Winter Program II
Posted By Aharon & MT Solomons on 10 July 2003
DYNAMIC APNEA
IMPORTANT: BEFORE ATTEMPTING any of the exercises described in this article, it is essential that you review FREEDIVERS 20 Safety Rules and Safety for Static, and instruction through an accredited school is highly recommended
Safety is critical issue in Dynamic Apnea. People tend to stretch their limits as there is no depth involved.
Apart from being a competitive discipline in its own right, Dynamic Apnea is probably the single most important training mode for Fixed Weight other than doing Fixed Weights training itself. Dynamic is breath-hold with stress, as in Fixed Weight, providing the opportunity to do Hypoxic Training - Lactic Acid Training, to train the specific muscles you would use in Fixed Weights AND to train style and rhythm.
Monofinners should be covering 50m (in a 50m pool), in about 25 undulations.
We of FREEDIVERS instruct with the maxim: a 10% improvement in style equals a 10% improvement in results whereas a 10% improvement in fitness IF it is invested in poor style may not even produce a 1% improvement in results.
This is particularly true of Dynamic, but if we remove equalisation problems from the equation it also applies to Fixed Weights and Free Immersion. The recording of Dynamic training data is important and can produce a wealth of information, (i.e. distance, time, number of kick cycles or undulations, recovery time etc.). This is particularly interesting when a heart monitor is employed.
Using the Tables
As the length of pools varies it may be difficult to find an exact number of whole pool lengths equating to an ideal 75% of your maximum apnea distance, so use reasonable approximations. For example, if your maximum is 85m and you had at your disposal a 33m pool, you would set Table A with a dive distance of 2 lengths. If you had a 50m pool at your disposal you would set it for 1 length. With a 25m pool, you would probably set it at 2 lengths. Your setting could be anywhere from 60-80% of your maximum. If your setting is closer to the bottom range of distanceyou could, in order to make the exercise more challenging, immediately reduce the Rest Times.
Your safety diver (partner) should be ready to meet you during the last, stressed 25% of the exercise. Here we are basically talking about a 50m pool scenario. In Table A, she should be recording not only the length of time it takes to do each length but also the number of kick cycles, and must also be ready to intervene in the case of Shallow Water Blackout.
The objectives of Dynamic Apnea training are to increase apnea times in movement and to improve style and hydrodynamic efficiency.
TABLE A - with Equipment
This exercise is applicable to Dynamic Apnea with or without fins. For monofinners who are using Dynamic as a training exercise for Fixed Weights, try doing this Table with arms extended in front, using the same undulations you would use for monofinning.
Establish your maximum Dynamic Apnea distance and set Table A to about 50-60% of this. The number of lengths is constant and the interval systematically decreases, as with Static Table A for carbon dioxide tolerance.
Here, obviously, if your maximum distance is 50m and you had a 25m pool, you might set your repetitive distance for this to 1 length, i.e. 25m, and execute the following Table.
For a 50m Maximum Dynamic
|
Repetition |
Rest |
Dive |
|
1 |
2:00 |
25m |
|
2 |
1:50 |
25m |
|
3 |
1:40 |
25m |
|
4 |
1:30 |
25m |
|
5 |
1:20 |
25m |
|
6 |
1:10 |
25m |
|
7 |
1:00 |
25m |
|
8 |
0:50 |
25m |
Objective 1: To increase the number of dives using the minimum rest time (0:50) so that you would do the Table up to Repetion 6 at 1:10 rest and then the next two with only 0:50 seconds in-between. When this becomes easy you would do the Table up to Rep 5 @ 1:20 and the last three with only 0:50 in between. Finally up to Rep 4 @ 1:30 and then ALL the rest with only 0:50 in between. Then move to Obj.2. The time scale for this is entirely at the discrepancy of the diver and might be changed over a period of a few weeks. He might also relate the rest period to a given number of breaths rather than a time.
Objective 2: To decrease the rest time by 10 seconds throughout. The first ventilation period would be 1:50 and the last would be 0:40 seconds.
NB: The above ratios (in seconds), of change are relevant only to the above example. In much more advanced stages of breath-hold dynamic using Table A, you might be able to achieve a decrease in the rest time from between 15 - 20 seconds, (one or two breaths.) Approach this with caution and a good partner observing.
TABLE B - with Equipment
Take 2 full breaths on the surface, in movement. Dive and swim, (for example) 4 - 6 kick cycles. Surface and while still moving take 2 more breaths before diving again. Keep this up for 40 minutes without increasing the number of kick cycles per dive under water. For monofinners read undulations for kick-cycles.
TABLE C - APNEA Sprints or surface Swim sprints
Option 1 - In a 25m pool:
Fin or swim 5 sets of 25m lengths at maximum speed, with a minute and a half recovery between each length.
Option 2 - In a 33m pool:
Fin or swim 5 sets of 33m lengths at maximum speed, with a minute and a half recovery between each length.
TABLE D 'Departs' - Swimming
Complete a series of 8 x 50m lengths departing every 1:15 (for example). This rest interval can be reduced in stages by a few seconds when the exercise becomes comfortable.
Equivalent swim training exercises for hypoxic, lactic acid and interval training abound and can be found through local swim clubs. These all help boost aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
TABLE E 'Hypoxic Pyramid' - Swimming (Example)
Swim 400m Freestyle in the following fashion.
50m breathing every 4 strokes then 50m breathing every 6 strokes, then 50m every 8, every 10, every 10 again and reducing down in the same way as you increased the number of strokes down to every 4 strokes over 50m.
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