Cross-Training for Freedivers: Part II
Posted By Peter Scott on 24 May 2004
When it comes to world records and helping freedivers achieve personal bests, Krack believes in setting achievable goals to help an athlete feel as though they are always succeeding, whether on dry land or in the water. He compares freediving to middle distance running - an activity that requires both excellent aerobic and anaerobic fitness. His athletes do use CO2 tables to build carbon dioxide tolerance. "These exercises are obviously an integral part of any training regimen," says Krack. "We utilize them at different intensities and different intervals, but also with variations that can be specific to the discipline and the athlete. Targeted apnea exercises are important and at a beginner level such things as apnea walking can help, but as the athlete progresses, more focused training is required."
Maria-Theresa and Aharon Solomons, trainers who live and give courses in Baja, Mexico, believe that most freedivers ignore the need for time to adjust to the specific and intense physiological and psychological demands that freediving requires at a high level. Too many divers rely on a "crash and burn" style of last-minute training or ignore psychological preparations in favour of physical training. A needlessly stressful training strategy can have a lifelong negative impact on a person's relationship with freediving.
"Basically, our philosophy is to develop the longer-lasting freediver and not a mentally broken one," says Aharon Solomons. "Allowing sufficient time for physiological adaptation with regularity and persistence at a lower than maximum threshold is the key to all-round and continued success without peaks and troughs. I thoroughly endorse the French dictum that a diver is not allowed to attempt a new depth until he can come up with a smile at the end of a dive."
The Solomons are as detailed as Rudi Castineyra when it comes to describing cross-training strategies, but with at least one obvious difference. Whereas Castineyra does not use dry apnea training, the Solomons use it as a cornerstone of their physical training approach.
"Long ago we were very convinced," writes Aharon, "probably more than any other kind of non-water based training, of the effectiveness of dry apnea exercise--especially variations of the dry walk depending on which freedive discipline is being attempted. However, this is only most useful once the base training (aerobic and later anaerobic/lactate) is in place and of high enough standard."
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