009-09-17T20:21:00.003+01:00

Well i finally got round to ordering my suit which I'm going to be using for my dynamic training and performances. I ordered it from http://triuk.com/web/ which delivered it within 1 working day! I was unsure of my size so i e mailed them and let Emma at Tri-UK know what my chest, height and weight was and the suit she sent fitted perfectly. The wrist and ankle cuffs were taped so i could if required cut them to fit. The suit is 5mm in the body, back and bum and 3mm in the arms which taper down to 2mm, the legs are the same.

The suit was well priced £124.99 and looked great and I'm looking forward to trying it Wednesday in the pool.

Here's a quick write up on the suit....

Designed for maximum buoyancy with unrivalled durability and flexibility –
at an incredible price! No other entry level suit on the market offers full
smooth skin neoprene throughout PLUS ultra flexible neoprene on neck,
arm and back panels. With Foor there is no compromise.

Full SCS neoprene throughout to glide you through the water
Exclusive! Nanomoto Cell 40 SCS neoprene arm/lat/neck/back panels
to ensure no restriction on tired muscles
Aqua Shield Superlite 900 lining delivers maximum buoyancy and flexibility
Low cut anti-rub neck seal Flex-i-Panel minimises water intake and chafing
Lower back Flex-i-Panel allowing freedom of movement for entire stroke phase
ARB Panel to maximise core stability and minimise ‘snaking’
S2T Panel to maximise speed of movement out of water
Extended Hydro Friction forearm panel to ‘grab’ the water
Extended internal taped seams allowing a personalised fit
Hand stitched and glued
Taken from the FOOR web site.
http://www.foor.co.uk/

Quick training update.....

2009-09-15T22:52:00.004+01:00

Training tonight went well, bike stats are as follows...

Ave Sp : 15mph
Dist : 5.24miles
Time : 20.53sec
Max Sp : 21mph

I came home and done a good ab workout and then went straight into Co2 tables which went fine. I finished of with pack stretches and some negative diaphragm exercises. I've only just got into these and I'm going to keep extending the time i hold them, so far its not very long at all as i am completely reverse packing. Hopefully it will give my diaphragm some more flexibility and in the long term help in contractions? I'll have to wait and see?

I also looked at another tri suit called "Foor Quantum" which I'm enquiring about.

Holiday finished back on to Winter Training!!

2009-09-14T19:49:00.010+01:00

Cyprus was a great break for me and the family, we went to out there for 2wks and are now well & truly rested! I also meet up with Simos who was getting hitched to Katie and when we finally met up it was in the middle of the sea outside of Green Bay. It was great to meet up as we only met up for a few minutes at the Camberwell breath hold comp and have been e mailing each other for ages, We took some pics whilst out in the sea and caught a pipe fish and bite it to death (sorry no spear gun) anyway congrats Mr & Mrs Simos!

I went back to training last Sunday and done some cycling and some relaxation stuff, not really my cup of tea but i know it is key to good performances now after my poor static at my fist comp. This doesn't mean I'm going into meditation, yoga, chanting or anything else, just getting my resting heart rate down and finding tune with my breath.

Both sets of cycle stats although very poor are as follows...

Dist : 5.25miles

Time : 19.34sec

Ave Sp : 14.9mph

Max Sp : 22.1mph

Dist 5.25miles

Time 22.10sec

Ave Sp : 14.2mph

Max Sp : 19.9mph

I was smashing these times up to my comp and holding my breath whilst doing so every 15secs so i have to get my base fitness levels up and improve. I went to the pool on Wednesday and and did my first static session for 5wks and gave up after i hit 3mins 30sec!! I could believe that my times were down that low. I managed some DNF over 50mtrs and went home. Today my bike session still felt hard and i stopped poncing around with relaxation and did some Co2 tables and now i feel a bit more confident about going over 5mins at the pool this Wednesday.

I finally got my Orca suit last week but it was the wrong one and wrong size, there are no size 6 anywhere in the world so I'm shopping around for something else. I met with some Tri-Athlete guys today for some advice and they have pointed me in the direction of 2XU suits which fit my budget and will do the job!

Aqua Sphere

2009-08-07T15:38:00.004+01:00

Sorry but my sponsor AD2000 Services have been spoiling me rotten lately and i ordered the new Aqua Sphere eagle interchangeable goggles.

I'll do a write up on them when they get delivered next week.

SaltFree Double Dip Comp Photo's

2009-08-03T18:47:00.002+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallflinn/sets/72157621800479157/

Lots & lots of very cool pictures from the recent SaltFree Double Dip Comp Courtesy of Mr Niall Flinn, some real corkers on here.

VO2MAX Explained?

2009-08-03T16:32:00.003+01:00

This is the first supplement i have been given to try from (S)olo Sport Supplements, i have to go through a 5 day loading phase first so I'm not going to start to use it until this Friday which will give me the full effects before my Wednesday training session. Below is VO2Max explained.....

VO2MAX increases oxygen uptake and ventilary break point, enabling the athlete to push harder for a longer period of time.
It also increases your body’s formation of ATP, which allows your muscles to work for longer periods without fatigue.
Furthermore, it buffers lactic acid, which forms around the muscles following moderate to intense exercise. Lactic acid hampers performance and is responsible for the soreness and stiffness experienced after physical activity.
Various bio available forms of iron have been added, as iron is essential to red blood cell formation and functioning. It is used in the of red blood cells, in order to transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and to export carbon dioxide back to the lungs. Furthermore, iron is an essential component of to store oxygen in muscle.

Supplement Facts
Folic Acid 400µg
Vitamin B12(Cyanocobalamin) 20µg
Monosodium phosphate and Di-sodium Phosphate 880mg of which Phosphorus 211mg
Vinburnine 20mg
Magnesium Orotate 350mg of which Magnesium 21mg
Ginseng (10:1 Extract) 200mg
White Willow Bark Extract (15% Salicylate) 150mg
Ferrous sulphate 33mg
Ferrous fumarate 33mg
Ferrous gluconate 33mg of which total elemental iron 21.5mg
Vitamin C 150mg
Theobromine 25mg

No fins training / Vo2 max?

2009-07-31T15:48:00.005+01:00

I have been training in dynamic no fins for the last couple of weeks and seemed to be hooked. This all stemmed from trying free immersion and constant weight no fins a little while ago. The picture featured is William Trubridge on his way 88mtr CWNF which looked awesome.
I have been mainly looking at how far i can go rather than technique at this point, i have completed 75mtrs on every training session which i now feel comfortable at.

Once i have weighting sorted to achieve perfect neutral buoyancy and get my gliding & stroke per length sorted i should be fine for 100mtrs dynamic. I have been looking at some of the swim suits which will help with my gliding but then i will have to re-address my weighting as well which should have me gliding like a torpedo!

I think the current NR is 127mtrs so i will have to see what my progress is like in the next month or so and see if this is within my grasp? Watch this space?

Static sessions have been going fine, I'm not trying to beat any PB's in this now but just going through the motions, so I'm only taking these up to the 5min mark at present.

I may of got myself another sponsor too http://www.solosupplements.co.uk/default.asp its a supplement store and I'm going to trial a supplement called Vo2 max which is based of Ph buffers and red blood cell production (or something?) not sure yet but sounds good. It's not something to take everyday but more for loading 5 days prior to a performance. Once I've given it a go I'll post some results up.

Back 2 Training?

2009-07-09T18:53:00.003+01:00

Since the competition i have not trained a great deal. I made it down to Chepstow with SaltFree for some depth training as this is what i want to concentrate on this year. The session weekend before last went really well and for the first time i felt quite relaxed throughout my dives and made a good 38mtr CWT dive. Gliding from 12mtr to the plate felt good. I packed slightly more that usual as equalising was hard and mouthfill is not happening yet. Something to work on this year as i know i can go a lot deeper.

Last night i finally got down to the pool for some static training and dynamics. The session went very well seeing as i have done nothing since the comp in these two disciplines. Breath up were nice and slow breathing with a couple of purges before each performance hold and i have keep the amount of warm up holds down to a minimum. I targeted myself with a 5min static and a 100mtr dynamic which i did with ease!

I done a couple of press releases since the competition which was designed to give both my sponsors a good shout out and also Swallows who facilitate my training. Both were pretty poor and didn't mention the stuff that i wanted. You can see one on the following link....the other was printed in the Kent Messenger which was quite good.

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4470410.Freediver_at_Holmes_under_water/

Ideally the press releases will give me better coverage and spur on a couple more sponsors?

Out of the Blue & Into the Green

2009-06-19T14:27:00.005+01:00

After the sanitised environment of the pool comp it was time to get back into the green of the lake for some depth.

I took a couple of weeks off after the pool comp and last weekend got myself of to Chepstow with the SaltFree gang for a great weekend of depth training. We all meet up on a very sunny Saturday and got cracking with preparation for the upward coming Double Dip comp.

I left the monofin in the car as i wanted to try my hand at free immersion and constant weight no fins for the whole weekend. These two disciplines are extremely difficult to master and CWNF is considered the purest form of freediving. I guess that not being the deepest freediving in the world i could also do with the 1.3 points per meter this discipline gives you instead of the 1 point per meter the relative easy CWT gives you.

I managed 30mtrs in FIM and 20mtrs in CWNF which i was happy with since it was my first attempt and found equalising and trying to swim my extremely buoyant self down very hard but as soon as i got to 12mtrs i found myself gliding quite well to the plate which could be seen 10mtrs before i got there. The visibility was amazing!!

Pool training on Wednesday night went well also, i changed my breath up again and the amount of warm up holds during my static session, i just got more into relaxing and left the 2/4/2 breath up behind me. I took just 5 breaths over a 2min period before a few deep purge breaths and then straight in to the holds with some packing.

Hold 1 : 2min (no breath up/no packing)
Hold 2 : 2.22sec (no breath up/no packing)
Hold 3 : FRV 1min
Hold 4 : FRV 1min 20sec
Hold 5 : 5 breaths over 2mins (quick purge and pack) 3.45sec
Hold 6 : 5 breaths over 2mins (quick purge and pack) 5mins

The last hold of 5mins went well and i took 27 contractions, usually a 4min hold at this point using my old system but it felt good and more pure (less mechanical) than my old style.

Dynamic went well also, just swimming to 100mtrs and concentrating on technique.

Camberwell Comp Results

2009-06-04T18:26:00.020+01:00

Winners
2nd Great Camberwell Breath Hold
31 May 2009
Competition winners

Mens Prizes

Overall 1st place
Chris Holmes (55.2 points in static/66.5 points in dynamic) Total Points 121.7

Overall 2nd place
Alan Barber

Overall 3rd place
Martin Ashkenazy-Jones

Newbie
Alfonso Nanni Costa

Static
Charlie Edwards

Dynamic With Fins
Chris Holmes

Dynamic No Fins
Alan Barber

Womens Prizes

Overall 1st place
Georgina Miller

Overall 2nd place
Liv Philip

Overall 3rd place
Barbara Jeschke

Newbie
Kattie Lussier (Starter)

Static
Georgina Miller (STA National Record)

Dynamic With Fins
Mandy Buckley (DYN National Record)

Dynamic No Fins
Liv Philip (DNF National Record)

1st Place...

2009-06-01T21:20:00.004+01:00

On Sunday i entered my first competition. This is what i had been training for and aiming at for so long. Ever since i completed my first freediving course i wanted to compete but never in a million years thought i would win!

The competition was the 2nd Great Camberwell UK Breath Hold organised by Liv Philip (UK National Record Holder)

The list of athletes was very daunting to read and William Trubridge was to make his first attempt at DNF of 150mtrs in a competition! The performance from such an amazing athlete was great to watch (a real master class) unfortunately he made an error in his surface protocol.

I learnt so much about what it's like to compete and what i have to improve on for next time, "my nerves"

My OT was at 12.40hrs for static and i began to warm up 45mins before, i did exactly what i normally do in training and started. The first thing i noticed was my heart rate, normally at 50-55bpm and sometimes as low as 44bpm, felt so much faster and seemed to stay at 100bpm throughout!

All my warm up times were terrible and way out from what they normally are and by the time i reached the performance area i already knew i was in trouble. I had announced a 5min 05sec hold which meant if i was under this i would be given penalty points. I got my count down from 20secs and started my hold at +4secs (something was going right) i started to go through my mental routine, that place you try to disappear in your mind. By the time i started i just knew the contractions were going to start so early.

Normally contractions start at about 4mins but they started at 2min 45sec! I was so gutted as i was hoping for a 6min static. I got my first tap at 4mins, by this time i had already gone through 40 contractions and when i got my second tap at 4min 30sec i had lost count. I slipped my hand underwater to look at the time as the 3rd tap seemed to take forever and i had forgotten to start my stopwatch! I came up early and was given my first orange card for not reaching what should of been a very 5min 05sec.

My dynamic O.T was at 14.49hrs and went much better and i completed a new P.B of 133mtrs. I felt i could of finished the length to reach 150mtrs but decided to come up early and ensure i got a white card. The dynamic felt great and i feel i have alot more to offer in this discipline?

The performances by the women were fantastic and 3 NR were broken by G.Miller/L.Philip & M.Buckley. Alan Barber who holds the NR for dynamic went for a very strong 107mtr DNF performance which he did with ease.

Martin (Yoda Turtle) did an amazing P.B in DNF also and went way over 100mtrs against his old performance of 88mtrs. Amazing and well done Martin.

I will post on the pictures of the event once they come through and also my first AIDA official world ranking.

End of Training...

2009-05-30T20:31:00.004+01:00

Today i have been resting up before the competition, no training. I have almost cleared the cold which is great news and my chest feels fairly clear now. Just finished eating a damn good fillet steak and going to get an early night!

My official top time for static is 12:40 and 14:49 for my dynamic so i have been working out my breath up times and hold times so i know when i need to get wet and start preparation before my performance hold. It takes me 46mins to get ready and if i hit the pool at 11:55 i should be fine. I also timed how long it takes to do 5 purge breaths then a full exhale, full inhale + packing. If i start this at -20secs before my OT i will be fine and ready to go within 4secs of my OT.

Here's to an enjoyable first comp, just hope i have done everything i could to be the best i can be?

3 days to go....I've got a cold!

2009-05-28T11:38:00.003+01:00

Well i went to the pool last last and took thing nice and easy, didn't want to go over 10 contractions in the last hold but they started early at around the 3min 45sec mark!

I done some technique training for dynamic which went well and practiced my turns again. When i got home i had a very runny nose and woke up this morning sneezing my head off! I've got a cold!

Can't believe my luck, only 3 days out to the comp and this happens. I'm now taking on loads of fluids and going to do double Co2 tables today and again tomorrow just to get my Co2 tolerance up a little as it's now tailing off slightly. Maybe i peaked a couple of weeks ago?

I started taking some garlic, iron and multi-vits to give myself a boost also.

Last Week of Training

2009-05-27T12:56:00.003+01:00

It's now only 4 days to competition day, over the last few days i have been training but taking things very easy. Very little dry training and only two bike rides. One of which i tried by breathing through a straw. I have used straws before but never whilst exercising. It was sooo hard! i only managed about 2mins and then gave up.

Bike stats yesterday were...
Ave Speed 14.2mph
Dist 5.28miles
Time 22min.12secs
Max Speed 26.3mph

Not the best stats but the wind was head on all the way and again i done this with 15sec breath holds throughout the first 12mins.

I'm off to the pool tonight to go through my warm up routine and time everything so i get on my Official Top (O.T) dead on time and plan this perfectly? This will be the main aim tonight but also to make this training session have a really positive outcome. Not push things but to take it nice and easy and leave the pool with good thoughts.

It's important not to push hard now and no max attempts until the comp.

Spiro-Meter Test Number 2

2009-05-21T17:29:00.005+01:00

It's been a busy few days since training Monday, on top of my training i also managed to get back to the doctors to get my second spirometer test done. Published results at the end of this post, as you can see my FVC (full volume capacity) has gone up from 6.73ltrs to 7.12ltrs. Very happy with the results and also the overall results this week.

Pool session also went great and i completed a good solid 6min 05sec static with only 30 contractions.

Hold 1 : full exhale/ full inhale 2min
Hold 2 : as above
Hold 3 : FRV 1min
Hold 4 : FRV 1min 10sec
Hold 5 : 2/4/2 breath up 3min 45sec
Hold 6 : as above 4min
Hold 7 : FRV 1min 57sec
Hold 8 : 2/4/2 breath up + packing 6min 05sec

As you can see i did not carry out a normal 7th hold but replaced it with a FRV hold this way i get the full 45min in my warm up area before my max attempt when i compete. I was really happy with this performance last night.

Dynamic was hard over only 100mtrs, just could not get into my dynamic tonight but hey hoo, I'm happy with everything else.

Bike Stats (today)
Ave Speed : 14.9mph
Dist : 5.31mile
Time : 21.18sec
Max Speed 24.4mph

Really good bike ride and was carrying out the normal 15sec holds throughout the first 12mins as before.

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 Nov 08....................... My results May 08
FEV1 4.83ltrs (128%)........................... FEV1 4.89ltrs (131%)
FVC 6.73ltrs (149%)............................. FVC 7.12ltrs (159%)
FEV1/FVC 72 (base) 92 (max)........... FEV1/FVC 69 (base) 92 (max)
Lung Age Less than <20yrs................ Lung Age less than <20yrs

Extra Pool Training...

2009-05-19T20:32:00.004+01:00

The good people of http://www.swallowsleisure.com/index.html who facilitate all my training needs agreed to give me an additional training session on Monday nights leading into the last two weeks of my training before the pool comp. I spoke to Chris Mortimer who works at the center last week and let him know that i would like to do a write up in the Kent Messenger after the comp to give a big thank you to all at Swallows.

Statics went fine and i completed a nice easy 5min 47sec hold with about 30 contractions. The holds between were not great and all around the 3min 45sec mark at the start of contractions but i did 4 of these with only one minute in between.

Hold 1 : full exhale full inhale 1.50sec

Hold 2 : same as hold one

Hold 3 : FRV (empty lung) 1min

Hold 4 : as above

Hold 5 : 2/4/2 breath up 3.45sec

Hold 6 : 2/4/2 breath up 3.45sec

Hold 7 : 2/4/2 breath up 4min

Hold 8 : 2/4/2 breath up for 3mins 5.47sec

I then practiced some dynamic technique over 100mtrs which i was very happy with especially with the turns.

Another big thank you to swallows for letting me train and lending me some staff to safety!

Crazy Tables....

2009-05-16T14:53:00.004+01:00

Well i finally found my bike computer and stats which are as follows...

Ave Sp 15.1mph
Dist 5.27miles
Time 20.56sec
Max Sp 20.4mph

Some really good stats from the ride with 15sec breath holds / 15sec recovery throughout the first 12mins.

I done some crazy tables this afternoon which gave me 4mins of lovely contractions, ouch! Going to use these each day now to get my head consistently into taking them with ease.

Training Updates (blackout!)

2009-05-14T22:09:00.003+01:00

The past 4 days training have been o.k, nothing too intense. I done mostly dry static work which has gone well, timing when contractions start. I put in another additional hold which brought the contraction start start time to 4min 15sec. This is good as the first 10 contractions i take, take 1min to go through so by the time this has happened I'm at 5min 15sec already. Still really confident of over 6mins at the competition.

Pool training went well last night, i done a 5min 30sec with all the life guards and instructors in the pool right next to me practicing with the spinal board. This was great as it acted as a realistic distraction. It was hard to visualise my mental routine as they were all talking and splashing about. I also stopped training in between breath up's to talk to the centers operations manager to arrange some extra training over the next fortnight.

Contractions started at 4min 15secs but couldn't get my head around them this time.

Dynamic went really well, no warm up's, no stretching and a very easy 125mtr swim. I planned in my head that when i got to the 125mtr mark would i be able to turn and go for 150mtr? I was happy to find it within me to do this. I'm sure i will hit the 150mtr mark next week!

Training today went o.k, i really pushed my bike ride. I'll post the stats when i find my trip computer (my daughter put it somewhere safe?)

I then went in Co2 tables but pushed hard at the end of them, only taking one exhale before kicking into another 2min hold. I then went into packing stretches which i do standing up. The first stretch i cut short as i started shaking (hypoxia) i took a quick 20sec recovery and then tried again and woke up on the floor with a really sore head....i had blacked out!

Felt like i had a dream about blacking out (if that makes any sense?) and i was still shaking when i come too. This signified to me that i had defiantly B.O'd.

Training Cont...

2009-05-10T16:43:00.005+01:00

Quick update this time, Day 25 was spent just doing some dry training and timing when the contractions start and how much time passes from the first to the tenth contraction. It seems that the first 10 take about a minute as they are slow and controlled. With this in mind it would be ideal for the first contractions to start at 4min 15sec then take 10 contractions round to 5min 15sec and then the next 10 would take me round to the 6min mark. Easy to write about not so easy to do. I have had contractions start as last as 4min 15sec so I'm now training purely on delaying this first contraction point.

I'm now entering the hardest 2wks training period and I'm aiming for some extra pool sessions each week (about 3) purely working on contraction start times. Then the 3rd week training up to the Wed prior to competing on the Sun.

Day 26 is rest day....McDonald's, Mmmmm!

Training day 23 - 24

2009-05-07T22:01:00.007+01:00

Pool training didn't go to plan on Wednesday night, i experimented with bicarbonate of soda? I took 20gm of the stuff and made myself feel very unwell. Baking soda was used by many athletes at the Beijing Olympics with great effect. It acts as a Ph buffer to acidic problems in the body whilst competing. Unfortunately it did not work for me!

Statics were not great and went like this...

Hold 1: 2min (no breath up)
Hold 2: 2min 15sec (no breath up)
Hold 3: 1min (FRV hold)
Hold 4: 1min 15sec (FRV hold)
Hold 5: 3min 30sec (2/4/2 breath up + packing)
Hold 6: 4min 15sec (2/4/2 breath up + packing)
Hold 7: 5min 35sec (2/4/2 breath up + packing)

The last hold i packed too much and was fighting to keep the air in which made the hold uncomfortable. I took minimal contractions as last week on all the holds but felt really bad stomach pains during training from the baking soda.

Bike stats were
Ave Speed: 14.3mph
Dist: 5.27miles
Time : 22mins
Max Speed : 22.9mph

I am still using the 15sec breath holds for the first 12mins of the ride and came home for some more Co2 tables which went well.

Dynamic training was more like dodge the diver training as the pool was very busy so i concentrated on my turns for about half an hour.

Training day 18 - 22

2009-05-04T19:03:00.003+01:00

Training over the bank holiday has been difficult mainly due to work commitments etc but it's gone well. I have carried on with the Co2 tables but changed them slightly at the end. Instead of taking a 15sec break before going into the 2min hold i just breath out at the end of a 2min hold and take one recovery breath and hold again for 2mins. The contractions start very early and are pretty nasty but anything that hurts must be good, right?

Bike stats are as follows..
Ave Speed : 14.5mph
Dis : 5.3 miles
Time : 21.50sec
Max Speed : 21.1mph

Bike stats after this are distorted slightly has i had a puncture and had to walk home but i did this holding my breath in between lampposts....

I carried on doing Co2 tables again today and carrying out repairs to my bike. Training today has been hard as i went out Sat night for my wife's birthday and drank a few old fashions and i don't do drinking well...!

Training day 16 & 17 NEW P.B

2009-04-30T20:04:00.006+01:00

Training day 16 i took off as a rest day, i wanted to rest the day before i went into the pool to see what it would do to my performance? Well i did a new P.B in static of 6mins 20sec! I eat muesli 1hr 30mins before training and had my two squeezed lemons an hour before.

Training went like this....

Hold 1 : 2min (full exhale / full inhale) 3-4 contractions
Hold 2 : 2min 15sec (full exhale / full inhale) 4-5 contractions
Hold 3 : 1min 20sec (FRV) 8 contractions
Hold 4 : 1min 30sec (FRV) 8 contractions
Hold 5 : 4min 16sec (2/4/2 breath up for 2mins) + packing 3-4 contractions
Hold 6 : 4min 40sec (2/4/2 breath up for 2mins) + packing 3-4 contractions
Hold 7 : 6mins 20sec (2/4/2 breath up for 2mins) + packing 40 contractions

The whole session lasted 43mins from start to finish.

The biggest thing i changed here was not taking too many contractions in my warm ups. I also got it clear in my mind that for once i would give in to my contractions and just take them nice and slowly. I took the first 30 very slowly and did not look at the time until i did these. This is the most relaxed i have ever been in static. Even when i did my 6min 08sec static i hated it and was not in great shape at the end but this time it was so different.

Dynamic training went well and i practice my turns after a very easy 100mtr dynamic.

Training day 14 & 15

2009-04-27T18:46:00.003+01:00

Training day 14- was spent resting (if that makes any sense?)

Training day 15- i was a bit time poor so decided to do dry training only as follows..

Hold 1 : 2mins (normal exhale / full inhale)
Hold 2 : 2mins (normal exhale / full inhale)
Hold 3 : 1min FRV hold
Hold 4 : 1min FRV hold
Hold 5 : 3.50sec 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (contractions started @ 3min)
Hold 6 : 4.20sec 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (contractions started @ 3.30sec)
Hold 7 : 5min 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (contractions started @ 3.40sec)

All holds were taken up to 10 contractions and 20 on the last hold.

Not a great performance!

Training day 12 & 13

2009-04-25T14:31:00.003+01:00

I finally got my application pack of to Liv Philip and had to make my pre-announcements for the comp, i decided to peg it back a bit and announced a 5min 10sec static and a 110mtr dynamic. I think most people keep their announcements low as you don't get penalties for going over your times / distances they only matter if you draw with someone else and the highest pre-announcement will win. I just thought i should be confident but careful.

Day 12 was spent just doing a basic Co2 table which went well.

On training day 13 i decided to change things round a bit..again! I don't think i am getting much improvements out of the Co2 tables and never been a fan of them anyway. I went on a ride for 15mins only and did not complete this in apnea as i normally do.

When i got home i rested for about 30mins and then went into dry training but simulating what i do in the pool to see if what happens to my contraction start time if i put an extra hold in to the equation?

I started like this...

Hold 1 : 2mins (full exhale / full inhale) no packing (10 contractions)
Hold 2 : 2mins (full exhale / full inhale) no packing (7 contractions)
Hold 3 : 40sec (FRV empty lung)
Hold 4 : 45sec (FRV empty lung)
Hold 5 : 4mins 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (full inhale+packing) contractions started at 3,15
Hold 6 : 4.30sec 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (full inhale+packing) contractions started at 3.45
Hold 5 : 5mins 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins (full inhale+packing) contractions started at 4min

It is evident that i need this extra hold when i warm up as contractions started 15sec later and i completed a very easy 5min hold with only 14 contractions knowing full well i can go on a whole lot more.

I have changed the way i pack also, i used to sip in small amounts up to 20 times but again this is costing me another 10sec or so, so I'm now packing or gulping down 10-13 packs very quickly.

Heart rate was very low for me (56bpm ave) but did drop down to 46bpm during FRV holds!

I'm going to continue with this one now (hopefully) and go for a much larger improvement on Wednesday in the pool.

Training Day 10 & 11

2009-04-23T20:58:00.005+01:00

The picture is of the Camberwell pool where the competition is being held on the 31st of May, this picture was taken from the 2008 championship. The competition link is underneath. I went down to see the pool today briefly as it was only 6miles from where i was working, it looked great and had real character. I can wait to get in now!

http://www.geocities.com/samdive/dreamweaversaltfree/cambcomp.htm

Training day 10 was spent in the pool and went well, i was hoping of another 125mtr dynamic but maybe a little ambitious? I managed a fairly easy 100mtr and a 5min 20sec static. Details of which are below.

Hold 1 : full exhale full inhale no packing 2mins
Hold 2 : full exhale full inhale no packing 2min 15sec
Hold 3 : FRV empty lung 1min 30sec
Hold 4 : FRV empty lung 1min 30sec
Hold 5 : 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins and packed 20 times 4min hold
Hold 6 : 2/4/2 breath up for 3mins and packed 20 times 5min 20sec hold

As you can see i changed my breath up's and routine, 5wks close to a competition is not ideal but i think i needed to change something to improve performance so decided to take the gamble. i took 10-15 contractions on each hold apart from the last one which i took 60. It felt good and good to get back into taking higher levels of contractions.

Dynamic went o.k over 100mtrs, nice and comfortable but gutted i never had the heart to turn at 100mtr to get the 125mtr i needed. I came up swearing out loud at everyone.

Training day 11 was back out on the bike with 15sec breath holds for 12mins of the ride.

Bike Stats
Ave Speed 14.8mph
Dist 5.28miles
Max speed 21.6mph
Time 21.22sec

The ride performance was great and far better than when i first started and I'm holding my breath for 12mins of the ride now! I then went into C02 tables which again went well and contractions started at 1min 20sec and over to 1min 40sec on holds 2,3 & 4 but as i started the last holds got harder which is what should happen.

Training Day 7, 8 & 9

2009-04-21T20:18:00.004+01:00

I took Sunday off to rest and got back to it on day 8 & 9. Training Day 8 was spent in the gym working on my lower back and stomach muscles as well as my chest and biceps. I went home after the gym and done some more C02 tables which seemed a little easier than last weeks. Contractions started at about 1min 30 - 1min 40 which shows they are working and my tolerance to carbon dioxide is getting better. I done 2min holds as last week and reduced the breath ups down from 2mins - 1min 30 - 1min - 30sec - 15sec and 15sec again.

Training day 9 was spent in the gym again working on my back (inc lower back) stomach and triceps. I am hoping the lower back exercises are going to build some strength to form a better kick in dynamic and improve my performances. I then went home and repeated my C02 tables as yesterday.

I'm not feeling tired at all and finding the training o.k, I'm off to the pool again tomorrow and hopeful of another 125mtr dynamic and hopefully a 5min 20sec static.

I am still trying to arrange a day to go to the Camberwell pool which is where the championships are being held but haven't got an answer back from the organiser yet (Liv Phillips).

I spoke to Ben Noble this week (Australian Record Holder) reference my performances which gave me some confidence. Ben has given me some great advice over the last year or so and has always been there when i need him. It was always something explained to me that all freedivers would help each other out when i started this sport and that advice would always be available, i have found this not to be the case with most. I have a few people that have helped over the short time i have been pursuing my dream who have always been there and Ben is one of them (Thanks Ben)

Sam Kirby sent me over the AIDA rules which i have read reference static and dynamic, this was a great help as i was not sure about most of it!

Training Day 5 & 6

2009-04-19T19:56:00.002+01:00

Training in just Co2 tables over the past two days and adding another hold in now between 2min and 1min but carrying on with the 2 reps of 15sec with 2min holds. Contractions starting between 1min 20sec and 1min 30secs. Not sure if i should now take these holds up to 2min 15sec to give myself more contractions?

Packing stretches after both session up to 20 packs, still slightly painful on my right side but these are what unlocks the secret to a good dynamic performance.

I'm gong to start to mix Co2 tables with o2 tables next week.

Sunday (training day 7) rest day.....

Training Day 4...

2009-04-16T20:28:00.004+01:00

Training today went well as i think i was still on a high from my 125mtr dynamic set last night. I completed my apnea bike ride with 12mins of 15sec breath holds throughout.

Bike stats as follows..

Ave speed : 14.1mph
Dist : 5.27miles
Time : 22.25sec
Max speed : 22.1mph

I have now completed a total of 6hrs 46mins of cycling over 82.2miles.

Co2 tables went well using 2min holds with two lots of 15sec recovery's at the end and then going into packing stretches after which my daughter tried her hardest to tickle me whilst completing!! Another good day....

125mtrs Dynamic....

2009-04-16T12:32:00.004+01:00

Last night at training i finally made my 125mtr dynamic freedive. I was using my new Hyperglide from Leaderfins with a hard blade. The swim felt fantastic and it was great to get to this target with over 5 weeks to my comp. On my first turn my goggles unfortunately filled with water but i carried on regardless. Turns were not great but when i turned at 100mtrs i knew i was going to make it to 125mtr. Before i went in to attempt this is carried out some packing stretches which helped me cope with any stress on my rib cage whilst keeping my hands firmly above my head during the dive although i was a bit out of shape on the last 25mtrs!!

Static training went o.k, i started with 3 FRV holds and then breathed up for 2mins and completed the following..

Hold 1 : 3mins 30sec
Hold 2 : 3mins 59secs
Hold 3 : 5mins 10secs

Breath up's were 2/4/2 for the first 2 holds and then slightly different for my last one were i purged a little more than normal. Contractions were taken to 20 for each hold and 35 for the last hold. I will carry on with the Co2 tables a i have only done them for two days and don't expect to see any significant changes or results just yet.

I'm really happy with the dynamic and hopefully i will be able to train regularly st 100mtrs and hit the 125mtr a few more times before the comp to give me enough confidence to try a 150mtr at the comp. Time will only tell.

Training Day 2

2009-04-14T21:58:00.002+01:00

Day two was very similar to day one bike ride stats were as follows..

Ave Speed 13.4mph
Dis 5.29miles
Max Speed 21.2mph
Time 23.10sec

15sec holds / 15sec recovery for 12mins of ride.

Straight after i went into Co2 tables...

2mins NTB
2min hold
1min NTB
2min hold
30sec NTB
2min hold
15sec NTB
2min hold
15sec NTB
2min hold

I then went into packing stretches which felt good but slightly painful this time, i guess it's just stretching out parts i have not stretched before? All in all another good session, tomorrow I'm off to the pool for static training and dynamics which i will be pushing hard to improve on previous weeks.

Training Day 1

2009-04-14T00:24:00.005+01:00

Training started today and went something like this....
(publicity of my training schedule will be kept to a minimum over the next 6wks due to comp)

Apnea Bike stats were a bit different than normal as i used a different route than i usually do. I started the ride with 15sec breath holds with 15sec recovery's in between for the first 10mins. Contractions started at about 10secs.

Max speed 24.1mph
Dis 5.59miles
Time 28mins
Ave Speed 13.6mph

The time was affected as i had to pop in to a friend whilst out training so tomorrow i will be back to my normal route, the 15sec holds felt hard but rewarding.

I then done some Co2 tables to start working on my carbon dioxide tolerance levels (i never usually touch tables but i think it's time to start doing something different as training lately has been poor in statics)

2mins NTB (normal tidal breathing)
2mins hold (no purging/hyperventilating) counter productive in tables
1min NTB
2min hold
30sec NTB
2min hold
15sec NTB (if you can call it that at this point!)
2min hold
15sec NTB
2min hold

I then went into packing stretches, packing 18 times and then reaching up/out/behind & sideways to really stretch out the parts of the body other air breathing humans cannot reach and then repeating again. All in all a good 1st training session and looking forward to tomorrow.

SaltFree 3 days Easter Break

2009-04-13T23:50:00.006+01:00

Easter weekend at SaltFree was fantastic, We all met up on Friday morning and went down to the platform on a cold, wet morning and began to sort the lines out and get ready for some new P.B's.

The bad weather gave way on Sat and Liv Phillips (National Record Holder) came down to do her 55mtr CWT dive which looked fantastic! Leaving us meir mortals on the 30mtr line.

Sat was a great day and saw some personal new P.B's in CWT & FIM disciplines and also some more on Sun at the end of the day.

Liv gave me all the much anticipated details for my first competition which is being held on May 31st at Camberwell which you can check out here.....
http://www.geocities.com/samdive/dreamweaversaltfree/cambcomp.htm

This is the competition i have been waiting for since last year and after sending off for my BFA Membership i can now get into some training specifically for Dynamic and Static. I have 6wks to prepare now and everyday counts so here goes....

THAT'S SOME BIG FEET!! Quack!

New Hyperglide Mono

2009-04-09T10:36:00.004+01:00

Well i finally got my new Hyperglide mono from Leaderfins this week which http://www.9lounge.co.uk/ bought for me. I've just got to get the vinyl logo for it done now which i will get done in the next couple of weeks from Craig at http://www.vinylcreations.co.uk/

Training last night was terrible and went some thing like this...

3 x FRV holds 53sec/1min 02secs/1min 05secs
Hold 1 - 3mins 53secs
Hold 2 - 4mins 12secs
Hold 3 - 5mins 02secs (45 contractions)
The whole thing felt wrong and the contractions were painful. I then went in to try my new fin for dynamics and was rather hoping for a 125mtr performance but came up at 75mtrs feeling completely wrong.

Just didn't have my mind in it last night even though i felt so positive before hand. I have now sent off for my BFA membership which will allow me to compete this year, i have only 6wks before the great Camberwell Breath Hold event which is being held on the 31st May (Dynamic & Static)

I am now going to have to make some serious changes to my training to get anywhere in this competition although most people are saying "go along for the experience" i want to go along to be all i can be and do well. After this i have the SaltFree Double Dip in June which is CWT & FIM which i am training for this weekend for 3 days.

Well I'm off to Chepstow now and packing my bags, so here goes....

Training / News & Sponsor Info

2009-04-04T15:18:00.005+01:00

My sponsor print has now been completed on my carbon monofin, looks great and can't wait till Easter weekend at SaltFree to give it a go. Thanks to AD2000 Services Ltd.
My training has been good this week. Week before last i had a mild chest infection after a cold (man flu!!) so i wasn't hoping for much in terms of static and dynamic training this week but i was quietly surprised.

I managed a very easy 5min 08sec on my third hold and also managed a very easy (easiest one yet) 100mtr dynamic after.

I started with three FRV holds which were 45secs / 1min / 1min 10sec and then used my normal 2/4/2 breath up for 2mins and packed.

Hold 1 4min 08secs
Hold 2 4min 35secs
Hold 3 5min 08secs

Packing extra is now helping with contractions (15-18 packs) and helping to stretch my lungs well. As i have said before i am training like this to reduce the amount of holds i do to get over 5mins and then i a few weeks time i will string 6 holds together to see what happens to my max time?

The dynamic session was soooo easy over 100mtrs, I'm still awaiting delivery for my hyperglide fin which nYne sponsored me for and i'm sure that with this i will complete a good solid 125mtrs.

A big well done to my Friend Eric van Riet Paap who competed in the AIDA Belgium competition this week and done a 8min 01sec static!! (a new N.R) Well done Eric and well deserved.

No Warm Up's Necessary!!

2009-03-19T19:25:00.008Z

Well after my weekend away and the lack of training recently it was time to crack on this week. Still hard to fit training in as work is hard at present. I had a couple of bike sessions out this week.

BIKE SESSION
Ave speed 13.6mph
Dis 5.31miles
Max speed 20.5mph
Time 23mins 16sec

Slightly worse than my last session but that's what a hard head wind does to your time i guess.

Pool training on Wednesday went great on the static side but not so good on my dynamic side. I have been working on reducing the amount of warm up holds it takes to get over the 5min mark and up to about 3wks ago i had my warm ups down from 5 holds to 3 holds and last night i managed a 5min 02sec on my second hold!!

First hold was 4min 17sec
Second hold was 5min 02secs

I used the 2/4/2 breath up for both for only 2mins with 2mins rest in between. I only took 32 contractions on my last hold. The theory is that in a few weeks time i will hit 5mins on my second hold then carry on up to 5 or 6 holds and hopefully pull out a new P.B of over 6mins 08secs which i set last year. Just a theory though?

Picture of me and Jay Cluskey from our weekend at Chepstow! Jay is an accomplished freediver and taught me a few things over the weekend. more importantly Jay is the fastest driving, sword fish killing, non muesli eating lunatic i have meet in a long while (he'll understand)

Great guy and i hope we meet again @ SaltFree.

This picture is my daughter who had her second swimming lesson this week (just before my static session) I was hugely proud of her as she spend most of the lesson underwater and not on top of it (a future freediving champion?)

SaltFree March Constant Weight

2009-03-15T21:43:00.006Z

A good solid dive at SaltFree last weekend (shown above). The weekend was a great experience and the platform looked amazing thanks to Dave & Sam. It was also great to meet someone who i have been e mailing for the past, god knows how long (Mr Jay Cluskey). I was also glad that he doesn't eat south African peace crisps or muesli bars!!

I am back at SaltFree at Easter time for 3 days to improve my depth part of freediving which will hopefully see me diving to some good solid depths?

I have now secured sponsorship from two people now http://www.ad2000servicesltd.co.uk/ and http://www.9lounge.co.uk/ AD2000 services sponsor me for all my training expenses now which allows me to take time off to train and fund my training needs, they are a fantastic security company who i have used for over 6yrs now as a major service provider to my day job. They operate nationally and are one of those companies that is "small enough to care & big enough to do the job" they have supported me deliver some pretty hard results in my job and employ some of the best security personnel i have ever meet.

Nyne cocktail lounge operate out of Bexley Heath and sponsor me for my equipment and is run by Pete Marshal (world champion cocktail god!!) whom without i simply could not afford the kind of products i need to compete with this year, so a massive thank you to you both for getting behind me and my love for this sport.

Back to Training....Again.

2009-03-05T16:32:00.005Z

Well it took a couple of weeks off for my muscle injury to sort itself out and now I'm fighting fit again. (sorry picture is not me, i just love it so i stole it!!)

I started the week cycling together with dry statics. The dry statics have been coming on a treat. I have been working on reducing the amount of warm up holds to achieve 5mins or over. Usually it take 5-6 holds to get to this point and in dry training i have reduced this down to 3 holds.

I converted this in the pool last night and completed the following...

Hold 1 : 3mins 15sec
Hold 2 : 4min 15sec
Hold 3 : 5min 01sec

I used 2/4/2 for 2mins as my breath up which seems to be working o.k and I'm managing 15 packs now comfortably instead of my 8-10. The holds felt really comfortable and contractions seemed a lot less with the extra packing.

Dynamic training went well also and i worked for almost 40mins on technique alone. I'm hoping that when i get my new mono-fin from leaderfins from my sponsor http://www.9lounge.co.uk/ this will improve my performance greatly.

BIKE SESSION
Ave speed 14mph
Dis 5.31miles
Max speed 22.5mph
Time 22mins 36sec

Feels good to get back into training as i hate having time off but glad i did as my neck feels great now. I'm looking forward to freediving in Chepstow next weekend with SaltFree and christening the new freedive platform with Sam Kirby & the gang!

Injury Time...

2009-02-21T17:45:00.004Z

Awoooo! During training this week (Tuesday) i tore a muscle in my neck and pulled some more in my upper back! Very painful. I laid off training for the rest of the week and to be frank (RICKY!! lol) it bloody hurts.

I have been applying hot and cold pads on it over the last few days but it's not getting any better. To add to my injury two little idiots who i didn't want in my club last night threatened to stab me so me being me had to make them see the errors of their ways! This has pulled both injury's again and now I'm back to square one.

Not a great week so I'll leave it there, hopefully get back in the water next week and maybe some very light stretching. Hopefully tonight will be a quite night on the door and idiot free or the next person that threatens my training schedule will need more than an ambulance to take them away!

Getting There...

2009-02-12T20:44:00.004Z

Just a brief entry tonight, training this week has gone o.k. I've been back in the gym and pool training went fine last night. Statics went something like this..

3x FRV holds all around 45secs - 1min
2min breath up 2/4/2 full inhale plus 8 packs 3.15sec
2min breath up 2/4/2 full inhale plus 8 packs 3.45sec
2min breath up 2/4/2 full inhale plus 10 packs 4.08sec
2min breath up 2/4/2 full inhale plus 10 packs 4.11sec
5min breath up 2/4/2 full inhale plus 12 packs 5.20sec

All holds were taken up to 10 contractions except the final hold which was 30 contractions.

Dynamic session went o.k and trained on technique only over 14x 25mtr lengths.

Training Wet

2009-02-05T17:55:00.004Z

I was looking forward to getting into the pool last night as i had done some good dry training prior to getting wet this week.

I did exactly the same breath up's as i did on my dry training this week and added a few seconds onto my time. I was hoping to add a lot of time onto my dry statics but alas it didn't happen.

My stopwatch didn't work on the first hold or the 5th hold which is usually my last (Doh!!) so i held out for a 6th hold which i held for 5mins 19sec with 20 or so contractions.

Hold 1 x
Hold 2 2.11sec
Hold 3 3.51sec
Hold 4 4.19sec
Hold 5 x
Hold 6 5.19sec

No contractions throughout all the holds except the last one which i took about 20. Generally quite a good session in statics. I then went into the big pool for my dynamic session which went great. I hit 100mtrs again which i was pleased with but my technique sucked! I rushed through it too much and didn't relax enough. Never mind.

Dry Training Week

2009-02-03T18:31:00.005Z

I've never been one to do much dry training but this year i have set myself to do dry training one week out of ever four. My dry static times are never great and i strongly believe that dry holds are harder than in the pool as there is no dive reflex when you train dry.

Anyway, i tried something a bit different this week as Co2 / O2 tables have never been my thing either! (god it sounds like i don't like many freediving training techniques at all) well...i don't!

Dry training on Monday went something like this...

2mins normal tidal breathing (no purges / no packing)
Hold 1 : 1.53sec (no contractions)
2mins normal tidal breathing (no purges / no packing)
Hold 2 : 2.07sec (no contractions)
5mins 2sec inhale 4sec hold 2sec exhale I'll refer to as (2/4/2) (5 purges / 5 packs)
Hold 3 : 2.58sec (no contractions)
10mins (2/4/2) (5 purges / 5 packs)
Hold 4 : 3.40sec (no contractions)
10mins (2/4/2) (5 purges / 5 packs)
Hold 5 : 5.05sec (20 contractions)

Confused, yer me too! I found this technique on http://uk.youtube.com/ which a guy uses to great effect (His P.B 7mins 18sec) with little or no contractions, he also believes that you should not take any contractions whilst warming up as these would fatigue you. (can't say i would argue against that!!)

I must admit i felt very close to blackout a few times but did put myself through it without any real dramas so i tried it again tonight and the results are as follows.

2mins normal tidal breathing (no purges / no packing)
Hold 1 : 1.59sec (no contractions)
2mins normal tidal breathing (no purges / no packing
Hold 2 : 2.13sec (no contractions)
5mins 2/4/2 (5 purges / 5 packs)
Hold 3 : 3.36sec (no contractions)
5mins 2/4/2 (5 purges / 5 packs)
Hold 4 : 4.28sec (no contractions)
5mins 2/4/2 (5 purges / 8 packs)
Hold 5 : 5.15 (10 contractions)

As you can see tonight i brought the 10mins 2/4/2 breath up down to 5mins which helped me from feeling hypercapnic before the hold. Still some tingling but better.

I'm in the pool tomorrow so hopefully with the dive reflex on my side i should be getting back somewhere close to the 6min mark again.

Back on Track...

2009-01-29T18:26:00.006Z

Training is going well this week, pool training went great last night as i finally got my weight right so gliding was much better. I found myself doing 3 & a half kicks per length (kick kick glide style) Warm up's were...

Full inhale (no packing) 2min 11secs 2mins rest
Full inhale (no packing) 2mins 30secs 2mins rest
FRV hold 1min 20sec 2min rest
FRV hold 1min 23sec 2min rest
Full inhale plus packing 4mins 2mins rest
Full inhale plus packing 5min 09secs

Dynamic session went well also, i completed 1x 75mtr followed by 1x 50mtr by 10x 25mtr concentrating on technique and gliding.

BIKE SESSION
av speed 14.2mph
dis 5.31miles
max speed 22.5mph

Really happy with getting back on track this week, hopefully carry on like this now for the next couple of months.